BY: ADEBAJO ADEKUNLE FISAYO, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
In one serene night, we see Ezinma and Ekwefi telling each other folktales. Agbala, the oracle of the hills and caves, interrupts them and seizes Ezinma, carrying her on her back. She cautions her parents, disallowing them from attempting to follow her. However, after a while, Ekwefi follows despite the warning.
Agbala moving at an almost super-human speed treks through the nine villages of Umuofia, after which she returns to her cave, still with the young girl. Ekwefi, her mother, decides to wait outside, but she will enter if it appears her daughter is in danger.
Okonkwo, unknown to her, had also trailed the oracle. He joins her and they both wait patiently outside the cave for the priestess’s exit. As a form of flashback, Ekwefi recalls how the funny story of how the duo first met, how she left her first husband for Okonkwo due to his wrestling prowess.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The day after the previous night’s incidence is one fixed for the uri of Obierika’s daughter, a celebration centring on the prospective bride and her mum. Okonkwo’s first and third wives prepare their gifts for the occasion. Ekwefi, tired from having to wait outside the oracle’s den, waits for Ezinma to wake up and asks her co-wives to explain her condition to the celebrants.
A lot of people are in Obierika’s compound assisting with one or the other. As the women are cooking, they notice that a cow has got loose in a neighbour’s crops. They all push it back home and make sure to hold vicariously liable and heavily fine the owner for his negligence.
The feast is full of fun, giving of gifts, songs and dances. The in-laws, before leaving the village, pay homage to high-ranking members of the society, one of which is Okonkwo.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The death of Ezeudu is announced by the town crier. He is one of the highly respected elders in the village; and he was the first to divulge to Okonkwo the intended sacrifice of Ikemefuna, and also warn him not to partake in the act.
His funeral is a big fuss; it features participation from the egwugwu, masquerades that represent the gods, spirits and ancestors of the land. Unfortunately, the unexpected and highly unwanted happens. Okonkwo’s gun goes off, resorting to the death of one of Ezeudu’s sons. This is an abomination in Igbo custom, even though the act is not intentional. Okonkwo is to face an exile for seven years.
In the night, Okonkwo’s yams are transported to Obierika’s compound. He packs his most valuable possessions, and with his family, before sunrise, he sets out for Mbanta, the hometown of his mother.
Early in the morning, back in Umuofia, some men arrive at Okonkwo’s house. They set fire to it and kill the animals inside, even though they actually bear no grudge against Okonkwo. Such is the law of the land. And it is this sad reality that occupies Obierika’s mind at the end of the chapter.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Uchendu, Okonkwo’s mother’s younger brother, is the one who receives the exiled family. He is a benevolent and generous man. The relatives of Okonkwo’s mother embrace and support him [i.e. Okonkwo]. They donate to him, a piece of land and some yam seeds.
Starting over is a difficult thing for Okonkwo. All his life goals seem to be thwarted. He works, but without zeal and pleasure. This turn of attitude is noticed by Uchendu.
Uchendu’s youngest son takes a new wife, and the ceremony is to take place for some days. On day two of the ceremony, Uchendu summons everybody to address them all, but Okonkwo most specifically. He encourages him not to give up. He must take heart, for men have passed through much worse, and lest his family dies while on exile.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
In the second year of Okonkwo’s exile out of town, Obierika comes visiting. He brings with him two bags of cowries, money he made by selling Okonkwo’s yams kept with him. They both eat kola with Okonkwo’s uncle, Uchendu.
Obierika shares a bad news with them. Abame, a neighbouring village, has been destroyed by white men. One first came, and since a man of such skin is alien to the land, the people consulted their oracle which warned of imminent destruction due to the incursion. Hearing this, some men killed the white man and tied his bicycle. Not long afterwards, three other white men came with a group of Africans, they saw the bicycle and left. Then, several weeks after that, on a market day, another delegation of three came with a group of Black subordinates. They were armed with lethal guns and they shot at everyone in Abame’s marketplace. The refugees, those who were lucky not to be in the market on that day, are now scattered around. The village is totally deserted.
Uchendu is angry; he thinks the Abame-indigenes fools for killing the white man while Okonkwo blames them for not preparing for a future attack.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Again after two years, Obierika visits Okonkwo who is still serving his 7-years exile. Things have worsened as by then, white missionaries had already got to Umuofia. They had built a church in the village and, in fact, they had won converts to their alien religion. The main purpose of his visit, however, is that he had seen Nwoye in Umuofia and he claimed he is now a believer in the new faith and Okonkwo is no longer his father. Okonkwo does not want to discuss Nwoye with his friend, but Nwoye’s mother did.
The missionaries had come to Mbanta too. Their leader, a white man, addressed the villagers, introducing them to his religion, the supremacy of his god and the doctrine of trinity. Okonkwo felt he was mad after hearing the intricate and odd doctrine. He left and returned to work. Nwoye, however, did not share his father’s feelings. He was moved by the songs of the Christians, and he felt the covering of a vacuum inside him. The vacuum left by Ikemefuna’s death and the cry of twins in the forest.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The white missionaries had asked to be given a piece of land to build their church, and they [i.e. the village leaders] decided to allocate to them a plot out of the village’s Evil Forest, with the expectation that the powerful ambience of the forest will overwhelm and eventually kill the Christians within days. Surprisingly, they remained alive, after several days. This turn of event won the missionaries some converts.
Mr Kiaga, an African convert, is put in charge of the church in Mbanto. Nwoye, at first afraid to enter the church, often listens to the Christians’ sermons in the market place. He learns some Biblical tales, gains interest and starts to move with them. Amikwu, Okonkwo’s cousin, sees this and reports him to Okonkwo. Okonkwo, furious at the news, attacks Nwoye on getting home and the latter leaves home without uttering w word. Mr Kiaga allows him to go to Umuofia to attend the missionary school. Okonkwo is bitter at his misfortune.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The church in Mbanta grows in number and strength. The members rescue abandoned twins from the forest. Rancour starts to rise between the two communities. At a time, three Christians caused chaos by going into town, claiming the Igbo gods to be fake and announcing their intention to burn all the shrines. They were consequently severely beaten.
Rumours have it that the white man would soon bring his government to rule over the indigenes. Wherever the white man’s religion goes, his government follows, they say.
There is controversy in the church as to whether osu, a caste of outcasts, should be admitted into it. Mr Kiaga rules in favour of the osu, and he encourages them to shave their heads. One of the new osu converts soon caused trouble by killing the python, a sacred animal, a symbol of the god of water.
The people of Mbanto call for an emergency meeting to decide what is to be done with regards to the new faith. Moving against Okonkwo’s suggestion of war, they decide to simply ostracise the converts. And even this stance is soon relaxed after the death of Okoli, the python-killer; which is seen as an intervention from the gods.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The term of exile is near its end, and as preparation, Okonkwo sends money to his friend, Obierika, to build two huts for him and his family. Before leaving, he organises a huge feast for his mother’s kinsmen. One of the elders gives a speech thanking and praising Okonkwo. The talk however ends portentously. He is afraid the Igbo culture is under threat from the incursion of the white man.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Okonkwo is hopeful that his return-trip back home will be with great display; trusting that his two beautiful grown-up daughters will be the cynosure of the whole town.
What he meets on ground is however a sorry case. The church has gained power and popularity. The white man has built a court house where white laws are enforced and native laws disregarded. This is run by a District Commissioner who is assisted by a brutal and arrogant gang of kotma, African court messengers from faraway. There is equally a prison accompanying the court, and even men of title are sent there to serve to serve terms in bondage.
Okonkwo is shocked and horror-struck. Why, he wonders, do the people not protest against this enslavement and oppression? To this Obierika reminds him of the fate of the people of Abame who killed a white man and were then befallen with extinction. Apart from the fear of extinction, he also explains that they are effete due to the fact that there is no unity amongst them as many of them have already sold their loyalty to the white man by accepting his religion – ‘our clan can no longer act as one … we have fallen apart’.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Along with his religion and legal system, the white man also brought a trade centre which the people off Umuofia profited from and which unlike the other innovations won the heart of some, with the exception of Okonkwo.
Mr Brown is the leader of the Christians in the town. He is patient and cool-headed. He curbs the excesses of some violent converts, especially one called Enoch who is fond of fomenting trouble. He often holds inter-faith dialogues with Akunna, none succeeding in converting the other. He learns that the best way to propagate the missionary work will be through subtle and indirect means. He strives hard to ensure that the people of Umuofia send their children to get educated at the missionary schools. At first, they send only those of their children too lazy to work on the far. But gradually, they realised the need for literacy since those who work with the DC are knowledgeable persons and they get paid high wages. Thus, the tide changed in Mr Brown’s favour
After Okonkwo returned from exile, Mr Brown visits him, hoping to please him with news of Nwoye’s [now Isaac] scholarship at the teacher’s college in Umaru. Okonkwo instead chases him out and threatens him with violence.
Not long after, Mr Brown leaves Umuofia due to failing health from stress.
Okonkwo is disappointed. His arrival was not as grand as he hoped. The people are too pre-occupied with the new dispensation. Everything is changing, and he fears the clan, his clan, is dying.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
After Mr Brown’s departure, he is replaced with another man, who is less wise and tolerant – Reverend James Smith. He is fanatic and uncompromising; fully supporting actions of persons like Enoch.
There is the festival of the earth goddess involving that the egwugwu roam around the villages. This festival coincidentally falls on a Sunday, thereby preventing Christian women from returning home from church since females are not allowed to move near the masquerades. The Christian men plead that the egwugwu should retire briefly that the women may go home. They concede. As they are retiring, Enoch arrogantly boasts that they [the egwugwu] dare not touch a Christian. Reacting, one of the egwugwu hits him with a cane. Enoch does the abominable and unmasks him.
In the night, the Mother of Spirits roams the villages mourning the death of her son. Even Mr Smith was petrified at the sound. In the end, the egwugwu decide to destroy the church.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Okonkwo is happy with the destruction of the church, even though he had equally clamoured for the killing of the man and exile of Christians at the clan meeting. Mindful of the tragic fate of Abame, the men start to walk armed.
The DC returns from a tour and invites six leaders of Umuofia, Okonkwo inclusive, for a meeting. It turns out to be a trap. The six of them are taking prisoner and they are demanded to pay a fine of 200 bags of cowries.
Ezinma, already married, returns home to find out what is being planned. She could not see Obierika as he had gone for a secret meeting.
While in prison, Okonkwo and co. are humiliated and assaulted by the kotma. Days after the arrest, a clan meeting is called and it is decided that the fine of 250 bags of cowries [increased by the kotma] will be paid.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The men are released. They go home in silence. Okonkwo is filled with anger and ‘choked with hate’ for the white man; the stripes and scars got from whipping still on his back. A clan meeting is slated for the next morning, and hoping for war, Okonkwo takes out his ceremonial war attire. He resolves to fight, whether or not other support him.
In the meeting, Okika is the first to speak. He calls them all to action, even against the Christian converts. They must resist before it is too late.
Five court messengers come to disrupt the meeting claiming that the white man has ordered that it stop. Okonkwo, still filled with anger, strikes one of them down with his matchet. The other four escape. From the inert reaction of the people, Okonkwo knows they will not choose war. He leaves in disgust.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The District Commissioner, with a small group of soldiers and court messengers, arrives at Okonkwo’s compound. They find Obierika and several others already gathered there. The DC asks Okonkwo to step forward. To this, Obierika replies that he is not with them. The DC threatens them with jail if they fail to produce him. Obierika and the others mutter amongst themselves, he then decides to take the DC to where Okonkwo is, saying perhaps he [the DC] can help them.
He leads them to a tree behind the compound and it is discovered that Okonkwo has committed suicide by hanging. No one can touch him, except an outsider, as suicide is a crime against the Earth goddess. Obierika blames the white man for the denigration of Okonkwo, a great man who will now be buried as a n animal.
The DC is curious about Igbo customs. He thinks of how Okonkwo’s death will be of great value to his to-be-written book on the British victory over African savages. The title: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.