Tribes: A Look At Racism in "Heart of Darkness" According to Chinua Achebe

We all belong to tribes. No, I don't mean dancing around a bonfire chanting sacrificial hymns. What I mean is we're all part of groups and communities that share customs and even superstitions, much like the stereotyped "tribes" we've seen in Native American and African history. This is important to keep in mind when we live in a society that laughs at a people, say the Native Americans, who believe that a special dance will bring rain, when most Americans believe wishing for something on social media will grant their every desire.

Much of this comes from the human desire to place ourselves above another group of people. European society is one of the most prominent examples of this mentality. During the scramble for Africa in the late nineteenth century, the advanced European society directly clashed with the still very dated African society. This greatly encouraged imperialists to put themselves above the Africans in both status and superiority. Here is where Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness, takes place.

Many have accused Conrad's story of being racist and ignorant of African culture and history. The most well-known and credited of these accusers being Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic. His belief is that Heart of Darkness, a story about a European ivory agent's journey up the Congo river in African society, attempts to show that "things being in their place is of the utmost importance". In other words, cannibals and savages belong in Africa while civilized white folk belong in Europe. That's a harsh message coming from a novel that is acclaimed as one of the greatest written English novels ever published. But in truth, what the novel does is show what happens when someone leaves their place, confirming Achebe's statement. The main protagonist, Marlow, journeys out of European civilization and throws himself into the harsh, hostile environment of the Congo, a decision he later regrets for obvious reasons. But does that mean all societies will try to kill you if they're not for "your kind"?

Chinua Achebe

Obviously not. Just because I'm a fan of theatre doesn't mean I'll get murdered if I go to a basketball game. You may say that's downsizing the overall picture, but really it's not. Even within our own nations we belong to different groups and societies. Within an area as small as a high school campus there are hundreds of clubs and cliches that separate students from one another. But that does not mean that the intermingling of those people is wrong or harmful in any way. In fact, it could be the answer to many of the problems faced both today and in history. Had Marlow's ivory company shared the technologies and knowledge of European society, perhaps they wouldn't have viewed them as "savage". The real savagery lies not in what makes us different, but in what makes us separate ourselves out of fear of being similar.