Survival Tactics from Achebe and Arrow of God

Overflowing with idioms and a style of writing that mimics Igbo folklore, Arrow of God is a masterclass in Achebe’s ability to translate Igbo feelings into English. 'You must learn it until you can write it with your left hand.’ These are the words chief priest Ezeulu speaks to Oduche, the son he has sent to learn ‘white man’s knowledge’ in Chinua Achebe’s 1964 novel, Arrow of God. Today, in Nigeria and the Global South at large, many have mastered this skill as a means of survi

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