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A review by mwana
I Will Marry When I Want by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
5.0
Ngugi wa Thiong'o and his co-writer, Ngugi wa Mirii, are men who have a way with words that is unrivalled and incomparable. And with statements like "A man must brag about his penis no matter how tiny". I mean, come on
Tiny penises aside, the saying is stated by our main character, Kiguunda, one of my favourite fuckers ever in Kenyan post colonial literature. He had been admiring his title deed for his one and a half acre piece of land and his wife, Wangeci, had been trying to get him to fix a broken seat in preparation for their guests Ahab Kioi and his wife, Jezebel (Members of the select few who seem to have been successful after gaining independence).
And so starts a play that is rhythmic, poetic, and any other musical -ic you can think of. It is an analogy of oppression. The primary issue being that after being oppressed and colonized by the white man, they were still under a vindictive ruler. Only this time, he was their fellow countryman. Their lands had been grabbed, they worked in their new rulers' industries only to have to spend the meagre coins they earned on the expensive products still produced by the bourgeois.
The play was so powerful that it led to Ngugi's detention from December 1977- 1978. And his eventual exile- where he left the country fearing for his safety. The play raises questions about capitalism, religion, hypocrisy, betrayal, misfortune, poverty and leadership. It shines an unwelcome light on situations that an intellectual elite would otherwise turn a blind eye on. While written in 1977, it still has a significant impact on any 21st century readers. My take on it was different from that of others who have read this. It's a shame the play still remains banned in my country but I would love to see the songs in the play come to life. Especially Kamande wa Munyui's song:
I shall marry when I want
Since all padres are still alive
I shall marry when I want
Since all nuns are still alive
Tiny penises aside, the saying is stated by our main character, Kiguunda, one of my favourite fuckers ever in Kenyan post colonial literature. He had been admiring his title deed for his one and a half acre piece of land and his wife, Wangeci, had been trying to get him to fix a broken seat in preparation for their guests Ahab Kioi and his wife, Jezebel (Members of the select few who seem to have been successful after gaining independence).
And so starts a play that is rhythmic, poetic, and any other musical -ic you can think of. It is an analogy of oppression. The primary issue being that after being oppressed and colonized by the white man, they were still under a vindictive ruler. Only this time, he was their fellow countryman. Their lands had been grabbed, they worked in their new rulers' industries only to have to spend the meagre coins they earned on the expensive products still produced by the bourgeois.
The play was so powerful that it led to Ngugi's detention from December 1977- 1978. And his eventual exile- where he left the country fearing for his safety. The play raises questions about capitalism, religion, hypocrisy, betrayal, misfortune, poverty and leadership. It shines an unwelcome light on situations that an intellectual elite would otherwise turn a blind eye on. While written in 1977, it still has a significant impact on any 21st century readers. My take on it was different from that of others who have read this. It's a shame the play still remains banned in my country but I would love to see the songs in the play come to life. Especially Kamande wa Munyui's song:
I shall marry when I want
Since all padres are still alive
I shall marry when I want
Since all nuns are still alive