I have recently read Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, which has proved to me the fact that African literature can be so wonderful. Indeed, among many world masterpieces contented in the 3052-page book I have been reading this semester for my English class, this African novel turns out to be my favorite.
It’d take me much more time to discuss about how the style of this story is much easy for me to follow, and still worth-reading because of its richness. For now I am talking about the story itself, what I think about these African tribe people, how the Europeans came and messed their life up.
This paragraph is a SPOILER, so if you really want to read this novel (which I highly recommended), skip to the next paragraph or to be even better, stop reading this post. Here it goes: The story is about a strong man, who is the greatest man of his village. He truly is a warrior, the man of action. Then some white men come, build up churches, then new government. These “civilized” people spread Christianity and conflicts take place, as far as they lock up the six leaders of the village, shave their head and stave them for days until they agree to pay money. Okonkwo – the main character, the hero – can’t bear with all of that and kills one white man. Then he hangs himself before these men can come and catch him.
As a Christian myself, I am supposed to agree with the European missioners, and I should have kept thinking, “Oh yeah! Christians rule!” or something. But I felt a strong sympathy toward Okonkwo and his people. Leaving them alone, they would live perfectly fine with their traditions and their beliefs. Now the Europeans come and this peaceful life gets all crewed up. The African people have to see their holy masks got tore badly, their hero is forced to die “like a dog” and cannot do anything because they are scared of the guns.
I am not sure what God’s opinion about this, but I think these European commissioners are evil! I don’t know what price it should take to spread the Gospel but destroying traditions, bugling money, and killing some ignorant people then enslaving the rest are not acceptable. And when people do such things using the name of God, then I say it’s more heretic than worshiping a piece of wood. Isn’t God Love? Isn’t He Hope?
To be honest, I didn’t know this was an African story because I skipped the intro. I thought it was Native American. It shows how similar the situations are: uncivilized people everywhere in this world were living happily, then Europeans came and “things fall apart”. It makes me wonder what the French and the Americans did to my country, what pains they caused to my fathers, my uncles. Notice what those Europeans came to Okonkwo’s village for: for spreading the Gospel. So the purpose of saving a country from Communism seems to be quite inferior.
Of course I hold no grudge toward the French or the Americans, and my faith of Christ is still in me somewhere. But I think at least we Christians really should think twice before going for a mission trip. Would that mess up their cultural in a bad way? Would that not a part of invading other countries that we just don’t unconsciously know? Of course such things don’t seem to be likely to happen, but it won’t hurt to think about that.
