Nommo Summary

The word nommo means word in the Kilango language, but it has a much bigger picture. Nommo is what makes everything exist as it is. The name of something is the reason it is so different than any other thing. Rachael’s name in the Kilango village is Mvúla, which means termite. They think of her as this because the termite is very pale, as is Rachael. But they think of Rachel's paleness as a choice; she is only pale because she stays inside all day and does not go out. Nobody really likes termites either, which could also be a reason the community calls her such name. They can see that she thinks she is higher above than anybody here, which allows them to make the assumption that is why she will not go outside with them. This describes why they …show more content…
When I think about what freedom feels like, I think about a major change in the culture and the people, but that did not happen in Kilango. In Kilango the people did not change at all. They actually examined how they achieved their freedom and used that to get justice in their village. So, their idea of freedom actually turned into their idea of justice. After they realized that they could vote and change things (a democracy), they decided that they would do this for more things. For example, they voted on God’s and they made a decision. This is how the people of Kilanog feel they get their justice. Going back to freedom, the people of the Congo realize that they have been captive for so long. When they realize this, they start to rebel against the people who captured them and this is what causes all the white Christians to leave the Congo out of fear. This is another comparison of how people realize their worth when they finally get a taste of freedom. Betrayal happens when the father, Nathan, turns his back on his family for the church. He betrayals his family's trust when he does not do anything around the place. He also throws the balance off of the family. Normally in a traditional family, there is a mother who will do the housework and a father who will do the hard work, and Nathan disregards that completely. The balance of the family is off, which frustrates the daughters in the family because