"We had not thought to go below thirty. But as the dog said, 'If I fall down for you and you fall down for me, it is play'. Marriage should be a play and not a fight; so we are falling down again. He then added ten sticks to the fifteen and gave the bundle to Ukegbu. In this way Akuke's bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries. It was already dusk when the two parties came to this agreement" (Achebe 73).
In this part of the book Obierika (Okonkwo's friend) is discussing with the suitor Ibe and his father Ukegbu who were discussing the bride-price of Obierika's daughter Akuke. Obierika makes an offer of thirty broomsticks to give to Ukegbu in exchange for Ibe to marry his daughter but, they settle with giving twenty bags of cowries for the two to marry each other. This exchange between the two parties would not be tolerated if they were being ruled by an imperialist country. For example when France had control over some countries in Africa they tried to bring things to their standards by bringing Christianity over to the countries that they had control over. If the people in these villages had been ruled by the French and were practicing Christianity they would not have discussed the marriage between Akuke and Ibe in this manner at all. They would have been discussing whether or not that Ibe would be able to provide enough to take care of Akuke and have her as his only wife instead of having multiple wives like most of the men in these villages did.
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