Highlife Music in 1980s Nigeria

Just as music plays a significant role in Gansworth's characterization of Lewis and his complicated friendship with George, which is largely grounded in a shared love of the Beatles and Wings and Queen, music is a part of Adichie's characterization of Kambili and her ambivalent relationship to 1980s Nigerian secular culture. Singing is as much a defining characteristic of Aunty Ifeoma's house as laughter, but in Kambili's house, there is very little song or music. They never play the fancy stereo they have, and when Ifeoma's kids insist that they put something on, the best thing Obiora can find is "an Irish church choir singing 'O Come All Ye Faithful." In the car, we're told that they listen to cassettes of "Ave Maria," a well-known piece of sacred music composed by Franz Schubert in 1825. Both of these selections, not surprisingly, place Papa Eugene's musical tastes squarely in the British-colonial camp--and Papa's musical tastes set the standard for what is acceptable listening in their household.

When Kambili and Jaja start to interact more with Ifeoma's family, they are introduced to a new kind of music. The first time they go driving in Ifeoma's car, Kambili refers in passing to the "high life music from the car radio" (83). "High life" (or "highlife") refers to the most popular form of music in Nigeria in the 1980s: the genre originated in the early twentieth century in Ghana and became hugely popular in Nigeria in the 1960s. Highlife music combines African melodies and rhythms with European instrumentation, driven by rhythmic guitar and horns. By the early 1980s, when the novel is set, it has become a proudly African form of music, often reflecting the influence of Black American funk music and American Black Power pan-African consciousness. As Amaka says to Kambili, "I listen mostly to indigenous musicians. They're culturally conscious; they have something real to say. Fela and Osadebe and Onyeka are my favorites" (118).

All three of these musicians--Onyeka Onwenu, Fela Kuti, and Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe--have had long and productive careers that are worth digging into in their own right. There are a number of highlife mixes available on YouTube, put together by devoted fans of the genre. Fela Kuti is the most widely known and internationally influential of the group, and there are a number of clips of his band Africa 70 performing live all over the world: for a high-quality recording of a live performance by Fela Kuti and Africa 70 on German television in 1978 (less than a year after the Nigerian army raided Fela's "Kalakuta Republic" compound and killed his mother, in response to his inflammatory single "Zombie" [1977]), see here.

Notebook prompt: Kambili's Dream

After spending the day with Aunty Ifeoma, Papa-Nnukwu, and her cousins, Kambili has a dream: “I dreamed that I was laughing, but it did not sound like my laughter, although I was not sure what my laughter sounded like. It was cackling and throaty and enthusiastic, like Aunty Ifeoma’s” (88). 

How do you interpret this dream? How does it reflect Kambili’s recent experiences? What does laughter represent, and why is it important?

Take five minutes now to contemplate this passage in your notebook.

Notebook Prompt: First Impressions of Kambili

Part 1 ("Breaking Gods: Palm Sunday") of Purple Hibiscus introduces us to the fraught family dynamics that the narrator is a part of: she describes this scene at home on Palm Sunday as the moment when "everything" has come "tumbling down" in her family, when "things started to fall apart." As we start to unpack this densely layered opening scene, take a few minutes to record your initial impressions of Kambili (who has not yet shared her name with us) as both a character and a narrator in this opening section. How would you describe her narrative voice? How does this voice seem to reflect her character, her role within this family?

Take 5 minutes in your notebook to record your initial observations and impressions of Kambili as a character and as the narrator of this story.

Allusions in Adichie

The first line of Kambili's narrative ("Things started to fall apart at home when my brother, Jaja, did not go to communion . . .") alludes to two well-known literary works: the novel Things Fall Apart (1958) by the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, and the poem "The Second Coming" (1919) by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats, to which Achebe alludes in his title. Things Fall Apart is the most well-known of Achebe's works, and it depicts a traditional Igbo man struggling to come to grips with the encroachment of British colonialism in his community. Achebe essentially initiated modern Nigerian fiction in English, and Adichie cites him as a profound influence on her own writing. As we'll see, Purple Hibiscus addresses the intersection of British-colonial and traditional Igbo culture in the 1980s from a more modern, domestic perspective than in Achebe's novel (reflected in her specification of things falling apart at home).

Notebook Prompt: A Coming-of-Age Novel?

If I Ever Get Out of Here might be categorized as a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel (literally: "novel of education or growth"). These narratives often depict a young protagonist and their experiences in schools and with "education" more generally, as they struggle to define themselves and find their place in the world. As we've discussed, school and the education system have been a rather fraught issue for Lewis and for the history of Native American people. As the novel concludes, what significant growth or development do you see in Lewis's character? Is he different in significant ways by the end of this nearly two-year story? Do you see evidence of Lewis "coming of age" over the course of this narrative? How can a reader measure something so abstract? What "threads" do you see in the novel that reflect or trace this development?

Take 5 minutes in your notebook to contemplate any coming-of-age threads you see in this novel.

Notebook prompt: "A Chat in the Language of Violence"

Part 2 of If I Ever Get Out of Here ends on an ominous note: after boycotting school for a few days, to protest the lack of support that he is receiving as he endures Evan Reiniger's bullying and abuse, Lewis has come up with a new plan. He has gone to a spot in the woods where some baseball bats have been stowed "close to the border . . . in case of territorial invasion" (233). Lewis unwraps one of the bats and says that he has "decided to go back to school. It was time for a new lesson, a chat in the language of violence" (233).

In your notebook, please contemplate the significance of this apparent turning point in Lewis's efforts to deal with Evan. What do you think about where this story appears to be headed? Lewis has been encouraged by a number of people to "fight back" or to "stick up for himself" against Evan, but he always points out that Evan is a lot bigger and stronger than he is. How do you feel about Lewis, as he stands there with the baseball bat in hand, planning to return to school for a "new lesson"? Does this seem like a good idea? Are you happy to see him rising in resistance, or are you concerned about this apparent escalation of hostilities? If you could speak with Lewis at this point, what would you say to him?

Small-Group Discussion: Wings Over America and Fireball

1. In chapter 11 of If I Ever Get Out of Here, Lewis recounts his experiences going to Toronto to see Wings in concert with George and his father. This is his first time in Toronto, the biggest city he's ever been to, and it's his first ever rock concert. Look back over Lewis's account of his experience at this concert (pages 156-57), and discuss this chapter in table groups. Take notes to record the perspectives and insights your group comes up with. If shared music fandom can serve as the "rez rocket" between Venus and Mars, does this concert experience represent an example of connection or disconnection--or a little of both? Be specific about the passages and moments throughout this chapter that support either interpretation: look for evidence of Lewis feeling connected to George and his father, and evidence of him feeling separate and apart. Is this concert, on balance, a good experience for him? Does it represent significant progress in his effort to bridge the "worlds" of the reservation and Red Tail Manor?

Please take about ten minutes to analyze and discuss this chapter, recording notes and insights in your notebook.

2. At the end of chapter 11, contemplating the tour program that Mr. Haddonfield has purchased for him, Lewis contemplates how he can "bridge the gap" between him and George. In chapter 13, Lewis has invited George and his father to the annual reservation Picnic, which entails introducing them to the local custom of "Fireball." What does reservation culture look like in this chapter? What do George and his dad seem to make of it? How does this depiction fit with the other ways you've seen Lewis depict his home on the reservation throughout the novel? What moments in this introduction to reservation culture for George and his father stand out to you? On balance, does this seem more like a scene of connection or disconnection? How does this chapter function as Lewis's attempt to show his gratitude to the Haddonfields and to return the favor of their generosity and hospitality? Do these developments represent significant progress in the effort to bridge the two "worlds"?

Please take about ten minutes to analyze and discuss this chapter, recording notes and insights in your notebook.

FOR BOTH SETS OF PROMPTS, YOUR NOTES SHOULD BE SUBSTANTIAL AND SPECIFIC: CITE PAGE NUMBERS AND KEY PASSAGES OR PHRASES AS NEEDED.