Postcolonial Studies: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Achebe's "An Image of Africa"

In his 1977 article called “An Image of Africa,” Chinua Achebe, who is a scholar of African literature, addresses the Western assumption that the West embodies the ideal cultural standard while all other countries, including Africa, have strange and foreign customs, superstitions, and rituals. To illustrate his point, Achebe uses Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness to illustrate the Western assumption of its superiority over other cultures. Achebe protests against the fact that Heart of Darkness is considered a great work of art and one of the greatest short novels of English literature even though it is unapologetically and horrendously racist. Conrad unjustly portrays Africa as a primitive civilization where the people are presented as merely an ugly parody of white Western people. Africans are dehumanized, the women are sexualized and portrayed as exotic, and they are not even given their own language, as they only speak in grunts or on two occasions, English.

Although Conrad’s novel is narrated by Marlowe, who holds these racist views, Achebe argues that Conrad cannot hide his own racism behind his narrator. Conrad is racist and is not alone in this, as the West considered itself superior to Africa and saw such racism as perfectly acceptable and normal. Achebe appeals to his readers and insists that Heart of Darkness needs to be stripped of its status as a great English novel and a work of art and should be seen for what it is: an atrocious example of Western racism that only serves to keep alive the dehumanization of people who are not white and of European descent.

The main argument of Achebe’s article is to show that Africa is not in any way inferior or primitive compared to the West. Achebe wants to show that Africans are people and should be treated with respect as equal human beings who have a recognized and valued culture, language, and talents.

“I am talking about a book which parades in the most vulgar fashion prejudices and insults from which a section of mankind has suffered untold agonies and… in which the very humanity of black people is called into question. It seems to me totally inconceivable that great art or even good art could possibly reside in such unwholesome surroundings” (790).

This quote summarizes Achebe’s thoughts on Heart of Darkness and why he believes it should be viewed as a novel that encourages racism rather than a celebrated work of art. Heart of Darkness dehumanizes the African people and by calling it “great art or even good art,” a person is supporting racism and condoning the horrible suffering African people have endured in both the past and the present.

“I would suggest…some advantages the West might derive from Africa once it rid its mind of old prejudices and began to look at Africa not through a haze of distortions and cheap mystification but quite simply as a continent of people – not angels, but not rudimentary souls either – just people, often highly gifted people and often strikingly successful in their enterprise with life and society” (192).

This quote summarizes Achebe’s appeal to the reader to view Africans as people. Africans should not be set apart as ideal and perfect or, on the flip side, as primitive and bestial. They are people as much as white Europeans are people. We are all humans and we all have gifts, talents, cultures and societies that are different but should all be equally respected and valued.

Keywords: Racism. Dehumanization. Value.

Achebe does not shy away from saying what he thinks about Conrad when he says that “Conrad was a bloody racist” (788). Achebe shows how racism strips Africans of their humanity and ultimately dehumanizes them to mere parodies of sophisticated Western people. The point of “An Image of Africa” is to show that Africans are people that have value in and of themselves. Cultures should not be compared to each other, as if they are on a hierarchical ladder that determines how valuable they are only in relation to other cultures. All people have value because they are human.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, I think Achebe’s article provides an excellent example of how racism and dehumanization is present in “great works of literature” and how it is often glossed over or ignored. As I reflect on this article, I realize how I have been saturated in Western culture which still holds to the idea that Western culture is the best culture there is and that all other cultures should conform to it. It is important to recognize the subtle (or perhaps not so subtle) racism in this world and expose it for what it is. No culture is better than another. All cultures have their own “odd customs and superstitions” (782); no one culture can claim to be the norm that all other cultures must measure up to. This is a good reminder for myself as I have come to the difficult realization of the lies about Western culture that I have been encouraged to accept as truths.

Some discussion questions for further consideration:

1. What are some examples of Western culture asserting itself over other cultures in other popular works of literature or films? Are there any examples of where another culture claims superiority over Western culture?

2. In what ways can different cultures be presented in a respectful and equal way? Is this possible? If all people are equal, should attention be drawn to the differences?

3. Should we still read books like Heart of Darkness? Does reading books such as Conrad’s novel benefit us as it helps train our minds to look for racist and stereotypical portrayals of different people groups, or would reading this kind of literature just re-enforce racist thinking (even if a person approached the book with an open mind)?

---

Work Cited
Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa." The Massachusetts Review, vol. 18, no. 4, 1977, pp. 782-94.