Kola Nut in Things Fall Apart

In Chapter 3, on page 7, in the novel Things Fall Apart, we are introduced to kola nut, which is a very significant object in the Ibo culture, as “who brings kola brings life”. Kola nuts, as well as palm-wine, is constantly mentioned in the book, especially during ceremonies, to focus on the traditional hospitality of the Ibo people. When Okoye came to see Unoka, to collect his debt, they did not start talking about it immediately and instead, Unoka proposed his guest kola, because it was a symbol of hospitality. They started arguing, because they couldn’t decide on who was to break the kola nut, until eventually Unoka “accepted the honour of breaking the kola”. This phrase included by Achebe in the beginning of the novel, when kola nuts are just introduced signifies how honorable and respectable it is, for a person to break a kola nut. Breaking a kola nut is a very spiritual process, as when Unoka broke the kola nut, he “prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies”, and Okoye drew some lines and his big toe on the floor, just for this short “ceremony”. Only after they have eaten, Okoye reminded him why he came to see Unoka. By this, the reader can see that kola nut is a very significant object in the Ibo culture, as it is also a symbol of respect to the guest and is offered on a regular basis, just like in other cultures, you offer your guest something to drink when they visit you, but however, the process of breaking it is more honorable and more spiritual. he host passes a plate of kola nuts to the most senior member of the group present, who passes it to the next senior member and so on until it returns to the host. Once the host regains the plate, he gives one of the nuts to his visitor and say, “When the kola nut reaches home, it will tell where it came from.” This is a proverb meaning that this person will have to show the people at home this nut as proof of his visit. After this, the oldest man present blesses the nuts by saying, “Whatever good he is looking for, he will find.” Then either the host or a selected person will break a nut, followed by people close to him breaking the others. The significance of breaking this nut is that the more pieces it breaks into, the more prosperity the host and his gusts receive; however, if it breaks into only two parts, it shows that the host has some sort of sinister motive.