It's not hard to see why Ngugi's Petals of Blood was so controversial in his native Kenya. Written in 1977, it is an angry cry against the betrayal of the independence struggle. The main characters each come to terms with the harsh disappointments of modern Kenya, a place that, in Ngugi's depiction, is dominated by corrupt businessmen and politicians who have quickly and conveniently forgotten the high ideals of the revolt they waged to expel the British.Petals is set in Ilmorog, a village in upcountry Kenya so far from the beaten path that it does not even have a primary school. Munira, a schoolteacher, is sent there to set up such a school. The book opens twelve years after his arrival, as he is arrested in connection with the death of three leading officials in a suspicious fire. Much of the rest of the story is then told as a flashback, with Munira recounting the events unfolding from his arrival all the way up to the deadly fire. Among the other leading characters are Karega, an earnest but unsophisticated schoolteacher who evolves into a formidable union organizer; Wanja, a spirited, alluring "bar girl" and sometime entrepreneur who is the driving force in the plot and a love interest for Munira and Karega; and Abdulla, the crippled shopkeeper with a mysterious past. Although all four are transplants in Ilmorog, having been born and raised elsewhere, it is through their efforts that Ilmorog is "put on the map," a process that initially brings great benefits but ultimately leads to tragedy.Ngugi probably intends Ilmorog's transformation as both a metaphor for and a microcosm of the moral decline of Kenya from the high hopes of post-independence to the business-as-usual corruption and thuggery of a generation later. He contrasts the innocence and wisdom of the village with the political opportunism, religious hypocrisy, and rampant cronyism of modern Kenya. That's not exactly an original theme but Ngugi describes it wellWhile I valued the book for its insights into the dilemmas and disappointments of post-independence governance, I put it down more discouraged than uplifted. Perhaps it is unfair to ask Ngugi to do more than just paint the picture for us, but the novel would arguably have had a greater impact if it had given us greater hope and reason to believe that things can indeed change for the better.
It's funny, from reading the Acknowledgments I knew what I was in for when I read his thanks to "The Soviet Writers Union for giving me the use of their house in Yalta in order to finish the writing of this novel." Written in 1977, this was a time when Communism was where it was at, right? So I figured that this would be a revolutionary anti-capitalist post-colonialist Kenya read. And it was. I didn't enjoy it as much as "Wizard of the Crow," which I really loved and would recommend highly, and more than this one. But it was still a good read if you're into that sort of thing, although a long haul. The quotes will probably give a good taste of the flavor:--"Whenever any of us is degraded and humiliated, even the smallest child, we are all humiliated and degraded because it has got to do with human beings." (p 161)--"But something had happened: the rules of the game had been questioned and everything had been altered." (p 171)--"But brooding not too far below their tranquil existence was their consciousness of the journey and the experiences which spoke of another less sure, more trouble world which could, any time, descend upon them, breaking asunder their rain-filled sun-warmed calm. They did not talk about it: but they knew, in their different ways, that things would never again be the same. For the journey had presented each with a set of questions for which there were no ready answers; had, because of what they had seen and experienced, thrown up challenges that could neither be forgotten nor put on one side, for they touched on things deep in the psyche, in their separate conceptions of what it meant to be human, a man, alive and free." (p 197)--When in a dream, one character, a teacher, meets his deceased older brother, a freedom fighter: "Karega shouts behind him: 'I want to follow you! Do you hear me? Let us journey together.' Nding'uri stops and he is now both weary and angry. 'What kind of teacher are you? Leave your children adrift? The struggle, brother, starts where you are.' He dissolves into the mist of time. And Karega feels the full impact of that last rebuke." (p 237)
What do You think about Petals Of Blood (2005)?
I was fortunate to see Kenyan writer wa Thiong'o Ngugi at a recent reading at Brown University. Not only did I get to hear the proper pronunciation of his name (!) but I was more importantly able to listen to him read from his newest novel "Wizard of the Crow." After that reading I was inspired to pick up my copy of "Petals of Blood." This novel suffered from a bit dated Marxist agenda and caricatured main characters. Not to say that there were not any complexities or meaningful storylines, but it was a rather dogmatic read that lacked the subtlety of many other African writers of the 1960 -70's. After the publication of this novel, Ngugi was detained by the Kenyan government. Leaves me wondering what a modern writer would need to do to risk arrest today. I know the answer to this question changes based on the nationality of the writer. I'm not sure Ngugi was worried about being jailed in today's geopolitical world for writing such a similar societal critique in "Wizard of the Crow". In fact, what sticks out as eerily sad is how the oppression has maintained a steady grip (at best) or more likely gotten worse. A washed up freedom fighter (Abdulla) reflects on the destitution around him: He walked along where dirt and paper and bits of oranges and other remains of rotten food were thrown. He stood and watched hordes of half-naked children with bloated stomachs as they fought it out, asserting their different claims to territories of rot and discarded rubbish. He shook his head. This eternal interminable cycle of destitution and deprivation amidst plenty!This passage reminds me of several things: ++Darwin's Nightmare documentary film++Chris Abani's portrayal of modern life in Nigeria through "Graceland"++Charles Mulekwa's play about Uganda called "A Time of Fire" now running at the Black RepAll of these works make you ask where's the hope for a generation? Is there such thing as meaningful resistance?
—SueEllen
Think of it as "Grapes of Wrath" set in Kenya. It's a highly political novel, chastising imperialism, capitalism, and corruption in Kenya, written by an author with Marxist leanings. Nevertheless, the interweaving of four people's stories leaves room for different perspectives, and the novel never descends to the level of a manifesto. I couldn't stop comparing Petals of Blood to Grapes of Wrath though, and I must plainly say that Steinbeck, taking more time to unfold a narrower story, delivers peasants' plight under capitalism much more powerful and harrowing than does Ngugi.
—Simon
This is one of the first Ngugi books I read and I have to admit I enjoyed his earlier work about the Mau Mau rebellion more as I was reading it. However, looking back I see the brilliance of Petals of Blood. This work takes incredible courage. I was visiting Kenya when he first came back after decades of exile and he was attacked by thugs. To take on the corrupt post-independence regime and not just create a mythology about the heroes of independence is what makes Ngugi a master. I wish an American writer in the early years after our independence could have exposed our government with this much passion.
—Michael
