奈及利亞作家Chinua Achebe（1930～）經常以非洲傳統文化與歐洲殖民及現代價值觀的衝突為寫作的題材。

在奈及利亞首都教書的Nene小姐和屬於伊博族的Nanemeka先生私訂終身。Nene希望Nanemeka寫信回家報喜，Nanemeka卻說等休假回家的時候再告訴家人，他怕父親生氣因為Nene不是伊博族人，更何況父親已為他訂下婚事。Nene在城市長大，她覺得由族人主導婚姻很可笑。“Yes. They are most unhappy if the engagement is not arranged by them. In our case it's worse - you are not even an Ibo." This was said so seriously and so bluntly that Nene could not find speech immediately. In the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city it had always seemed to her something of a joke that a person's tribe could determine whom he married.

果然不出所料，父親Okeke知道後非常憤怒，他不想見Nene小姐，也不和兒子說話。Okeke日日夜夜地禱告，希望兒子不要再受撒旦影響，但是兒子心意已定返回首都去了。兒子違抗父命自主婚事，這在伊博族是前所未見，族中長者聽到此事紛紛趕來，他們都很同情Okeke。有人建議他去找巫醫拿草藥，這種草藥也用在妻子要挽回有外遇的丈夫。Okeke卻不同意。“The boy's mind is diseased and only a good herbalist can bring him back to his right senses. The medicine he requires is Amalile, the same that women apply with success to recapture their husbands' straying affection."

Okeke將兒子結婚照片中媳婦的部分剪下寄回，並表示再也不願意聽到他們的訊息。八年過去了，這樣的關係並沒有改善。在首都的伊博族人聚會時，Nene小姐從像個外人慢慢地和族人建立情誼，而他倆婚姻美滿的消息也傳回故里，只是沒有人敢在Okeke面前提到此事。他決心將兒子從腦海中完全消除，因為承受不了這麼沉重的心理負擔，他差點喪命，但是靠著毅力，還是做到了。The story eventually got to the little village in the heart of the Ibo country that Nnaemeka and his young wife were a most happy couple. But his father was one of the few people who knew nothing about this. He always displayed so much temper whenever his son's name was mentioned that everyone avoided it in his presence. By a tremendous effort of will he had succeeded in pushing his son to the back of his mind. The strain had nearly killed him but he had persevered, and won.

然而當Okeke接獲Nene小姐的來信時，堅定的決心終於動搖了，信中Nene寫到兩個孫子很渴望見他一面。Okeke告訴自己不能感情用事，不能屈服。他倚著窗望向烏雲密布的天空，狂風吹落樹葉，大自然好像是他內心的交戰共鳴。他彷彿看見在暴風雨肆虐下，兩個孫子悲傷地被拋棄在他家門外。他徹夜無眠，內心充滿悔意，他害怕還來不及補償孫子之前，自己就離世了。His mind immediately returned to the children. How could he shut his door against them By a curious mental process he imagined them standing, sad and forsaken, under the harsh angry weather-shut out from his house. That night he hardly slept, from remorse-and a vague fear that he might die without making it up to them.

傳統與當代觀念的衝突一直在我們周遭發生。慶幸的是，恆久不變的親情為這種衝突找到解決的方法。