him grave news of two terrible events that had taken place, one of which being that the Abame had
been obliterated and the other being that it had been by white men.
At first, a single white man had come on his iron horse to Abame and the locals were confused and
afraid of his arrival because their Oracle told them that "the strange [white] man would break their
clan and spread destruction among them." Right the Oracle was, who continued to say that "other
white men were on their way and that first man was their harbinger"(Achebe 138-139).
That was two years ago today. According to recent sources during Obierika's latest visit to Mbanta it
has only gotten worse since then in Umuofia. With the arrival of missionaries and the fear amongst
the public, people are converting(Achebe 143-144). But here in Mbanta, the missionaries have
managed to not only convert people, but also make a place for themselves to worship in the Forest of
Evil where many elders predicted would be the cause of their downfall.
Not only have these white men missionaries succeeded in surviving 7 market weeks in the Forest of
Evil, but they have won over more converts and are now accepting outcasts and claiming them as
followers. It was not until quite recently that the village decided to outlaw the church, as well as the
people in it for not only imposing their beliefs and views on the people of Mbanta, but also for killing
the sacred python. With all this falling into place, there is surely more to come...
white men were on their way and that first man was their harbinger"(Achebe 138-139).
That was two years ago today. According to recent sources during Obierika's latest visit to Mbanta it
has only gotten worse since then in Umuofia. With the arrival of missionaries and the fear amongst
the public, people are converting(Achebe 143-144). But here in Mbanta, the missionaries have
managed to not only convert people, but also make a place for themselves to worship in the Forest of
Evil where many elders predicted would be the cause of their downfall.
Not only have these white men missionaries succeeded in surviving 7 market weeks in the Forest of
Evil, but they have won over more converts and are now accepting outcasts and claiming them as
followers. It was not until quite recently that the village decided to outlaw the church, as well as the
people in it for not only imposing their beliefs and views on the people of Mbanta, but also for killing
the sacred python. With all this falling into place, there is surely more to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment