THINGS FALL APART: AN ATTEMPT OF ACHEBE’S LIBERAL IMAGI- NATION Elham Hossain* ABSTRACT Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart appears to be a formidable attempt of Africa’s self-criticism. Achebe does not blame the West sweepingly for fettering Africa with colonialism. He has frankly criticized the frailties of the internal leadership which pave the ground for and concretize colonialism and capitalism in Africa, even in the postcolonial period. His Things Fall Apart explores different factors responsible for Africa’s failure to fight back the advent of European colonialism. This paper seeks to show Achebe’s liberal attitude that he has dedicated to his way of criticizing Africa’s own self by rising above the typical Africanist prejudices and superstitions about the West. Key Words: Complementalism, accommodative, indigeneity, Africanism, West, anxiety INTRODUCTION Achebe’s novels are widely known as cultural texts owing to their faithful search for the root of Africa’s ethnographic documents, indigenous landscape and concrete realism. His Things Fall Apart combines social and historical conditions that were confronted, contested, formed and deformed, to a great extent, by colonialism. Achebe, as a man of liberal imagination, has explored the pitfalls of both the locals and the outsiders of Nigeria. Like many others, he also concurs that “…the Europe- an influence in Africa brought more harm than good. For one thing, colonial devel- opment created rapid economic growth that eventually collapsed after the colonies became independent”. 1 Again, the frailties in the local leadership that immensely contributed to the aggravation of the condition even after independence have not escaped Achebe’s observation. Things Fall Apart, in this connection, has offered a reliable document of Achebe’s liberal imagination. This specific aspect has evoked “an authentic Igbo culture and its essence” in Things Fall Apart”. 2 Europe attempts at justifying its colonial enterprises in Africa proclaiming that “…Africa entered history only through its colonization by Europe”. 3 The delib- erate intention that Europe hides behind its so-called ‘civilizing mission’ is its subtle attempt of eliminating the rich and perpetual culture and aesthetics of Africa. * Associate Professor of English, Dhaka City College, Dhaka