Summary

Jean and John, the American couple, invite Odili and the Minister to a dinner party on Saturday, the day Mrs. Nanga leaves on her trip. John is unexpectedly out of town for business, and the Minister has a last-minute visitor (a lady lawyer), so Odili goes to the dinner by himself. There are five other guests. Odili thinks the food is not so great, but the talk is enjoyable. He is a bit intimidated by the sophisticated guests at first, but is able to gain their respect when he explains an African woman’s reaction to a new statue was not an angry one, but rather a sign of honor and respect. The guests seem very interested in Odili then, and ask him many questions about himself. There is an American Negro (as he is called in the book) at the party, and he describes how...