Happy Sunday Book Friends,
I promised to give a review of "Weep not, Child," a book by Kenya's most celebrated author, Ngugi Wa Thiong'O, in the previous mail you received from this space.
For the month of September, Jenta Reads Bookclub, a welcoming and like-minded reading community situated in the beautiful city of Jos, Nigeria, chose this book as its fiction selection.
At the Jenta Reads Community Library yesterday, I spoke with other members of the Bookclub as we discussed this masterpiece of African literature. We enjoyed talking about this book since it introduced us to another part of Africa besides Nigeria. We had an insightful conversation and made new book friends.
In this week's Reader's Journal, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the issues brought up at yesterday's discussion. I don't wish to write a long review, so I recommend you find time to read it. If you desire a soft copy, contact me via aseichristopher2@gmail.com
What is the book about?
Paper length - 131 pages.
Weep Not Child, a 1964 book by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, takes us through a dark period of Kenya's colonial history. It centres on the interactions between Kenyan locals and British colonisers. This story is set during the Mau Mau Uprising, an eight-year battle in colonial Kenya under British administration. During this uprising in the 1950s, the British massacred between 12,000 and 20,000 African insurgents. The "divide and rule" strategy, which was employed by the British Empire, is responsible for its success.
The protagonist of the story, Ngoroge, desires enough education and learning to realise a profound goal of improving life for his father, mothers, brothers, and even his village. For him, education will not only help them reclaim the lands that white settlers had wrongfully taken from them, but it will also put him in a position of wealth and power. The rebellion of the Mau Mau cut short this ideal of his.
My thoughts on the issues brought up at yesterday's discussion.
1. What do you think is the purpose of this book?
This book, in my perspective, accomplished two things. First, the book served as a protest against colonialism in Kenya. Ngugi described the forced eviction of native Kenyans from their ancestral lands by European settlers as well as the violent British colonial administration response to the Mau Mau revolt, a colonial resistance movement led mostly by Gikuyu people who demanded freedom, self-governance, and their lands.
Second, I believe Ngugi wrote this book to share a story about Africa with the world. Later, I discovered he was the first East African to publish in English. The book fulfilled a purpose of providing "a balance of stories," as the late Achebe put it.
2. What part of the book captivated you and why?
Every part of this book captivated me. It's not a boring book, in my opinion. The book had its share of good, bad, and ugly. Consequently, it is a collection of various human stories. In the book, there were situations I could identify with. I really appreciate the book's themes, literary devices, symbols, and symbolism.
3. Character development - Who was your favourite character in the book?
I like Ngoroge's persona and his enthusiasm for education. I also adore Nyokabi, who plays the role of the protagonist Ngoroge's mother. She embodies what a strong Kenyan woman should be. She first appears at the start of the novel, when she gives Ngoroge the news that he will be attending school, igniting his hope. She was also present at the book's conclusion when she stopped her son from attempting suicide.
"He saw the light she was carrying and falteringly went towards it. It was a glowing piece of wood that she carried to light the way."
4. Symbols and Symbolism is the Book.
This book has a lot of symbols. The principal one is Land. In this book, land — which means different things to different people — represents power to me. Land meant conquering to the European settlers. They had relocated the locals to small, densely populated settlements while taking the best lands from them to cultivate cash crops and build mansions.
"The white settlers came - they didn't take the land all at once. They took the able bodied men to the first war. When these men came back, they were worn-out. Then they discovered that their fathers were removed from their ancestral land. Ngotho's father died a Muhoi - a man without land. Ngotho grew up on these lands, but does not have one."
Ngugi used the character of Mr. Howlands to represent the white settlers.
"Howlands, did not believe in God. There was only one god for him - and that was the farm he had created, the land he had tamed. And who were these Mau Mau who were now claiming the land, his god?"
To the natives, land was what connected them to their gods\deities. The European settlers had dispossessed them of this and so, they all aspired to get their lands back. Ngotho (Ngoroge's father), was used to represent the black peasants without land. They had to work on the farms of the European settlers to earn a wage. "Any man who was without land was not considered rich." Jacobo was the character Ngugi used to represent the middle class in colonial Kenya. They had little land and prestige and so they were usually loyal to the colonial order.
5. Themes in the book.
Education - Education holds a prominent theme in this book. "Education united most Gikuyu people." Education meant everything to Ngoroge, his family and village. To Ngotho, "Land was everything. Education was good only because it would lead to the recovery of the lost lands."Still on education in the book, I felt Ngugi critiqued the relevance of western education to the solution of Africa's problems.
Colonialism and Resistance- The book makes a strong case against colonialism in Kenya. Native Kenyans were driven off their ancestral lands as a result of colonialism, and the colonial government utilised the "Divide and Rule" tactic to quell colonial resistance (in the form of the Mau Mau insurrection).
"Mr Howlands felt a certain gratifying pleasure. The machine he had set in motion was working. The blacks were destroying the blacks."
This is evident in Jacobo's persona, which represents Kenyans who benefited from the colonial system. In addition to attacking white settlers, the Mau Mau also targeted Kenyan subjects who supported the British.
We also see the mental, emotional, and physical abuse that colonial authorities inflicted on alleged Mau Mau members. Ngoroge was forced to drop out of school because various family members suffered under the Mau Mau crackdown. His two mothers were beaten, his father Ngotho was tortured to death, all of his brothers were either killed, detained and transferred to the Mau Mau detention facilities. The sorrowful story of the Mau Mau is told in the book.
Hope - Another important theme in this work is hope. Even though there was little hope for the local Kenyans in the book, Ngoroge was a significant symbol of hope. He was optimistic about the future. His village and family saw hope in him when he pursued higher education. The Mau Mau insurrection, however, "took his education, faith, family, and visions of money and power," and he lost everything of that hope.
We also see hope in his love and relationship with Mwihaki, the daughter of Jacobo, a man who was Ngotho's arch enemy. Nyokabi, the mother who prevented the protagonist from trying suicide, represents optimism in the story.
Failure and Disillusionment - There are so many discrepancies throughout the text. Although there was hope, the book's theme of failure is resonant. Ngotho believed that he had failed since he was unable to regain his ancestral land and because the strike the native Kenyans planned to use to change the system had produced no fruitful outcomes. When he was unable to obtain the education he so sorely desired, Ngoroge felt like a failure. Despite being optimistic at the beginning of the book, I thought he had a delusion at one point.
"Hope of a better day was the only comfort he could give to a weeping child. He did not know that his faith in the future could be a form of escape from the reality of the present." At the end of the book, he felt hopeless, ashamed and cowardice.
Other themes I got from the book are; traditional way of life of the Gikuyu people, social divisions, faith (Christianity), racial tensions, vengeance, uncertainty and so much more.
6. The relevance of this book in contemporary times.
It is impossible to overstate this book's relevance to contemporary times. As it guides us through a troubling chapter of Kenya's colonial past, the book brings readers into Kenya. The book aids foreign readers in developing a deeper understanding of the nation. We are more able to comprehend the trauma and rage of the Kenyan people.
This has been true recently as a result of the passing of the late Queen of the UK, Elizabeth II. Many Kenyans felt indifferent about the passing of the late Queen because of the Mau Mau uprising, their ancestors were tortured by the colonial government when she was Queen.
The Kenyans were exhorted by members of my bookclub to "move on" (this term can imply different things to different people) and look past the suffering. The Mau Mau occurred; it is a part of their history. The British compensated many Mau Mau victims, but they haven't issued a formal public apology. Therefore, Kenyans should set up procedures for rapprochement and healing among the many groups in their nation, look within, and direct their development in a way that will serve as an example for not only Africa, but also the rest of the globe.
Ngugi wa Thiong'o is the most well-known author from Kenya (born 1938). Although he also wrote plays, literary criticism, and political and cultural pieces, his novels are the ones for which he is most well-known.
His other books include.
At the University of California, Irvine, Ngugi wa Thiong'o has the title of Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature. Ngugi has written a number of writings that are harshly critical of British colonial control in Africa, including Weep Not Child.
Later, I discovered that the colonial government's response to the Mau Mau insurrection had harmed his family. His brother was arrested, and his mother was tortured.
Tag along with us on this reading adventure.
Have you read a book by Ngugi Wa Thiong' O ?
Have you read a book by any Kenyan writer?
How much of Kenya do you know?