What are The Bells of the Christian Church

Several times throughout the novel, narration comments on the sound of church bells, which represent the unseen but influential presence of Christianity and white power. There is a sense that that presence is stealthy and subversive, subtly destructive. Every time the narrative describes them ringing, it foreshadows the novel's conclusion, in which the Christian faith seems to have won the battle for the souls of the people of Umuaro - or, at least, seems to be well on the way to winning that battle.