Okonkwo's Downfall

Yesterday, November 2nd, 1893, Okonkwo, an influential leader of the Village of Umuofia in Southern Niger, was found dead hanging from a tree in his own compound. His death was ruled as suicide by hanging. On the 2nd, Okonkwo murdered one of the District Commissioner’s messengers at a village gathering. Several messengers were sent to disperse the assembly of villagers. Onlookers recalled the messenger saying, “The white man whose power you know too well has ordered this meeting to stop,” before he was attacked by Okonkwo. Okonkwo stuck the messenger twice with a machete and decapitate him. Okonkwo then fled from the scene. The villagers helped the other messengers escape. He was discovered dead when the District Commissioner went to his compound to find him and have him hanged. His motivation for his suicide was most likely his loss of hope of rebellion against the colonials. The District Commissioner honored the request of his family and had Okonkwo buried according to Igbo customs.
Okonkwo
Okonkwo was an influential leader in his village. He is described by his fellow villagers as harsh, commanding, and aggressive. Some say that he only showed anger and that was all that he knew. Okonkwo had a long history of violence and conflict. He showed abuse to his wives, killed a long time guest in …show more content…
Brown discussed several aspects of their religions with each other in order to try to reach a compromise. Akunna made a statement saying that he was grateful for his encounter with Mr. Brown because even though they didn’t come to an agreement with each other about their faiths, Akunna better understood Christianity and Mr. Brown better understood the beliefs of the Igbo peoples. This of encounter reveals that the conflict in Niger is not derived form pure religious disagreement, but from the political and social institutions that emanate from the arrival of the British