Achebe’s main purpose for writing “An Image of Africa” was to critique the way that Western writers portray Africa and its peoples. Colonial ideology demanded that the colonized be treated as something less than human, be it for their skin color, non-Christian religions, or any other societal differences. Any deviation from the European norm was seen as an inherent inferiority and used as a justification for the colonial project. Until the publication of “An Image of Africa,” critics usually praised Conrad for his critique of imperialism in Heart of Darkness. While this is true to an extent, Achebe’s essay demonstrates that Heart of Darkness is “a story in which the very humanity of black people is called in question” (259).

Conrad failed to portray the African characters in his story as anything more than pieces of the backdrop. They lack names, characterization, and any agency beyond serving or impeding Conrad’s white characters. Phrases such as “rudimentary souls” and “a whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping, of bodies swaying, of eyes rolling” underscore the dehumanization of African characters (Conrad, quoted in Achebe 255, 253). Achebe critiques Conrad’s use of “Africa as

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