The British Colonization of Igboland
In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the British easily colonize the Igbo people. The story follows the protagonist, Okonkwo, a strong warrior and power in the Umuofia. Umuofia is a clan in modern day Southeast Nigeria, previously known as Igboland. The clan is organized and structured, with set rules and punishments. During a ceremony, Okonkwo’s gun goes off and he accidentally shoots and kills someone. His only choice is to leave the village and may only return after seven years have passed. During his time in exile, Europeans come to Umuofia and settle there. As missionaries and traders gradually begin to gain power in Igboland, the British colonists gain influence and share their beliefs. …show more content…
The people of Umuofia do not take the first encounter with the Europeans as seriously as necessary. British missionaries bring Christianity with them and into Umuofia. Mr. Brown, the first missionary to come to Umuofia, enters the village and shares the fundamentals of his religion. Christianity’s beliefs seem outrageous to the Igbo people. When Mr. Brown asks for land, the clan decides to give them the “evil forest”; a dumping ground for those who their culture views as evil. For their own amusement, Uchendu, one of the clan leaders, proposes a solution, “‘[l]et us give them a portion of the Evil Forest. They boast about victory over death. Let us give them a real battle to show their victory.’ They laughed and agreed…” (149). Certain that surviving the Evil Forest is impossible, Uchendu and his peers offer it to the missionaries. As time passes, Mr. Brown builds more churches on the land of the Evil Forest. According to lore, the colonists should have already died, so their survival is unexpected. This occurrence shocks the people of Umuofia and weakens some of the Igbo beliefs by disproving them. The presumption of the colonists demise left the clan’s guard down. The underestimation of the British colonists created an opening for them to gain more power and stability. Okonkwo talks to his friend, Obierika, and tells him they must fight against the colonists. Obierika responds to Okonkwo’s …show more content…
The traders bring new markets to Umuofia. Some members of the clan begin to profit and become wealthy. Many citizens in Umuofia do not strongly dislike the Europeans and are impartial to them, “[t]he white man had indeed brought a lunatic religion, but he'd also built a trading store and for the first time palm oil and kernel became things of great price, and much money flowed into Umuofia” (178). Even though the Europeans are not well-liked within the clan, the economy is prospering. Since people are benefiting, they are hesitant about stopping the traders, “[t]here were many men and women in Umuofia who did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation” (179. This hesitation results in an easier colonization of Umuofia. If the village’s population had never begun trading with the colonists, then without any financial gain from their situation, the traders would have left. With the traders gone, colonizing Umuofia would be more difficult, and the clan could go back to life before the colonists
In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the British easily colonize the Igbo people. The story follows the protagonist, Okonkwo, a strong warrior and power in the Umuofia. Umuofia is a clan in modern day Southeast Nigeria, previously known as Igboland. The clan is organized and structured, with set rules and punishments. During a ceremony, Okonkwo’s gun goes off and he accidentally shoots and kills someone. His only choice is to leave the village and may only return after seven years have passed. During his time in exile, Europeans come to Umuofia and settle there. As missionaries and traders gradually begin to gain power in Igboland, the British colonists gain influence and share their beliefs. …show more content…
The people of Umuofia do not take the first encounter with the Europeans as seriously as necessary. British missionaries bring Christianity with them and into Umuofia. Mr. Brown, the first missionary to come to Umuofia, enters the village and shares the fundamentals of his religion. Christianity’s beliefs seem outrageous to the Igbo people. When Mr. Brown asks for land, the clan decides to give them the “evil forest”; a dumping ground for those who their culture views as evil. For their own amusement, Uchendu, one of the clan leaders, proposes a solution, “‘[l]et us give them a portion of the Evil Forest. They boast about victory over death. Let us give them a real battle to show their victory.’ They laughed and agreed…” (149). Certain that surviving the Evil Forest is impossible, Uchendu and his peers offer it to the missionaries. As time passes, Mr. Brown builds more churches on the land of the Evil Forest. According to lore, the colonists should have already died, so their survival is unexpected. This occurrence shocks the people of Umuofia and weakens some of the Igbo beliefs by disproving them. The presumption of the colonists demise left the clan’s guard down. The underestimation of the British colonists created an opening for them to gain more power and stability. Okonkwo talks to his friend, Obierika, and tells him they must fight against the colonists. Obierika responds to Okonkwo’s …show more content…
The traders bring new markets to Umuofia. Some members of the clan begin to profit and become wealthy. Many citizens in Umuofia do not strongly dislike the Europeans and are impartial to them, “[t]he white man had indeed brought a lunatic religion, but he'd also built a trading store and for the first time palm oil and kernel became things of great price, and much money flowed into Umuofia” (178). Even though the Europeans are not well-liked within the clan, the economy is prospering. Since people are benefiting, they are hesitant about stopping the traders, “[t]here were many men and women in Umuofia who did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation” (179. This hesitation results in an easier colonization of Umuofia. If the village’s population had never begun trading with the colonists, then without any financial gain from their situation, the traders would have left. With the traders gone, colonizing Umuofia would be more difficult, and the clan could go back to life before the colonists