ABSTRACT
Narrating the impact on a fictional Igbo village in Eastern Nigeria of the incursion of British missionaries and colonial administration, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) is an important study of cultural interaction, the best-known literary work from Africa, and one of the most frequently taught novels in the world. Using usernames and passwords, students enter into the virtual world I created based on Things Fall Apart, which I call The Village of Umuofia, and “wake up” as a wide range of Igbo villagers, British missionaries, and colonial administrators in a visual space based on an extensive archive of authentic black and white photography taken by an anthropologist at the turn of the century in the region of Nigeria where the novel is set. The village is filled with images, characters from the novel, and recordings of traditional West African music. Students visiting The Village of Umuofia have commented:
I have never seen anything like it before. The most important thing for me was seeing the pictures of huts, walking sticks, and tools. I was amazed at the quality of craftsmanship and the amount of time these people must put into carving them. Also the website did a good job reinforcing how characters communicated with each other and how they came to their decisions.
This activity helped me to place myself in a villager’s shoes and try to think like they did. I got to kind of experience first hand what they went through.
I enjoyed my online experience in The Village of Umuofia. It really made you feel as if you were in the book and living as your character.
