Three days later the District Commissioner sent his sweet-tongued messenger to the leaders of Umuofia
asking them to meet him in his headquarters. That was also not strange. He often asked them to hold such
palavers, as he called them. Okonkwo was among the six leaders he invited. Okonkwo warned the others to
be fully armed. "An Umuofia man does not refuse a call," he said. "He may refuse to do what he is asked, he
does not refuse to be asked. But the times have changed, and we must be fully prepared."
Based on the context in which it appears, what does the word palaver most likely mean in this excerpt?
public execution
lavish ceremony
casual and lighthearted meeting
discussion among different peoples