THINGS FALL APART  tells the story of Okonkwo, a respected man of the fictional Ibo village of Umuofia, in the late 1800s.

Okonkwo is a champion wrestler, a wealthy farmer and a revered elder in his clan. His whole life is dominated by his fear of being weak like his father, who dies in disgrace. A series of tragic events shows that his pride; his violent, irrational behaviour; and his unquestioning acceptance of tribal customs leads to his downfall. A firm believer in the traditions of his tribe, he falls victim to these traditions when he is exiled from the clan for accidentally killing a clansman.

His seven years in exile see the intrusion of white missionaries and colonial government in Igbo society. The arrival of colonialism only widens the cracks that were latent within the Igbo culture. Okonkwo’s failure to stand up against the colonialists metaphorically represents the ruin of his people.