Europeans and Africans intermingled for centuries before this story took place. There were several kingdoms and tribes that spanned the West African coast that interacted most with Europeans. These Europeans frequently did not venture into the African heartland, because their business ventures did not require the extra travel. Trading goods and slaves were typically brought from the interior to the coast, where Europeans exchanged their otherwise inaccessible manufactured good with the Africans. This was the typical interaction between West Africans and Europeans up until the end of 19th century, when missionaries began to enter the interior. Word of these interactions with white men spread slowly and were frequently misconstrued with tales believed to be impossible or invalid. As white men arrived in the African interior they began to interrupt the traditional cultures and lives of those who inhabited the land. Their intrusion into traditional society was slow, but backed with brutal force and ethnocentrism. .
The disintegration of traditional Ibo society was brought on by important and fundamental changes generated by encroaching Europeans. Traditional Ibo society relied heavily upon religious beliefs, beliefs that extended into most other aspects of tribal life. Ancestral spirit worship was one of the key features of Ibo religious ceremonies, as well as idolatry. The Ibo did not know of the religions of people from different lands, and they certainly knew nothing of the Europeans who were soon to come. Chapter 8 exemplifies the Ibos lack of knowledge regarding Europeans, as the only men with white skin they knew were those inflicted with leprosy. As a tribal group that emphasized masculinity and martial practice, the peaceful arrival of European missionaries in Umoufia was initially met with permissive skepticism by the Ibo. These missionaries were scoffed at for their inherent ignorance towards Ibo culture, but would soon come to realize the cataclysmic effects of Christianity and European ethnocentrism.