Sometimes, a picture can represent a moment that in retrospect seems inescapable in the history of humankind. It compels us to consider history not as a neat progression of grand events, but instead as a rough-edged confluence of disparate lives lived in small moments. This photograph does just that. The coming of Christianity to the African continent altered, as it did in the Americas, India, Australia, and elsewhere, the way that both European and native societies viewed themselves and their world. This image says to us, "There can be no going back from this. What was can be no more. Everything is changing."The picture shows a Christian missionary church that's been built in the middle of an Igbo village. Livestock hang around outside, unaware of the social and political significance of the building next to them. To some people involved, the church is a brave outpost, bringing the promise of salvation to a primitive people at the edge of civilization. To others, it is a puzzling new addition to an ancient way of life, full of both mystery and danger. It is important to recognize that native peoples who came into contact with colonizing powers were not pure victims; they were full participants in an inevitable cultural exchange.
I try to imagine what it would have felt like to be Igbo at the time this photograph was taken. A strange new religion appears, essentially out of nowhere, brought by exotic people with unfamiliar attitudes and behaviors. The old ways are being replaced with the new. What is it like to witness the coming of a new world? And to watch your world die?
1 comment:
Deep comments. Hey, I enjoyed the sites you linked to! I also enjoy your sense of humor.
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