N G U G I: The Rebel

NGUGI: THE REBEL

THE DARKNESS ALONG the African shore and of the African people suddenly found a beaconlight in Ngugi wa Thiong’o, as he fol­lowed the path of African legends against Eu­ropean Alien rulers. Ngugi’s novels form a landmark, a recreation of Kikuyu’s past and history from an African perspective in dislodg­ing the colonialism in Kenya-Ngugi records the destructive impact of colonialism on the integ­rity of traditional life and he is interested in the exploration of an inner state for Africans.

As a native writer of East Africa and as a product of colonial experience, by virtue of keener sensibility, Ngugi understands the sub­versive impact that colonization has had on the colonial’s consciousness. His novels made an attempt to sensitize the African people to the fact of their own identity and tried to awaken them to the need to free themselves of complexes by rejecting blind imitation of Western values.

An East African rebel, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, was born in Kenyan Gikuyu high­lands in 1938 at Limuru. He is the best known of Kenyan writers. His works delineated the crisis and contradictions faced by the African people. Ngugi is militant and controversial and his works show the perceptive African senti­ments. His works emphasize the African need to fight for their self-respect.

East Africa’s unique colonial experience is evoked in its literature. Africans in Uganda and Tanzania were not estranged from their land as it happened in Kenya. The impact of extensive European settlement necessitated de­traction of ethnic cultures and urban alienation on a large and rapid scale in East Africa. Kenya, the native country of Ngugi, has the distinction of animating the peasantry against this alienation with Mau, Mau and other mass struggles. As a Kenyan, Ngugi inherited the mantle of Kenyan cultural character and pro­ceeded towards ‘Uhuru’. Liberation from the Europeans and the neo-colonizers has become an ethnic desideratum of Kenya and Ngugi.

Ngugi’s Weep not, child (1964) and The River Between (1965) inspired other novelists to emphasize historical and political themes. Weep not, child is a delicate story and it is set in the period when white settlers deprived the Gikuyu of most of their traditional land. Defi­ance in Weep not, child is presented through Njoroge, the young son of a farm worker, Ngotho, when he wanted to study instead of farming for the white man. Njoroge’s fight with white men, his interest and faith in the liberat­ing quality of education could not live upto the needs since he had to study the alien subjects in the European language.

His ambition for studies and his dislike towards while man’s values can be found in his words, when he asked his mother,

0, mother, I’ll never bring shame to you.
Just let me get there, just let me. ^l

            Weep not, child produces a sense of re­volt in Njoroge as a reflection of the inner voice of Ngugi.

“The River Between” is distinctive from Ngugi’s former novel and it is a sensitive novel about Kenyan tribes. It deals with the disrup­tive effect of the Christian missionary activity on the traditional life of African Studies. It re­mains as a trial against colonialism when the prophecy of the white men was paid a close attention by the Negroes with a view to fight­ing with it.

Arise. Held the prophecy. Go to the mis­sion place. Learn all the wisdom and all the secrets of the white man. But do not follow his vices. Be true to your people and the lancient rites. ²

Chege’s call of insurgency to his young son Waiyaki can be taken as a revolutionary step in attaining the liberation.

            A Grain of Wheat is demarcated against struggle for political independence in Kenya. It substantiates Ngugi’s cynical por­trayal of African history. It is set with Mau, Mau era of struggles. Rebellion is found in this novel in the Uhuru celebrations when people tried to chastise Karanja for his excesses. The insurgency in A Grain of Wheat can be treated as the struggle-oriented sense of Africans, since it mirrors a society of African values and Africanized culture. As a part of it, Mugo, the pro­tagonist in this novel has conceded to the clev­erness of Africans, when he wants to impose colonial culture on Africans. In the end Mumbi’s words close the novel with the new attitude required for a new Kenya.

People try to rub things out, but they cannot. Things are not so easy. What has passed between us is too much to be passed over in a sentence. We need to talk, to open our hearts to one another, examining them, and then together plan the future we want. ³

Ngugi’s commitment to restore charac­ter to his history was symbolised in 1970 in the change of his name from James Ngugi to Ngugi wa Thiong’o.

Ngugi’s introduction to his work Home coming clearly indicates the integration of his ideas and influence of other writers on him. Home coming presents Ngugi’s views on African culture, politics, church and society. He gave a clarion call to Africans to unite and to overcome the confusion in values which were resulting in a drastic change in political, economic and cultural ethos. He called on them to realize the need of a society, where an African will be recognized as such.

The importance of culture in a sup­pressed society is stressed in Home coming and Ngugi believed in a national culture where the African flag flew high. Negritude in Home coming was enlightened with Ngugi’s call to ban the Alien studies, which he opines, is imposing colonialism on Africans.

The Colonial system produced the kind of education which nurtured subservi­ence, self-hatred and mutual suspicion. It produced a people uprooted from the masses. ⁴

Ngugi’s anger for colonialism is found in the above words and thus he called the students for a study that was without racial dis­crimination.

Ngugi’s later novels Petals of Blood and Devil on the Cross show his studied insubordination towards the corrupt ruling elite of Africa.

            Petals of Blood is constructed on a grand epic scale, which presents a comprehen­sive analysis of the evils perpetrated on inde­pendent African society by the black imperial­ism.

            Petals of Blood expresses Ngugi’s radi­calization and anger towards capitalism. It envisages a popular uprising of the people against the new masters in Kenya. Ngugi intentionally used it as an instrument for generating political awareness. He projected defiance through “wanja”, a prostitute woman and “karega” the bright young teacher, through whom he fo­cussed the revival of African culture.

            Devil on the Cross drew the African voice on the sheets of toilet-papers in the prison. It is a book of political interests, in which Ngugi’s dedication reads “to all Kenyans struggling against the neo-colonial stage of im­perialism”.

The protagonist of this novel “Wariinga” represents an affirmative and ruth­less class struggle against neo-colonial apti­tudes, as a part of underground workers’ move­ment. She represents the emergent classes in New Kenya. Ngugi by means of Wariinga fo­cussed the insurrection, and she is presented as a worker, but not as an object of economic or sexual exploitation. She is typical of characters Ngugi hopes to create, in which he succeeded to a certain extent.

Ngugi’s mutiny towards capitalism and imperialism is registered in Detained, a prison diary. Detained is a book of prison notes. Through Detained Ngugi wanted to project the African problems in a neo-colonial society. And he accomplished the projection of false values adopted by them with an awakening call to the Negroes against the imperialist rulers.

Ngugi’s dramas synthesize indigenous forms of music, dance and mime. A new type of political and social drama is evidenced in Ngugi’s The Trial of Dedan Kimathi and I will Marry When I Want.

Political revolution in African circles has been fostered with the use of indigenous languages in drama. And Ngugi staged his dra­mas with rural cultures as a part of portraying social reformist aspects. The Trial of Dedan Kimathi is of Gikuyu origin. The correct revolutionary rhetoric has been used in it. Kenyan freedom struggle is told with much force and conviction in this drama. It deals with the trials of one of the celebrated leaders of Mau, Mau revolution. Ngugi, with Micere Mugo sung the praises of the deeds of Kimathi the hero of the resistance, who refused to surrender to the Brit­ish imperialism.

The suppressive measures of the Euro­pean rulers were defied in an angry procession by the defiant blacks in The Trial of Dedan Kimathi where Ngugi presented the crowd’s anger in a song.

Leader: Away with Oppression!
Unchain the people!

Crowd: Away with Oppression!
Unchain the people!

Leader: Away with Exploitation!
Unchain the people!

Crowd: Away with Exploitation!
Unchain the people!

Leader: Away with human Slaughter!
Crowd: Unchain the people

Leader: Brothers, we shall break.

Crowd: Exploiter’s Chains!

Leader: Rally round the gun.

Crowd: Make a new earth ⁵

Ngugi wanted to take revenge on the exploitatory Europeans and the rebellion of Africans was presented in the Crowd’s Voice.

Kimathi, the hero of this drama, felt co­lonialism as the jungle of exploitation, and oppression as the eternal law of colonizers, which humiliated and insulted the blacks, and awak­ened the African’s in the Court to

“Fight
Struggle
Change.” ⁶

The Voice of Kimathi saw the British as traitors to their own people and called on them to come out of slavery.

Apart from this, I Will Marry When I Want is the most powerful of Ngugi’s works. This is the renowned play which is developed with Kikuyu actors, in which colonialism was quoted as the Satan of Poverty, of theft, of rob­bery, and of oppression; and people in this were called to crush that enemy in a song.

Soloist: The Satan of Poverty
Must be crushed!

Chorus: Hallelujah, he must be Crushed,
For the Second Coming is near.

Soloist: He destroys our homes,
Let’s Crush him.

Chorus: Hallelujah let’s crush and grind him,
for the Second coming is near. ⁷

The power and irony with which the Eu­ropean colonizers and neo-colonizers of Africa were attacked show Ngugi’s concern for the Kenyans and Africans.

Rebellion in this drama found a solution in the people’s song when the trumpet of the masses has been blown of land grabbing, ex­ploitation, slavery and charity and abuses.

“All: The trumpet of the poor has been blown

Let’s unite and organize.
Organization is our club
Organization is our sword
Organization is our gun
Organization is our shield
Organization is our way
Organization is our strength
Organization is our light
Organization is our wealth.

The trumpet of the masses has been blown. ⁸

Ngugi saw the broken barriers of Colo­nialism in Crowd’s joy: and his works lit African darkness from the new sated core of earth.

REFERENCES

¹ Weep not, Child by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (Heinemann Educational Books Ltd) 1964. P.3
² River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (Heinemann 1965). P. 24
³ A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (Heinemann) 1967. P. 213
⁴ Home Coming by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (Heinemann) 1972. P. 14
⁵ Trial of Dedan Kimathi by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o Micere Mugo (Heinemann) 1976. P. 5
⁶  -Ibid-
⁷ I Will Marry When I Want by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (Heinemann) 1982. P. 5, 6
⁸ Ibid by Ngugi WaMirii. P. 116