Conflict of Value Systems in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: A Perspective for Understanding and Addressing Contemporary Global Crises
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10795684
Author(s): Aminu Suleiman
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10795652
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Volume 15 | Issue 1 | Feb 2024
Pages: 319-327
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Mapping Identity and Existence in Sefi Atta’s Swallow
Pandey Sudeshna
Research Scholar,
University of Mysore,
Al- Ameen Research Foundation. Lalbagh,
Bangalore-560027.
&
Dr. Khan Sartaj P.
Associate Professor,
Dept. of English,
Al-Ameen Arts, Science and Commerce College &
Al- Ameen Research Foundation. Lalbagh,
Bangalore-560027.
Article History: Submitted-27/01/2024, Revised-22/02/2024, Accepted-23/02/2024, Published-29/02/2024.
Abstract:
The novel “Swallow” (2008) by Sefi Atta thoroughly explores political identity and
societal influences by examining the political context and the repercussions of corrupt
systems on themes of survival, resistance, and personal encounters. The political context in
Swallow tremendously impacts the development of the characters’ identities and personal
experiences. The tale depicts the socio-political environment of Nigeria during a time of
military governance, analyzing the subsequent influence on its population. Most of the
criticisms of the work have been positive, praising the complex psychological portrayal of the
female characters and the use of poetic methods to illustrate ordinary parts of life. The novel
explores how politics shape human identities, the consequences of corrupt institutions on
survival, and the significance of resistance and action. This research investigates the
influence of political identities and social factors on the main characters’ experiences.
Keywords: Negotiation, Survival, Swallow, Identity, Gender.
Through the portrayal of Enitan’s matricentric empowerment in Swallow, Atta
constructs the character of Tolani as a protagonist who rapidly loses her belief in her father as
a supernatural messenger and guardian. Atta’s writing contributes to the character’s growth in
this specific domain. As she ages, she acknowledges that the intergenerational assistance she
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had from her mother and great aunt IyaAlaro is more influential in her self-empowerment
than the help she received from her father. Subsequently, Tolani chooses to renounce the
patriarchal norms upheld by society and relinquishes the belief that a woman’s purpose in
society is contingent upon either marriage or motherhood. The main character of this book is
even more resolute than Enitan in challenging the societal norms imposed by patriarchy. She
does this by cultivating her emancipatory potential through a shared awareness and a
framework of female unity transcending age groups. Swallow fosters a woman’s holistic
understanding and participates in a cross-generational movement within her Nigerian
community to attain a heightened sense of autonomy, building upon her mother’s strength.
When they encounter an advancing masquerade, Tolani first assumes the role of a community
member and a passive observer at the beginning of the game. She is deliberately kept
ignorant of the inherent societal privileges that males possess since she has been taught to
avoid making judgments about men, similar to how a participant would behave in the
presence of a god figure at a masquerade. Her father was a renowned drummer specializing in
ethnic music.
She highlights the issue of women being exploited. There is a lack of cohesion among
individuals throughout the country. She asserts that the status of women in the region is
analogous to that in Nigeria, and it is imperative to enhance it. She contends that women are
integrated into the patriarchal culture. Due to their role in upholding patriarchal norms, they
participate in rivalry with other women instead of collaborating for mutual progress.
The first step on Tolani’s path to self-determination is to become aware of life’s harsh
realities and recognize her value as a person. After getting fired from her job by Mr. Salako
and ending her relationship with Sanwo, her lover, she decides to remain in Makoku with her
mother. This decision comes after Mr. Salako dumps her. Tolani can comprehend the
unfortunate circumstance in which her mother finds herself and makes an effort to come to
terms with it once she returns home. She had the impression that her mother had the
opportunity to reveal her father’s impotence to the outside world. However, Arike has had to
make concessions and give things up throughout her life.
On the other hand, she has had considerably more freedom than the other ladies and
has regarded keeping the secret as a privilege. At the end of the book, when she is about to
tell her the secret, Tolani interrupts her and says, “Your story is already told” (Atta 295).
Therefore, it does not matter to Tolani when or how she was born.
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The beginning of a process that results in Tolani’s increased self-awareness and
empowerment is marked by her acceptance of her previous life. She is acutely aware that her
mother’s unconditional love has served as a source of nourishment for her. Her mother is the
genuine person in her life with whom she feels comfortable discussing anything. She can
recover her true worth, dignity, and identity with the assistance of the hope and level of self-
assurance that were instilled in her by her mother from a young age. Because of her close
relationship with her mother, she can adjust her perspective on life. As a result, she abandons
the plan to coerce Arike into confessing the truth about how she was conceived. Tolani has
decided to support her mother in her employment because the struggle for survival has
become an urgent priority. In Makoku, she attempts to participate in the arts and crafts of the
Adire people. She has even entertained the idea of creating placemats and tablecloths in
collaboration with other ladies. In order to give herself more control over her life, she and her
mother decided to launch a business together. In this way, towards the end of the story, she
demonstrates that she is a survivor who strives to survive despite her harsh realities and
challenges. She develops into an adult who is mature, strong, and able to handle life’s
challenges.
Swallow: Globalization’s entrails
The narrative also indicates that in the process of reinventing ‘home’ from the
Diaspora, the city and its urban settlements, which serve as imposing settings in this novel,
serve as microcosms through which the happenings of the Nigerian nation are examined. It is
something that the narrative discloses. Atta questions the current events that are taking place
in Nigeria against the background of the city of Lagos, which is distinguished by its
anomalies, taking into consideration the apparent notion and conception of the city as a
location of enduring fulfillment. Atta successfully brings these aspects to light through her
novels, which shine their searchlights on the activities and tensions that define life in
contemporary Nigerian city settings. The investigation of the landscape of Nigeria through
the use of this method, in conjunction with the first-person narrative voice that Atta adopts, is
another factor that lends credence to the realism of this account of “home” from the Diaspora
and calls up the authenticity of the experience.
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“Diaspora discourse articulates, or bends together, both roots and routes, to construct .
. forms of community consciousness and solidarity that maintain identifications outside the
national time/space in order to live inside, with a difference.”(Clifford 251). Swallow
considered a classic example of diasporic African writing, is less explicitly concerned with
the colonial past than other works of the contemporary age. Instead, it focuses on the logic of
globalization and its repercussions on an African post-colony, Nigeria. The story deals with
the impact of globalization and poverty in a third-world nation such as Nigeria. Rose,
Tolani’s friend, takes cocaine-laced condoms and swallows them to smuggle them into the
United Kingdom using their bodies. As the story develops, we learn Tolani cannot swallow
the condoms. Sister Arike pays no attention to what they have to say.
Permit me to tell you, I’ve traveled throughout this country, and everything is the
same everywhere you go. Both “We women, we sabotage each other instead of
working together” and “We don’t come together…. we sabotage each other” stem from
the same root. Shouldn’t we? We are unable to, and then, when the appropriate
moment arrives, we question why we are falling so far behind the males. (Atta 45)
In addition, her father has instilled in her the belief that males are valuable, capable,
and supportive of women in all aspects of their lives. Mrs Durojaiye is a single mother raising
three boys in a two-bedroom flat in one of the slums of Lagos after being abandoned by her
spouse, who had been cheating on her.
She works overtime to feed and clothe the boys instead of being with them. Instead of
spending time with the boys, she works extra hours to meet their needs. Instead, the demands
placed on her cause her to become so overworked that she eventually resembles a mask in the
sense that she becomes ragged, haggard, pale, and sad. This allusion to an egungun or
masquerader serves as a grounding mechanism to remind Tolani of the reality that she must
dread this specific thing: a nice woman who is mistreated by the corrupt patriarchy that exists
in Nigeria.
It is not Mrs. Durojaiye herself that she should fear, but rather what she represents,
and the men in her life are to blame for the misogynistic tyranny she faces. Tolani eventually
realizes that her father did have a message from the gods for her when she refused to comply
with the orders of those in authority and began questioning their motives. It was a message of
patriarchal privilege, the subjugation of women, and a clear agenda to make this power
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invisible. Those were the key takeaways. The indigenous guy, who is crooked and entitled, is
the greatest threat that women have to be afraid of.
Tolani looks up to and takes cues from Arike, her mother, more than any other
woman. Because of this, she is an elder in their native Makoku community; now an adult,
Tolani considers her “almost a man” and incredibly strong. As a result, her worth is no longer
based on her ability to carry children; instead, it originates from the wisdom she possesses as
a communal mediator. Arike’s condition and the tale of her life serve as a significant source
of motivation and encouragement for her daughter. At the end of the book, it will serve as a
model for progress across generations and motivate her daughter to reach her full potential in
developing a liberating composite consciousness.
In Sefi Atta’s “Swallow,” political identities and social influences alter the
protagonists’ lives. The story examines how politics shapes identities, how corrupt systems
affect survival, and resistance and activism. In “Swallow,” political identity and societal
forces are explored via the political background, the impact of corrupt systems on survival,
and resistance and activity. “Swallow”‘s political setting shapes the characters’ identities and
experiences. The story depicts Nigeria under military dictatorship and its effects on people.
Political persecution, censorship, and civil freedoms plague the characters. As the
protagonists manage political limits and threats, their political and personal identities become
linked. “Swallow” discusses corrupt systems and survival. The novel shows how corruption
affects economics, governance, and social systems. The protagonists must survive bribery,
embezzlement, and injustice. Corruption perpetuates societal inequality and forces people to
sacrifice their values and participate in immoral behavior to survive.
Identity of a Culture in “Swallow”
Specifically, within the Nigerian setting, “Swallow” by Sefi Atta examines the
complex cultural identity processes. The story explores how cultural expectations and
traditional practices affect how people manage their sense of self. This part will focus on the
problems that result from the collision between modernity and tradition and evaluate the role
of cultural identity in the book. A complex tapestry of cultural identities distinguishes Nigeria
as a diverse country. Using people from different racial, religious, and socioeconomic origins,
“Swallow” explores the difficulties of cultural identity. The book offers readers a prism
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through which they may see the complex makeup of Nigerian society and its citizens’ wide
range of experiences.
The characters’ identities in “Swallow” are significantly shaped by societal norms and
expectations. Family relationships, gender roles, marital rituals, and religious activities are all
included in these traditions. People frequently find themselves in a difficult situation due to
the impact of traditional norms and societal expectations. They must choose between
upholding their legacy and accepting the changing world. The clash between tradition and
modernity is a recurrent motif in “Swallow.” People in Nigeria are trapped in a conflict
between the draw of traditional values and the appeal of modern lifestyles due to the
country’s social, political, and economic upheavals. Characters in the book face tension and
difficulties due to the conflict between these two forces, causing them to negotiate the
nuances of their cultural identities. In “Swallow,” Sefi Atta depicts cultural identity,
highlighting the difficulties people confront while attempting to manage their sense of self
within a broader social context. The book encourages readers to consider how cultural
expectations and conventions affect personal identity and people’s decisions in their quest for
happiness and satisfaction. In “Swallow,” Sefi Atta explores cultural identity in Nigeria in
greater detail by giving complex portraits of the characters’ various experiences and
viewpoints. Readers learn about the challenges of negotiating cultural identity and how
people manage their sense of self in a fast-changing culture via their encounters with them.
Transgenerational Empowerment of women and the capability of enforcing more
robust communitarian principles
The first step on Tolani’s path to self-determination is for her to become aware of
life’s harsh realities and recognize her value as a person. After getting fired from her job by
Mr. Salako and ending her relationship with Sanwo, her lover, she decides to remain in
Makoku with her mother. This decision comes after Mr. Salako dumps her. Tolani can
comprehend the pitiful circumstance in which her mother finds herself and tries to accept it
once she returns home. She had the impression that her mother had the opportunity to reveal
her father’s impotence to the outside world. However, Arike has had to make concessions and
give things up throughout her life.
On the other hand, she has had considerably more freedom than the other ladies and
has regarded keeping the secret as a privilege. At the end of the book, when she is about to
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tell her the secret, Tolani interrupts her and says, “Your story is already told” (Atta295).
Therefore, it does not matter to Tolani when or how she was born.
The beginning of a process that results in Tolani’s increased self-awareness and
empowerment is marked by her acceptance of her previous life. She is acutely aware that her
mother’s unconditional love has served as a source of nourishment for her. Her mother is the
genuine person in her life with whom she feels comfortable discussing anything. She can
recover her true worth, dignity, and identity with the assistance of the hope and level of self-
assurance that were instilled in her by her mother from a young age. Because of her close
relationship with her mother, she can adjust her perspective on life. As a result, she abandons
the plan to coerce Arike into confessing the truth about how she was conceived. Tolani has
decided to support her mother in her employment because the struggle for survival has
become an urgent priority. In Makoku, she attempts to participate in the arts and crafts of the
Adire people. She has even entertained the idea of creating placemats and tablecloths in
collaboration with other ladies. In order to give herself more control over her life, she and her
mother decided to launch a business together.
In this way, towards the end of the story, she demonstrates that she is a survivor who
strives to survive despite her harsh realities and challenges. She develops into an adult who is
mature, strong, and able to handle life’s challenges. These issues include but are not limited to
the abuse or neglect of children, violence in the home, and the corruption of royal officials.
Iya Alaro demonstrates that women are powerful and capable of enforcing more robust
communitarian principles in a communal setting. These values aim to empower women and
demand that they be treated equally. Together, girls may also overpower male authority, but
they must do so while adhering to the norms and expectations that their community has
established. The strength of an independent woman stems from her capacity to provide for
herself and to motivate people in her immediate environment to participate with her in the
struggle against oppression. Therefore, a woman’s power is always presupposed by a
community’s approval of her actions, and it is implicitly based on a coalition of women, as
illustrated by Tolani’s great aunt and her mother. A woman’s ability to bear children is always
presupposed by a community’s approval of her ability to bear children. Therefore, IyaAlaro’s
cooperative ensures that women and children are treated reasonably, and it can do so without
fear of repercussions because the community endorses the practice.
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Arike utilizes her authority for women’s liberation within society.
Regarding Tolani’s future, Arike educates her to make more independent decisions,
including choosing her marriage. However, in her new position, she also advances women’s
liberation within society by stating, “It’s up to each woman to decide if she wants to be on her
own or not.”(Gagiano 55). She believes that “marriage is optional for a woman, but
motherhood is not.” As a result, she submits to patriarchal norms to achieve society’s
expectations. Arike utilizes her authority as a village elder to make it possible for women of
the following generation, specifically Peju’s mother and Tolani, to exercise this choice. The
fact that a woman must give up her body for a man to get pregnant is undeniably debilitating.
However, the fact that this is practiced means that Nigerian culture values marriage and
having children. Because a male is only required for insemination and not as a companion,
this choice gives women more independence and control over their reproductive lives.
However, since having children is still a prerequisite for membership in the community,
Arike’s model is still oppressive. Arike maintains that having children is not a decision that
should be left up to a woman. It is a societal expectation, and women like Arike, who can
bring about change without destroying their social system, continue to bear the weight of this
expectation.
Swallow’s Self-Discovery Experience
Their absence reawakened Tolani’s long-repressed concerns about her father’s
manhood, her mother’s honor, and her mental stability.
In these conditions of acute need, drug smuggling makes its alluring appeal. This
occupation represents both positive and bad possibilities for Nigerian women. It appears to
face positive possibilities because of the comparatively high compensation, which gives
options for self-advancement unavailable elsewhere. However, it poses negative possibilities
due to the undeniably humiliating characteristics of the activity. This enticing conundrum is
especially crystal evident to Tolani, given the circumstances she finds herself in. Her
uncontrollable companion, Rose, is a fervent supporter of the advantages of the situation.
Tolani’s natural reticence makes it challenging for her to persuade. Ultimately, she chooses
not to participate in this narcotics-related adventure more out of instinct than out of any high-
minded ideas she may have about what constitutes ethical activity.
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My conscience does not let me to engage in illegal trade. I have made an effort, but I
am unable to swallow. I’ve been asking myself, “Why am I not able to do this?”
Why?’ My tongue was not mine to speak with. What exactly does that tell me? That I
must have been mad, really crazy, to think of doing such a thing, concealing narcotics
in my stomach, then hopping on a plane to fly to another country to spirit out. That
was the only explanation. (Atta 206).
Beginning the process of self-examination cultivating a new sense of self-worth
Her willingness to face the demons in her past marks the beginning of a process of
self-examination in which she will look closely at how her family and personal history have
shaped her, which will, in turn, help her move into the stage of self-awareness. She is
cultivating a new sense of self-worth, and as a result, she can muster the bravery required to
confront her despicable boss: “I was ready to battle… I had to start out by addressing the root
of our woes… after I was done with him, he would not soon forget my name….(Atta 258) The
fact that she is able to use the witch stereotype, which is frequently used to victimize women,
to stop her own victimization is indicative of the level of self-awareness that she possesses.
The catastrophe that befalls Rose, who passes away as a result of the medications she is
carrying rupturing inside of her, contributes to the growth of her sense of self-awareness. She
realizes that her sadness is truly focused within, against herself: “… I vowed that I would not
cry for Rose any longer. I would not cry for anyone else.” She never sobbed for herself, and I
wasn’t even sure who I was sobbing for in the first place. … I was so upset over my own
misfortune and anger that I started weeping.” (Atta 258) This tough-minded sense of
awareness enables her to achieve self-acceptance, which she does by turning down her
boyfriend’s belated offer of marriage and finally confronting the question of her paternity.
Her boyfriend had proposed marriage to her after they had been together for several years. As
a result of her decision to turn down Sanwo’s sincere apology, Tolani realizes the extent to
which traditional notions of marriage as the pinnacle of female accomplishment had shaped
the way she thought.
A renewed focus on connections and sincerity
Tolani’s newfound commitment to being truthful in her interactions has extended to
her investigation into her birth circumstances. Ironically, the confrontation that was supposed
to take place with her headstrong mother ends up being more of a collaboration between
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them. Tolani realizes that the propriety of her mother’s actions in the past matters less than
the sincerity of purpose that underpinned them as she confides in her mother her intention to
delay marriage and learn the cloth-dying trade. As she does so, Tolani hears her mother say
how lies hide between words and the truth need not draw attention to itself. This realization
brings her closer to her mother. It is thus superfluous to go into detail; Tolani must be well on
her way to completely comprehending who she is as a foundation for the sort of person she
wants to develop into.
Conclusion
It is far too focused on the existing difficulties of dysfunctional Nigeria. This nation
does not have much to offer regarding the agential potential for modern urban women.
Swallow does not cultivate aspirations of a cosmopolitan future. The tone, which may be
laconically humorous, helps communicate this nonutopian impression. In addition to the
national and local levels, the novel discusses the global world order and how it exploits the
plight of individuals in “the ‘wastelands’ of transnational operations of neo-colonial
globalization.” It is possible to argue that cosmopolitan practices cannot exist without the
global being deeply embedded in the locale of Lagos, which serves as a necessary
precondition for such practices. However, in this case, “elsewhere” in the local urban space
refers primarily to consumer goods and questionable ways of making a living created at the
point where the local and the global collide. In a passage where Tolani is concerned about
Westerners who take drugs smuggled by women like Rose and herself, the realities depicted
in the novel come closest to the cosmopolitan ideals of boundary-crossing dialogue and
responsibility. It is ironic given that the novel portrays the realities as far removed from the
cosmopolitan ideals.
Works Cited:
Atta, Sefi. Everything good will come. Spinifex Press, 2008.
Anya, I. Ike Anya speaks with Sefi Atta on her recently published book – Swallow.
http://nigeriaworld.com/cgi-bin/axs/ax.pl . Retrieved, Wednesday, August 6, 2008.
Clifford, James. Routes: Travel and translation in the late twentieth century. Harvard
University Press, 1997. 244-79
Gagiano, A. “Women Writing Nationhood Differently: Affiliative Critique in Novels by
Forna, Atta, and Farah.” ARIEL: A Review of International English Literature 44 (1): 45-72.
2013. p. no. 55-67
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Nwiyi, J. “Survival and Female (Ad) Venturing in Sefi Atta’s Swallow.” International Journal
on Studies in English Language and Literature 2 (9): 2014 1–5.
“Transgenerational Development and the Rejection of Patriarchal Norms in Nigeria: A
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Thomas, D. “New Voices, Emerging Perspectives.” In The Cambridge Companion to the
African Novel, edited by F. AbiolaIrele, 217–241. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. 2009. P. no.
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Umarani, S. “Women Empowerment: A Critique of Female Protagonists in Sefi Atta’s
Everything Good Will Come and Swallow S. Umarani and Dr. S. Kumaran.”
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