The world is collapsing or the tragic fate of a respected African head of household

In his native village of Umofioka, Okonkwo is the illustration of the patriarch in the traditional societies of the Ibo people in Nigeria. Respected by all, he enjoys a certain prestige after his victory against a famous wrestler.

Father of 8 children and husband of 3 women, Okonkwo watches over this family and leads it with an iron fist. He is convinced that the only way to remain worthy in the eyes of all is to remain strong and never show any signs of weakness. He came to think so after witnessing the life led by his father Unoka, a negligent, alcoholic man, from whom he inherited nothing except many debts.

Following a tragic event which saw the resident of a neighboring village kill a woman from Umefioka, this man was condemned to offer his son to sign a peace agreement between the two villages. Okonkwo was then designated by the elders to be the guardian of this child called Ikemefuka. He thus lives with his family who as time passes falls in love with the child, like Okonkwo himself who appreciates him a lot without however showing him his affection.

Ikemefuka meanwhile shares the same feeling as his hosts, he finds in this host family a new father in the person of Okonkwo whom he admires. But this apparent peace turns out to be short-lived when one day, the village oracle announces that Ikemefuka must be executed as a sacrifice.

A hard blow for the one who had ended up getting attached to this child who has always shown him gratitude.

We stop there and recommend that you (re)read this book, which is one of the masterpieces of its time.

Published in 1958, the world is collapsing is a novel by the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe which evokes through the story of Okonkwo, a noble of his clan, the cultural shock that Africa experienced with the irruption Europeans and Christianity at the end of the 19th century. The work has been widely studied around the world, where it has given rise to numerous analytical works.

Today, Chinua Achebe is considered one of the greatest African writers of all time and this novel has established itself as a classic of African literature to the point that the English-speaking world celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2008. release.