MOHD IRWANDY - WEEK 5 REFLECTION

WEEK 5 Reflection (Week 1 Re-post)

Based on your reading of “Things Fall Apart”, what aspects of the Igbo culture allow the British to take over?
Since Sarawak has also undergone colonisation, how has this affected aspect of culture in our society?
Are there any changes brought about in the lives of the indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak?

              From my observations, the colonisation that happens to the Igbo culture had also somehow reflected the colonisation that happened to my own state, Sarawak. Based on my reading, there are some aspects of the Igbo culture that allowed the British to take over.
One of the aspects is the close mindedness of the few Igbo people. Their belief in exiling some of the outcast is one of the examples. Their action towards the outcast and most importantly, towards the birth of a twin is absurd and this led to the dissatisfaction of some of the Igbo people mainly the mother who conceives them. This feeling of dissatisfaction leads to an opening for the British to easily gain some support from the Igbo people and thus taking over them. Other than that, the lack of security or organized defence system had rendered the Igbo people helpless towards attacks or provocation done by the British. This is proven when some of the villager in Abame killed a white man and resulted in them being exterminated by the white men that came after that. It was very easy for the British to attack the villagers due to the lack of security. Furthermore, the promise of a better life for the outcast was also the cause of why the British could easily take over the Igbo people.
     
             Sarawak had also undergone colonization and certain aspects of culture in Sarawak had been affected by it. For instance, the cultural diversity or the multiculturalism. During the colonization, the abundant Chinese immigration to the land of hornbill had not only increases the population but also the diversity of it. Another aspect is the economy. Because of colonization, Sarawak economy does not only depend on plantation anymore. The discovery of petroleum and natural gas had made Sarawak one of the wealthiest at that time.

             The similarities of the effect of colonization towards the African and Sarawakian is some of the changes that is brought about towards their indigenous tribes. From the moment the colonization happen, the Dayak for example became more involved in the economic aspect of Sarawak. This results in more common interface with other races such as Malay and Chinese. Other than that, Sarawak becomes more modernized in the aspect of technology and also economic when the colonial introduced more advance technologies and also ways of economy.