Memoir ; Obierika

How things fell apart

I should've known from the day they arrived. Smiling and waving their bible into the air ; the white flag of submission and defeat. I Should've known it was all deception from the very moment they set foot into our land. My best friend was aware of their intentions all along and as a result ended up dead by his own hand. I, however, remain alive and regretful , as when I had the chance I dismissed it as too late.As Okonkwo was getting ready to return to his village, I payed him a visit in order to inform him about what had happened in Umuofia while he was gone, and perhaps , as I was his best friend, to emotionally ease him into what to expect on his return. " He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." , I told him at the end of our conversation. I firmly believed that the white's had succeeded in destroying our core that held us together, our culture and traditions. The monotone beliefs were what kept order and peace in our village, and those no longer existed as the only beliefs.  Okonkwo had been ready to form a rebellion and save the remaining bits of our traditions , nevertheless I rejected him. In a way I must admit that his suicide took place because of me and how I discouraged him. Yes, more and more people were converting to christianity, slowly forming a solid wall of resistance, but the igbo culture still remained within many of us and we could've done something at the time, when the white men's reign of power was yet to be established. 

I may be a man of wise thoughts and words, a man with a patient mind , but I certainly am no man of bravery and honour. I am starting to question my sense of understanding as I have failed to recognise the danger that was before my own eyes, everyday. I did not see the wit with which the whites manipulated us, distracting us with their new concept of religion. They knew that regardless of how my people would react, there was bound to be some type of uproar of different interpretations which would fill up our minds, distracting us from the initial purpose of their arrival: Our land.

Okonkwo saw what I did not and although he carried with him a number of bad qualities that did not serve him well in the end, he did realise the danger of the white men, and the deception with which they filled us.  His argument was filled with all the wrong reasons, since the religion itself is in no way suggestively evil or contradictory. It was used as a tool against us, but I did not pay attention to Okonkwo, as in my mind he was acting on his impulse once again and wasn't capable of forming sensible connections in a situation like that. I regret to admit how wrong I was and how we could've overthrown the white men if only we tried. Okonkwo would still be alive to this day, and I would sit here beneath the shade, cracking Kola nuts as we discuss our seed yam prices in peace and tranquility. Maybe things would've stayed together. 

Word count: 548