Once again, a book has left us with an abrupt ending which I’m sure many of us either didn’t want or didn’t expect. I think Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart does a great job of showing the clash that can occur between cultures, whether a culture is being engaged for religious purposes or political matters. As someone who has not visited a country on the continent of Africa, nor has family who was born or raised in any African nation or culture, I appreciated the background provided in the first part of the book. Carrying that background knowledge into Part Two of Achebe’s novel led me to be frustrated with how the “white foreigners” came into the Abame tribe. It seems as though both cultures knew there was a misunderstanding, but it was unclear how either culture could bridge such a vast cultural gap. In a culture so deeply ingrained in loyalty among kinsmen, it was heartbreaking to see how very little of the original culture of the tribe could be preserved for the clansmen to be Christians, according to their pastor’s and the missionaries’ teaching.
The District Commissioner’s belief that he was helping bring civilization to Africa was often frustrating to me and it was interesting to see the elevated view of the monarchy and culture of Europe, as exhibited by the messengers and even the missionaries at times. However, it does make sense why Christianity would appear so radical and strange to the clansmen. It was presented originally in a very foreign format and seemed to tear apart every part of the tribes’ cultures. We can learn from Achebe's writing that we have to recognize the humanity of those in other cultures and love them as fellow image-bearers of God. I honestly am not too sure how to react to this reading beyond these scattered thoughts, but it has certainly given me plenty to ponder and I look forward to having an intentional conversation in class tomorrow.
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