PART II
As we know,
Okonwo has been exiled from Umuofia and cannot return in seven years. He and
his family went to Mbanta, where they were all well received by his mother´s
kinsmen. Uchendu is the oldest man in the kinsmen and he is a very wise man,
someone who had lived long and had experience in almost everything. Each of the
sons of Uchendu gave Okonkwo 300 seed-yams, so he can start working; it was as successful
as when he was in Umoufia. Amikwu, one son of Uchendu, is got married and the
ceremony of confession was shown. Uchedu gave a speech to all his young
children, but especially to Okonkwo. He talked about Nneka that means Mother is
Supreme, and why the mother is important in a clan. The mother of anybody will
always care for her child and is always well received with her. For the second
year of Okonkwo´s exile, Obierika visited him and gave him money from Okonkwo´s
work in Umuofia. He stayed with them to talk and meet Uchendu. Abame, a clan,
has just disappeared. One white man came into their clan; the Oracle said that
the white men will bring destruction among them, so Abame people decided to
kill him, and so they did. Then, 3 other white men came and went back with more
white men to kill all Abame people. Uchedu told a story to put clear his idea:
“Never kill a man who says nothing”.
Another 2
years later Obierika returned with more money for Okonkwo, in their talk they
mentioned Nwoye. The missionaries have arrived to Umuofia and now to Mbanta. In
Mbanta, at the beginning, almost nobody cared what the white man and the
translator said, just a few, and among them was Nwoye. One day, Okonkwo
realized that Nwoye is interested in this new religion that talks about a new
god. Okonkwo started to beating him up when his uncle ordered him to stop,
Nwoye was so angry that he decided to talk with Mr. Kiaga, the translator,
which sent him to Umuofia. They were no longer considered by each other as
family. The converts were growing and growing. The missionaries asked to the
elders for some land so they can build their church. Mbanta people were
intelligent and gave them a part of the Evil Forest; they thought they were
going to die by the fourth day. Mr Kiaga started living in there and build a
church, the days passed and he was still alive, that made Mbanta people to
think that he was powerful and his new religion was true.
I invite
you to think about what he was referring and what would happen next in Part 3.
Achebe, C. (1959), Things fall apart, Anchor Books, New York.
SHAMIR TROCONIS