Africa Strikes Back

Today's Washington Post carried a delightful article which reminded me of Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe's classic novel, Things Fall Apart. I read the novel 3-4 months back here in the US. Let me deal with it first before coming to the article.

Achebe's short novel is on the encounter between traditional religion and culture of Nigeria's Igbo tribe and western missionary Christianity of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While the typical missionary approach to African culture was contempt and hostility at the worst and condescension at the best, its religion was viewed with positive hostility and God's treated as devils. This led to tension and strife. The Igbo's were not waiting to throw away their religion and Gods and embrace Christianity, the novelty brought by the Europeans. The Missionary and the colonial administrator, considering themselves representatives of a naturally superior culture and only true religion, failed to understand the adamant faith of Igbos.

Achebe has not made the least effort to glorify Igbo culture or religion. They are presented, as the cliche goes, with warts and all. Okonkwe, the chief protagonist of the novel, is married to three wives. His religion, like all religions, led him to seek supernatural remedies for misfortunes like diseases and fury of nature. There are even rare instances of human sacrifice in the novel. However, it was their faith which kept the tribe together and the benefits and solaces of their religion far outweighed its shortcomings. The Missionary was not equipped to see this or to understand the Africans from their point of view.

The natives stood little chance against the alliance of missionary fanaticism and the might of colonial government. Sometimes proud natives were led to desperate measures. The novel ends with a representative of the colonial administration standing beside the dead body of Okonkwe, viewing the turmoil that led to the Igbos' humiliation and Okonkwe's suicide as a minor foot note in the story of the noble mission of pacification of the tribes of Niger Valley.

From Michael Gerson's article in the Washington Post titled Missionaries in Northern Virginia we find that the missionary enterprise in Nigeria has been a big success - in fact too much of a success. Taking their Anglican faith too seriously, the Nigerians have now come to treat American Episcopalians belonging to worldwide Anglican communion as heretics. Reaching the end of his patience with the American Episcopalians for their condonation of heretical pratices like homosexual relationships, Archbishop Peter Akinola, shephered of 18 million Nigerian Anglicans have installed a missionary bishop to America!

Ofcouse, the episcopal establishment is not amused at the 'upstart' African Archbishop's temerity. Let me quote the conclusion of the article: "Serious missionary work began in Nigeria in 1842 for promoting the knowledge of the Gospel among the heathen. In 2007, the Nigerian outreach to America officially began, on the fertile mission fields of Northern Virginia. And the natives here are restless". Like the native Igbo Africans in Achebe's novel, we may add.