Further, Achebe begins to narrate his mother’s story.
His father was an evangelist (religious preacher), after their marriage she was sent to the newly founded St. Monica’s Girls’ school in his district, the first of its kind in Igbo land. As a special favour, she went to live with the principal, Miss. Edith Ashley Warner and other small band of English teachers. She performed some domestic jobs in return for her education. Achebe’s mother was a daughter of a village iron smith, naturally, she found her new life strange, exciting and sometimes frightening. Her most terrifying early experience was the one night’s discovery of her mistress’s dentures(artificial teeth)in a bowl of water.
When Achebe was growing up, 30 and more years later, the picture of Miss Warner still hung on their wall. She was actually quite good looking and her jaw seemed alright in the photograph.
Then, Achebe narrates an event; one evening Miss warner told his mother to eat the food and afterwards wash it carefully. She was apparently learning the Igbo language, in fact what she told is “Don’t break the plate”. As the Igbo verbs are sometimes quite tricky. After realising this, his mother couldn’t control her laughter and she giggled. Which proved to be a great mistake. Miss Warner picked up a huge stick and walloped her. Later on, she called her and gave a stern lecture on good manners. “If I speak your language badly, you should tell me the right way. It is wrong to laugh at me,”
His mother told that story many times, each time we would all laugh all over again.
By the time it was his turn to go to primary school, in 1936, the missionary teachers like Miss.Warner were no longer around. Education at that level was completely in the hands of native teachers. As he began to learn his first English words at school, he would test his ability on various things hanging on the wall in his home. He remembers the difficulty that he had figured out from the motto of school “Right Wrong”. He kept wondered in the fact that what was the actual meaning, ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’. He was quite certain that even the earnest Miss.Warner would have smiled at the problem he was having with English nouns and verbs.
His father had filled their walls with a variety of educational material. There were church missionary society yearly almanacs (an annual calendar containing important dates and information) with pictures of Bishops and other dignitaries. But the most interesting hangings were the large paste–ups which my father created himself. He had one of the village carpenters to make him large but light frames of soft white wood. On this he pasted and colored glossy pictures and illustrations of all kinds from old magazines. He remembers the most impressive picture of a king, George V in red and gold, holding a sword. There was also a funny looking little man with an enormous stride. He was called Johnnie Walker, many years later he realised that this extraordinary fellow was a fictional character only appears in advertisement for Scottish Whiskey.
There was also an advertisement from the Nigerian Railways in which the big ‘N’ and ‘R’ served also for ‘National Route’. That also gave him some trouble for recalling it.
Further, Achebe apologises the fact that earlier he compared himself with Moses. He thinks it was like the glow worm compares itself to the full moon.
The village of Ogidi was only part Christianised when he was growing up and still remained the traditional sights and sounds. Being a Christian Achebe was technically excluded from it. Like all other children he too looked forward to the Nwafor Festival, the major holiday of the traditional year. During this festival some wear the ancestral masquerades of all kinds. This lasts for 8 whole days. He keeps a reasonable distance from them. Because they carried whips with which they occasionally punished themselves to prove their toughness and they certainly would punish others if they are nearer. He would keep counting the masquerades every day and at the end of eighth day the grand total would be compared to the previous years.
Later, he talks about the language all around them. Christianity had divided the villagers into two - The people of the church and the people of the world (traditional). But the boundary between them had many crossings (that often mixed up). The average Christians enjoyed the sights and sounds of traditional festivities. Non-Christians too observed Christians closely and expressed their interest to some of their practices. When it comes to the spoken language of the two groups, there was sometimes a difference in matter but the manner remained unchanged. There were great orators in both. The Christians of his father’s generation preached on Sundays at St. Philip’s church. The Anglican Church introduces a hybrid language, a blend of both Igbo and English. But that remained as a futile attempt. One preacher was well known for his admonition to the village Christians against accepting food from the non-Christian neighbours. He suggests Christians had their own festivals, of course the big one Christmas and the small one Easter.
There were also two secular festivals, Empire Day on May 24 and Anniversary on July 27.
“May 24, as every schoolchild knew, was the birthday of Queen Victoria. It was a major school event and schoolchildren from all over the district would march in contingents past the British resident, who stood on a dais wearing a white ceremonial uniform with white gloves, plumed helmet, and sword.”
The day’s event ended with sports competition among schools. His first Empire day was indeed memorable. His school team consist of some very big boys and was supposed to do well in the tug of war, but eventually collapsed to their opponents. The conspicuous rumour was the defeat happened as per the instruction of their own principal for the merit of Anglican school.
“Empire Day celebrations took place at the provincial headquarters at Onitsha, seven miles from my village. I think it was in 1940, when I was in Standard Three and ten years old, that I was judged old enough to walk to Onitsha and back. I did it all right but could hardly get up for one week afterwards.”
Further, Achebe describes the beauty of Onitsha “Onitsha was a magical place and did live up to its reputation. First of all, to look down from a high point on the road at dawn and see, four miles away, the River Niger glimmering in the sky took a child’s breath away.”
He was particularly fortunate in having parents who believed passionately in education. He gets the old school books of his elder siblings. He was good enough in school works to be nicknamed as Dictionary by his admirers. But he was not so good in games.
He shares his memory with pleasure that he saw an eccentric Englishman, Dr.JM Stuart Young, who had been living and trading in Onitsha since the beginning of twentieth century. There were many stories revolve around him.as he had been befriended by the mermaid of the river Niger. With whom he made an agreement to remain single in return for a great wealth.
Later, he explores more about J.M Stuart Young, as it contains some doubtful details.
“such as whether or not he did have a doctoral degree. But it was probably true that he had first come to Nigeria as a colonial civil servant and then turned against the colonial system and become a merchant intent on challenging, with African support, the monopoly of European commercial cartels. He also wrote and published poetry and fiction.”
Years later Achebe includes the memories of Stuart Young in his short story, ‘Uncle Ben’s Choice’.
