A prominent man in the Achike’s village of Enugu, Papa runs several successful factories and publishes an English-language newspaper infamous for its criticism of Nigeria’s corrupt government. He is a devout Catholic who expects nothing less than perfection from his family. Papa punishes his wife and children in order to correct their behavior. Papa is beloved in his community but is estranged from his own father and his traditional African culture. He is abusive to mother and really not a very good father. Although Kambili has been taught to respect her father, she has trouble doing so.