How does Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad parallel Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart?

I think the obvious point of comparison between these two
great texts is the way in which both present Africa as being profoundly impacted in a
negative form by colonialism. In Heart of Darkness, it is clear
that again and again the only legacy that the white's colonialism of Africa has brought
is death, decay and exploitation. Perhaps one of the most chilling examples of this is
seen in the "grove of death," where the blacks who are presented to us are clearly
dehumanised and have become nothing more than
objects:

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"Near the same tree two more bundles of acute
angles sat with their legs drawn up. One, with his chin propped on his knees, stared at
nothing, in an intolerable and appalling manner: his brother phantom rested its
forehead, as if overcome with a great wearines; and all about others were scattered in
every pose of contorted collapse, as in some picture of a massacre or a
pestilence."

Clearly the
tragedy that Marlow sees in this grove of death is a comment on imperialism and
colonialism which has only brought difficulties to
Africa.

Likewise, in the same way, Things Fall
Apart spends many chapters introducing us to an African culture that is shown
to exist perfectly well by itself. However, it is the arrival of the white missionaries
which herald problems for this culture, and divide it and begin to destroy it. Africa
yet again is presented as only being impacted negatively through Western involvement in
its affairs and business.

This I think is the most obvious
parallel. You might like to think as well about the specific way in which Africans are
presented in both novels after the impact of the whites, and how, even with laudable
intentions, the overall impact of colonialism is shown to be profoundly
negative.