Why does Achebe set the novel prior to the arrival of the British?

Things Fall Apart, the novel by Chinua Achebe follows the story of Okonkwo, an Igbo tribesman who is forced to deal with a shift in culture and ideals as white colonials come to take over the country. The first part of the novel focuses on introducing us to the Igbo culture, what it entails, how is society functions, and what is considered important in their culture. He spends a lot of time doing this and puts lot of detail and imagery into his descriptions. So, by doing this, we develop a lot of respect for their culture as we have a good understanding of it. Then, in the second part of the novel, the white colonials come and try to take over the country. Their attempts include introducing them to Christianity and telling the locals that their religion and gods aren’t real. They would also interfere with their traditions, which are very important to their society. Now, if Achebe had decided to start the novel during the context of composition, we would not have as strong of a connection to the Igbo culture and would not care as much about the fact that the British took it away from them. What we must also consider is that this novel was written two years before Nigeria’s independence, and Achebe was a part of the Nigerian independence movement. So, he would of course try to attempt to show how badly this effected the Igbo people, and how their culture was basically stolen from them. However, he doesn’t do it so black and white, where the Igbo people live in a beautiful utopia until the big bad white man came and ruined it all. He tried to give each side a bit of humanity, showing their flaws. For example, Nwoye. He never felt like he belonged in the Igbo society. But when the British brought Christianity with them, he finally found a religion which he connected with. He also does show the quite gruesome – in our context at least – part of the Igbo culture. For example, they believed that twins were evil, and would take them to the forest and simply leave them there. Finally, Okonkwo is shown as a very troubled man, and would often beat his wives, a very common part of the society, which in our context is considered a horrible act of violence. The reason he does this, is because he himself is a very devoted Christian and a proud Igbo. So, he aims to show each side as fairly as he can.