Wam Literature

UNDERSTANDING POETRY FOR KENYAN SYLABUS

2026-04-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Understanding poetry

Performance poetry is easier to follow since you can hear and feel what the poet is trying to communicate. Most often, we follow the non-verbal cues and facial expressions to understand pretty much everything. This is the reason why we get to understand a foreign language without having no knowledge of it.

Poetry is a performance craft. For this reason, in order to grasp it well, one must see its performance to grasp in detail what the performer is trying to pass across. Nevertheless, the exam situation eradicates the need to listen and delves into your own knowledge of poetry. In order to answer poetry questions well, you ought to do the following:

a) Have a little knowledge about the poet.

b) Understand the styles the poet has used to create music in the poem

c) Identify the styles the poet has used to bring out the meaning of the poem

d) Try to interpret the poet’s choice of words.

Getting to know the poet

Poetry is like music. In music we are eager to know about our favorite artists, their lifestyles, age among other things. In order to understand a poem, we must know a little about the poet. Many examiners set poems from Europe, America and Africa. In Europe, the central focus is William Shakespeare. Whereas there are many poets in Europe, Shakespeare takes the central role because he shaped what came to be known as European poetry. Many poets that follow him would follow Shakespearean style of writing that is the use of iambic pentameter and rhyme.

Apart from the structure of poem, many European poems are modelled in the lines of European culture which is defined by religion, politics and societal stratification. Religious beliefs are centered on Christianity and paganism while politics is around the monarchy. Europe was traditionally a monarchical society with absolute powers resting on the leaders and lords. The rest of the citizenry ergo peasants had little or nothing to talk about. In fact they were regarded as illiterate. In a way, the monarchs that existed in Europe tried to create social stratification. In this regard, there was the top class made up of leaders and the bottom made of the peasants. Therefore, poets of this era would satirically poke holes in this fragmentation of society and what was perceived as the traditional order of things. European culture, therefore, shaped a lot of the arts that we consume today.

American poetry borrows heavily from its European heritage. Poets like William Wordsworth Longfellow, Robert Frost, William Wadsworth and Walt Whitman would build there poems using the Iambic Pentameter. They will also focus most of their creations on society, religion and aspects of humanity embedded in doing ‘good.’ However, there are some American and to some extent, European poets who steered clear from the traditional poetic writing. Such poets like T.S Eliot, would steer clear from rigid styles to what came to be known as ‘free verse.’ Their work redefined poetry poetry and brought in works that were richer in Imagery and symbolism but with sparsely equipped in rhyme and rhythm.

America also has a rich African heritage. Africans suffered from slavery, colonialism and racism. These ills eroded the African spirit and culture. Poets of African origin created their poems on the foundations of the black humiliation. Those tested in our system include: Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes. These poets speak about the ills of colonialism, slavery and racism in most of their poems. They also address the issue of growing up as an African and the triumph of rising up against all odds. We should also include Maya Angelou who brings the issue of race and being a woman in such a very harsh environment. The poets also talk about poverty and its ills.

Just like the black Americans, African poets also speak about the same issues the blacks faced in America. They also address the issues of poverty, modern day slavery and neocolonialism. Religion also features as a tool of oppression as opposed to being a tool of enlightenment.

Both black American and African poems have a different rhythm and pattern as opposed to the Shakespearean poetry. This rhythm is determined more by the feelings of the poets that is, tone and the subject matter the poet is trying to pass along.

Therefore, as a student of poetry, get to enjoy the poems by reading a little about the poet. Remember, the social, political and economic surroundings of the poet tell a lot about the topics the poet is talking about in their works.

Understand the styles the poet has used to create music in the poem

A poem is supposed to be musical, styles that build music in a poem tend to be styles that create an element of repetition. That is to mean, repetition is a core style in creating rhythm. For instance, if a poet repeats, a line in a poem, that line often because a refrain, and readers/listeners tend to predict when that line is going to be repeated. Sometimes, a poet may decide to repeat an entire stanza, this creates what is known as a chorus.

Apart from repetition, the following styles create rhythm in poems;

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant/consonant at the beginning of words at the beginning of words in a line within a poem. E.g

There is nothing murderous to a poet than a spittle of lies;

The sword of truth might be blunted,

But the pangs of pain planted

Send the poet to grueling cries.

In the above poem, the third line has repetition of the letter ‘P’ which creates a certain element of music to the ear.

Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within words that are close together in a line of a poem. Assonance is tricky to identify since vowels in English have varied pronunciation e.g ‘I’ in ‘fire’ is not similar to ‘pin,’ therefore, the two cannot be considered to be assonant.

Can’t explain how it began

Or where,

I heard it in Europe

Slowly,

The flames grew

Spreading, increasing in intensity,

Gradually

Gaining strength

In revulsion

Leaving a trail of

Destruction, death and tears.

The line in bold shows the repetition of the vowel ‘I’ in spreading, increasing in intensity- overall the entire stanza has a lot of ‘I’s in it creating musical element in it.

Parallelism

Parallelism is a style where the way several lines are written is similar in structure i.e there is a certain pattern of repetition is such lines that make the lines rhythmical and easy to memorise. Parallelism also emphasizes a point.

Why,

You my paths,

You knew my worth,

You were my wordsmith,

You sung the myth,

I believed your filth,

Did you have to go soon?

Why,

You were my strength,

You gave me wealth,

In you I saw health,

In life you gave me the breath,

In laughter you made me writhe,

Did you have to go soon?

In the above poems, the poet has used the same structure at the beginning of each line to create rhythm and also emphasize the pain of the person at their loss.

Rhyme

Rhyme is the easiest style to identify since it refers to the repetition of similar sound at the end of words e.g tower, flour, power, and hour.

Rhyme is of two types:

Internal rhyme: which is rhyme that occurs with the line of a poem e.g.

T’s a share I want to share, though share I share not you will not care,

Pain in pain I look at you smile and ignore my presence and I pain the more,

I stride in a stride I take everything, as the swift wind sweeps the tear, I tear inside,

Looking back in the mirror I mirror the best of the moment we share while I care

The memories in despair I break the mirror; will that image go?

In the above poem, line one has; Share/care; line two; ignore/more; line four; stride/inside.

End rhyme: which is rhyme that occurs at the end of the line in a line. This rhyme creates the rhyme scheme.

Open my eyes and show me where,

Hold my hand and lead me there

Hold me tight and show me care,

Carry me high near the stars to stare

Love me whole; do not spare.

Where/there; care, stare, spare

Consonance

Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in words that come close to each other in a poem. E.g shout, pit, tot

Built like a tail wagging outa the city,

It meanders into the green horizons beyond

Carrying spluttering vehicles

Years of misuse and disuse upon their backs,

Aching, bellowing billowing smoke in the skies:

The marvels of the beauty of Thicker Road.

Once in a long time gone

This marvel was a thin rope

Snaking into the thin horizons beyond

Bearing several deep-running wounds a child could hide

And the rickety vehicles defied the pain

Bouncing, swerving upon the edge,

Hopping and skipping into the city.

There is a ‘carrying vehicles’ and ‘child could hide

Blossoms of the Savannah as a reflection of the modern day woman

2023-07-18T08:23:00.005-07:00

A literary look at the modern day woman as portrayed in H.R Kulet book.

Blossoms of the Savannah is a book written by the late H.R Kulet in the early 2000s. The story in the book is set in the mid-90s- a period marked with inflation in Kenya which prompted massive layoffs of civil servants called retrenchment and privatization of key government institutions. This was also a period of political change in Kenya with the birth of multiparty politics and also the onset of gender equality debate in the country. With vocal female leaders like the Late Wangari Maathai, Charity Kaluki Ngilu among others joining politics, there was a lot of enthusiasm in Kenya about the impending change.

Kulet chose to dwell on the social cultural change brought about with education of the girl child and how this was effecting change in communities that were consertive. Key among the issues he sought to address were the retrogressive cultural practices that targeted a specific gender and how greed and lust was fueling such norms. In the quest to address these negative issues, Kulet points out that not all of the traditional practices were bad, the bad practices thrived at the expense of the good. This bad practices were being nurtured and cultivated by selfish leaders but ad reached their time to be wiped out.

Pundits may postulate that Kulet was just bringing home a gender war that had been fought before. This can be observed in the Kenyan curriculum that juxtaposed the study of Blossoms of the Savannah with the 16^thC play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. As much as the two books tend to address the issue of gender balance, they are distinctive for they approach the question in two different cultural ecosystems. Whereas Henrik presents the male antagonist as a caring overdomineering husband who uses societal pressure to manipulate the female protagonist, Kulet presents a greedy father who uses culture as a crutch to advance his own agenda. In both though, the female protagonist is left on her own to get her own footing.

This essay looks at how the Blossoms of the Savannah is a reflection of modern day woman. Kulet has divided his female characters into the traditional conservative, submissive conservative, radicals and liberals.

The traditional conservative woman is presented to be the proponent of the status quo. She is the enkamuratani (female circumciser) and those who support her agenda. She is fierce and blind to the suffering of a majority of young women. In fact she is proud of her trade is always ready to dispense what she believes to be a cultural right. A reflection of the enkamuratani is shown in modern day religious and cultural women leaders who define their roles as being in the shadow of their husbands. Such women are the deputies of their husband’s businesses and practices. As seen, they promote the male agenda with little regard to what their own beliefs. These women are wives the modern day religious leaders and politicians. Despite the murky deeds of their husbands, they are ready to overlook all that and display the banner of a model wife.

The submissive conservative woman is represented by Simiren’s wives and Kaelo’s wife. Such women do not take the frontline in the battle but agree with their husband’s decision. In politics and other significant decisions, they let the man lead. More often they are the voters who made bad decisions then live to regret their choices. They have suppressed their dreams and desires for the sake of their men. We have such women in politics as well but they will never take the leadership position in a field where men dominate.

Kulet presents the liberal woman in the character of Nabaru. She is diligent and loyal to the proponents of change. She is also resourceful and full of courage when needed. It is this courage that makes Nabaru risk her life to help Resian out of the claws of Olarinkoi. In modern day society, we see such women join worthy causes in order to advance worthy causes thus drive the discussion around inclusivity. They support agenda drivers with the hope that they will be present to see change.

The leaders of change in Blossoms of the Savannah are Resian and Minik ene Nkoitoi. Such women are fearless and have a sense of purpose. They are self-driven and nothing can stop them in the quest to achieve their personal dreams besides their societal goals. In numerous occasion they take the lead and are founders of their own causes. Some lose track and focus but others always ensure they achieve their set goals.

In order to understand the modern woman. This essay will focus on Kaelo girls- Taiyo and Resian. The two girls present a contrasting image of a responsible modern day girl. It is this image that can be seen in some of the young up and coming career women. The Kaelo girls had a burning desire to join university and achieve their dreams as successful career women. In the quest to do this, they each took different path.

To begin with, Resian had a deep desire to remain in Nakuru and enroll at the Egerton University. At the age of 18, where many girls have started dating, including her sister Taiyo who was involved with Lenjir, Resian was still single. She did not have eyes for boys but education.

Her steel determination will see her survive early marriage to Oloisudori. She confronts her father over the issue and runs away from home. She is determined not to marry until she achieves her academic goals. Resian also survives a near-rape incident and recovers from comma to continue to chase her dreams. She earns admiration from Nabaru and Minik because she would not let others define her destiny

RUNNING AWAY FROM CULTURE IN BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH

2023-07-18T08:21:00.004-07:00

One cannot run away from their culture; what they can do is work towards changing it. Drawing from the book Blossoms of the Savannah, discuss.

One cannot run away from their culture; what they can do is work towards changing it. This is evident in the novel Blossoms of the Savannah by H.R. Kulet.

According to the novel, Parsimei Ole kaelo brought up his children in the confines of the city of Nakuru away from the culture of Nasila. In Nakuru, Kaelo was comfortable to be a monogamous with two daughters. Even though his brother had advised him to stick to Nasila culture and obey its tenets, Kaelo dismissed them. He was a happy successful man doing well as a career man. In Nakuru he could model his daughters to modern women with careers- probably the reason he moved to the town in the fast place.

By moving to Nakuru, Kaelo was in a way running away from the cruel Nasila culture. He was a man with an outside view of his culture. He wished that his people could embrace change but was afraid to be the advocate of change. As long as he was in Nakuru, he would live like the town folk and put the negative in his culture far from his mind.

But as fate could have it, Kaelo loses his secure home in Nakuru and has to move back to Nasila. Since Kaelo was not fearless, he moved into Nasila and was forced to ingratiate himself into the Nasilian culture. Kaelo had once described the people of Nasila as megalomaniacs who were stuck in the decadent culture. Yet when he moved back, he embraced the culture in full and was even willing to have his daughters circumcised.

Kaelo was unlike Minik ene Nkoitoi. Raised in Nasila, Minik grew up to detest the negative cultural practices of her people. Instead of running away, Minik created an organization with likeminded individuals in order to promote positive cultural practices and fight early marriage and FGM. Minik’s efforts and show of courage attracts hate from the proponents of negative practices of culture but admiration from other quarters. She even becomes Resian and Taiyo’s role model.

Joseph Parmuat is also another character who plays a role in changing his culture from within. He was an educated young man who could have eloped with his love- Taiyo to start new life away from Nasila. But he chose to remain. He was loyal to his clan but did not support some of the cruelty of his culture. It is for this reason that he risked being killed to rescue Taiyo from early marriage.

Fighting negative culture demands running away from its cauldron as potrayed by Nabaru the enkabaani. She was there when Resian was kidnapped by Olarinkoi and she work tirelessly to rescue Resian from Olarinkoi. Her efforts bore fruits but made her run away from home to avoid being killed by olarinkoi and his mother. Nabaru like Minik were invaluable resources because they acted as a bridge between the old and the new practices.

OLE KAELO'S ACTS OF COWARDICE IN BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH

2023-07-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

The book Blossoms of the Savannah presents Ole Kaelo as behaving in a cowardly manner. This essay observes Kaelo’s acts of cowardice and how they shape the trajectory of the story.

Kaelo is one of the main characters in the book. He is the father of Taiyo and Resian. Kaelo’s decisions make the story’s conflict skyrocket into a struggle for the rights of the girl child.

Generally, we pick up Kaelo from the moment he retired. However, it should be noted that Kaelo’s confidence begun the moment he moved to Nakuru. With a lucrative job and a lean family, Kaelo displayed a confidence never seen before. In the comfort of Nakuru, he defended his decision to remain monogamous and delineate himself from the barbaric female circumcision for his two daughters.

The security of employment in the sprawling Nakuru city offered Kaelo enough confidence to denounce culture and call Nasila elders as ‘megalomaniacs who were stuck in the past. In Nakuru, Kaelo found a safe haven in which to abhor and condemn Nasila’s culture. Since he was isolated from the decadent culture he felt far civilized to engage into its abuse of the womenfolk. In this regard, Kaelo can be observed as having run away from Nasila since he did not have the guts to attack the Nasila culture from within. He knew the culture was abusive and was aware of its atrocities but he could not bring himself to be an advocate of change like Parmuat or Minik ene Nkoitoi.

The Swahili have a saying, ‘Mwacha mila ni mtumwa,’ ehich means when one forsakes their culture, they become slaves. Kaelo’s act of slavery ends when he is terminated at his place of employment. The security he had felt in Nakuru crumbles around him. He has no option but to return to Nasila. This means that he must reenter the very culture he had abandoned. Could he rebel against it from within Nasila?

Like the proverbial prodigal son Kaelo realizes that he needed his people in order to maintain his sense of identity and progress. Coming back as a businessman meant that a majority of his customers would be the community members. Therefore, going by what the elder Ole Musanka said in the homecoming ceremony, Kaelo was like a piece of hair that wind had blown away from the head but fate had brought it back. Like that strand, Kaelo had the role of twinning himself on other hairs so that he does not fall off again.

In the effort to twine himself back into the community, Kaelo becomes the very thing he sought to destroy. Desperate for money and acceptance, he asks his wife to prepare the girls’ for circumcision. This was supposed to be a gradual process but it is sped up by the entrance of Oloisudori Lonkiya. Kaelo’s benefactor. Oloisudori demands his pound of flesh and offers to marry Resian.

Although Kaelo had sworn to protect his children, he finds it hard to choose between defending them from culture and Oloisudori. Accrodng to the Nasila culture, Kaelo’s daughters should have been married of a long time ago. They were at the prime of their teenage years and yet still living with their parents. On the other hand, Oloisudori held the key to Kaelo’s financial success. When one observes the unfolding events in the lens of tradition, Kaelo had no right to oppose Oloisudori his greed notwithstanding. Therefore, he fell prey to both tradition and Oloisudori.

Kaelo’s decision to let go of Resian spins the conflict of the story- the struggle for feminism in an overly patriarchal society governed by tradition, curses, fear and sweeping loyalty. Like a seasoned chef, Kaelo also throws Taiyo into the mix.

Was Kaelo blinded by greed and tradition? It is hard to tell but what is apparent is that losing the job in Nakuru threw kaelo into a turbulence that created the present conflict. He had brought his children up in Nakuru where, in a mixture of cultures and modernity, they had learnt their own independence to choose a suitor and also resist harmful cultures. The girls, especially Resian, were ready to defend this new found freedom. It is this struggle that now pits Kaelo against his own daughters and spins the story in the novel Blossoms of the Savannah.

THE PEARL: LISTENING TO ADVICE

2022-02-26T02:35:00.000-08:00

“When one fails to heed advice, they suffer.” With illustrations from John Steibeck’s The Pearl, write an essay to validate the above statement.

Sometimes it is important to heed advice from those around us. Even though we may think that we are right, the advice given may go a long way in helping us. According to the play, The Pearl, Kino did not heed to the advice of others and this led to disastrous outcome.

Kino comes out as a proud masculine man. It is for this reason that Kino does not want to listen to his wife. When Juana proffers an advice, Kino does not give it so much thought. He assures her that he is a man and he knows what he is doing. For instance, Juana observes that the Pearl they had found from the sea will bring evil to their family. While Kino can see the evil lurking in the darkness, he does not want to let go of his treasure.

Juan Thomas seems to know Kino well. As an elder brother, he keenly walks Kino into the history of their people and how they had been robbed blind by the pearl buyers and those whom they had sent to find better prices elsewhere. In this respect, Juan is cautioning his brother against taking drastic measures. Nevertheless, the thoughtless Kino refuses to take the price he had initially been offered for the pearl.

In his anger Kino forgot all the advice he had been given in the church and those of his brother. He is adamant. He decides to travel north and sell his pearl for better prices. The refusal to sell his pearl attracts attention to Kino and his family. He is attacked and kills a man trying to protect the pearl.

Having killed a man, Kino had nowhere to hide but emigrate. Together with his wife and son; Coyotito, Kino starts his journey northwards. As they are the most wanted people, Kino and family travel at night. In spite of this, they are followed.

In order to protect his family from the pursuers, Kino requests Juana to go ahead with Coyotito and the pearl while he deals with his enemies. Juana refuses. Shielded by night, Kino attacks his assailants killing them all. During the fight a stray bullet kills Coyotito.

The events leading to the death of Coyotito include Juana’s refusal to listen to Kino on two matters: running away to the city where the two will reunite and staying in the cave until when Kino came back. Had Juana listened to her husband, Coyotito would have been alive.

It is therefore important to listen to people who give us advice. We may never know how invaluable that advice may be in our lives.

SYMBOLISM IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE- A PLAY BY DAVID MULWA

2020-09-02T01:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is hard to explain abstract ideas without having a vessel to carry them. In literature and any other work of art, artists tend to use symbols. A symbol is an object. This object can be used to convey an abstract idea like love or create an emotion within the work of art. Therefore, symbolism is a literary device in which a writer uses objects or symbols in order to convey ideas and at the same time create the desired mood or evoke a desired emotion.

In the play Inheritance, David Mulwa has used various symbols. These symbols are in the form of characters, objects, and animals. These symbols play an important role in helping us understand the meaning of the play and at the same time add aesthetics to the play.

To begin with, the two foreign characters Robert Rollerstone and Daniel Goldstein represent neocolonialism. It is important to point out the age difference between Rollerstone and Goldstein. Goldstein is advanced in age, while Rollerstone is young. This signifies that colonial greed is hereditary. In order to ensure that the company continues to benefit from Kutula’s natural resources, Goldstein brings in new blood: the young and ambitious Rollerstone. On his part, Rollerstone brings in a new approach- directly involving the people of Kutula in order to mask his real intentions.

Lulu is also a symbol. She is the symbol of hope for the people of Kutula. During the commemoration ceremony, Lulu is chosen to be the one to give Lacuna the crown. This is to symbolize that the people still entrust Lacuna Kasoo with the power. Lulu is chosen because she was still pure and had not been defiled. Her role on this day was to crown Lacuna and later ‘entertain’ him in his palace. Lacuna, on the other hand, had planned to take advantage of Lulu. Having failed in his endeavours, Lacuna detains Lulu in his palace. Lacuna wants to marry Lulu as a new hope for his leadership. By arresting Lulu, Lacuna had just snatched hope from the people. Nevertheless, the people mount a revolution that reclaims Lulu back and ousts Lacuna from power.

Apart from Lulu, Lacuna Kasoo has also been used symbolically. He represents opportunism that comes with many neo-colonial African states. Lacuna grabs power by assassinating his father. Killing King Kutula kills the hope of a progressive African state. He also plans to steal the future by marrying Lulu. Lacuna’s behaviours are a representation of leaders who use their position and power to amass wealth, oppress others while rewarding cronies and running down the country’s economy. He leads a pack of greedy tribesmen and loyalists in looting the Kutula’s resources while spreading fear through the security agencies. He depicts the negative image of political power as a tool of oppression.

Apart from the characters, the playwright has also used objects as symbols. To begin with, the crown represents power. After the death of King Kutula XV, Lacuna was given the crown on coronation day. This symbolized that Lacuna was the successor of his father. Also, during the commemoration ceremony, Lulu hands the crown over to Lacuna. This shows that young people are giving the older people represented by Lacuna the mandate to rule. Once with the crown, Lacuna is invincible. He has the strength and power over his subjects and that is why in Kutula, there are three people: those who oppose him and are constantly harassed, those who fear him, and the few who are loyal to him.

Apples are also used as symbols. In the play, they symbolize wealth and good living. Being among the most expensive fruits, apples in this play are usually found in Lacuna’s palace. They are a reserve of the few and are mostly served to Lacuna and his dignitaries. Not once did Lacuna offer apples to people like Reverend Sangoi and her entourage. They are, in fact, entertained by Melissa, Lacuna Kasoo’s wife. However, when the foreigners visit, they are offered apples and even coffee.

Towards the end of the play, the playwright introduces doves. Historically and Biblically, white doves have been used as a symbol of peace. In the play, the doves are no different. They represent a peaceful revolution that is about to take place. Tired of Lacuna Kasoo’s leadership, the people, led by Reverend Sangoi and Romanus Bengo’ mount a bloodless revolution against Lacuna. Kasoo’s regime had performed dismally due to wanton corruption, foreign domination, manipulation, and total disregard for the wishes of the people.

The last symbol in the play is Bukelenge Valley. Bukelenge valley represents the wealth and fertility of Kutula republic. The valley has fertile soils and plenty of water. In order to promote dependence in the state, Lacuna Kasoo with his foreign investors diverts the water from the valley to a dam. The dam is expected to improve the livelihood of the people. Nevertheless, despite the projected increase in income, the valley dries up killing the fortunes of Kutula. In this case, the valley represents the valley of suffering and death. Lacuna further forcefully evacuates the people from the valley so as to create room for foreign investments. Thus, the valley becomes a symbol of oppression and injustice. The valley also represents the grasp the investors have on Lacuna’s government and their influence on the economic decisions of Kutula.

Symbolism plays a major role in revealing neocolonialism and the unpopular Lacuna regime. It also alludes to the new hope and the resilience of Kutula people in fighting against oppression and foreign influence in their state.

USE OF MOVEMENT IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE

2020-08-24T22:59:00.003-07:00

The play Inheritance has involved various aspects of English literature styles in order to create a very compelling work of art. Normally, plays are divided into Acts; however, the playwright chose to use movement instead of acts. Movement shows motion, a change in position from one point to another, a transition.

In this regard, David Mulwa tries to weave a transitional play; a play that doesn’t occur in acts but moves from one place to another or time to another.

The play starts off (in the prologue) in colonial Kutula led by colonial Governor Thorne Macay with the advisory board made up of Bishop Menninger. During this period, there is a lot of opposition fronted by the people who are led by the wise and beloved King Kutula XV. King Kutula seems adamant to reach an understanding in which his people will continue being slaves to their colonial masters even though they are politically independent. He refuses any form of independence fronted by Thorne in which the colonial master still holds the leash. This decision angers, Thorne Macay and Menninger.

In order to continue holding their leash on Kutula, Thorne, and Menninger hatch a plan to silently remove the beloved king. Their decision determines the future of Kutula. Thirty years later, the colonial powers still determine whatever happens in Kutula with the help of a new leader Lacuna Kasoo.

From the prologue, we realize why the playwright decided to use movement instead of acts. What happened in the prologue determines what happens in Movement 1. The now-independent Kutula is under the late King Kutula’s son. The country is in a deplorable state just like in the colonial period. In fact things are worse; the current leader is running the economy into the shambles and the country is heavily in debt.

Controlled by two international financiers, Daniel Goldstein and Robert Rollerstone, the country’s leadership is hell-bent on satisfying colonial greed at the mercy of the citizens. Lacuna is less interested in serving his people but keen on presenting a picture of development to his financiers. In Movement 2 scene 2 pg 76 Goldstein sits on the throne and displays the exact power that runs Kutula. Lacuna is just a helpless puppet with insatiable greed. Goldstein and his financiers are the real power in Kutula. The change in power in this scene baffles one of Lacuna’s attendants. Called in to receive orders from his leader, the servant finds Goldstein on the ‘sacred’ throne. The confused servant is disturbed but humbly obeys his leader.

In this respect, the writer displays inertia as a form of movement since no movement has been done at all, though the country is three decades old. The people of Kutula have remained a colonized state despite their spirited fight for emancipation under King Kutula XV. Lacuna Kasoo is still submissive to foreign masters as seen on pg 76 and commands his servants just like the colonial police would do. The same can be said of Councillor Chipande; he submissively talks to Goldstein and Rollerstone but yells at his own people (pg59.)

Movement also describes Judah Zen Melo’s life. He started off as a senior civil servant but fell from grace when he refused to eliminate Romanus Bengo. Bengo was an activist and Judah’s brother. As an activist, Bengo opposed Lacuna’s policies and gained a significant following. In fact, Bengo refutes the claim that Lacuna had been chosen by the gods. As Bengo is incarcerated by Lacuna’s regime, Judah is beaten brutally and left for dead. Subsequently, Judah is fired from his position and everything is made such that he loses his grandeur and wealth. Ultimately, Judah tries in vain to clear his name and gain Lacuna’s blessings. He is never given a chance to redeem himself. He dies a poor drunk man fighting with the younger generation for cheap labour in the silver mines.

Judah Zen Melo’s movement captures the incessant search for greener pastures by adults in the present day society. The situation is made difficult especially when one is laid off from their former employment. Left without connections, you are left to wander the streets until death beckons.

Movement in the plays also captures the change of scenes. The play begins in the palace, traverses through Tamina Zen Melo’s house, and then to Kutula people’s park. From Kutula People’s Park, we are taken to the palace and then to the rebel’s hideout. The rebels are led by Bengo. Bengo together with Reverend Sangoi leads the people on the final movement to the royal palace where Lacuna is ousted from power. The movement is swift and that is why Lacuna and his loyalists do not see it coming. They are caught unaware and unprepared to defend their positions. Movement here captures the essence of peaceful demonstration and a force of the people united against a common wrong. Although Lacuna had awarded members of his clan and those close to him, he was not prepared for what was coming. He had stayed in power for long. Power had blinded him from the building rebellion. Therefore, when the force of the masses came, calm and immense, it found him asleep and comfortable. It found him defenseless, and like a raging flood, he was thrown out of the warmth of power.

Finally, movement captures shifting positions. In this play, the colonialists were not prepared to lose their grasp on Kutula’s economic gains. They, therefore, hatched a plan that would guarantee their hand on Kutula’s fortunes. Since the colonialists enjoy the upper economic hand, they easily manipulate greedy leaders like Lacuna. However, they were not prepared for the coming revolution. Robert and Goldstein learn from the revolution the true meaning of a country’s sovereignty. Firstly, they are detained by Lacuna. They are then released by Reverend Sangoi who reads to them the new terms of business engagements. They had been setting standards in the name of developing Kutula while just whetting the appetite of leaders like Lacuna. The construction of the dam denied the people of Bukelenge Valley water and the planned eviction would further put an economic dent on the people while leaders and their foreign counterparts reap big from these projects.

Finally, movement represents change. The change from colonialism was inevitable but took a further three decades to materialize. The journey towards decolonization took the people from western colonization to local colonialism before arriving at the final stage of self-actualization. The movement was not sudden but took quite a period of time to teach the people about perseverance and the need to protect their hard-earned freedom.

Movement in the play highlights the essence of unanimous agreement in times of need. It also points towards non-violent means of gaining peace. In this respect, the playwright seems to be advocating for Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent resistance against dictatorial and manipulative regimes.

THE PLAY INHERITANCE AS AN ALLEGORY TO UHURU KENYATTA'S ADMINISTRATION

2020-08-21T01:08:00.005-07:00

Allegory is a style in which the writer or author mirrors what is happening in society with what happens in his work of art. Most often, allegory has been used to espouse the truth ignorant to the masses. In Inheritance, David Mulwa attempts to warn us about the dangers of voting in Uhuru Kenyatta. Nevertheless, a decade later, we voted in Uhuru Kenyatta and now we are reaping what we sowed.

The play Inheritance is the modern-day Allegory of the Cave. Written by Plato centuries ago, Allegory of the Cave explains why the opinion of the few with knowledge is unacknowledged especially at the time when there is a general consensus on what truth is. In this respect, the majority will acknowledge the general truth as opposed to the new truth espoused by the few. This is one of the reasons we make the wrong decisions.

The play Inheritance was first published in 2004- two years after Uhuru Kenyatta had lost two Mwai Kibaki in the 2002 elections. At the time, no one knew that Jomo Kenyatta’s son would become the fourth president of Kenya. However, David Mulwa had foreseen this possibility. Whether it was by coincidence or intentional, the playwright captures Uhuru Kenyatta’s ascendancy to power with a clear picture.

To begin with, Jomo Kenyatta died peacefully in his sleep in August 1978. In 2008, we were celebrating his 30^th memorial. Five years later, Uhuru would ascend to power as the fourth president of Kenya. The first movement in the play happens after thirty years of independence. By this time, King Kutula XV is already gone and in his place is the King’s son Lacuna Kasoo. The death of King Kutula was as sudden as that of Kenya’s first president. Assuming that King Kutula died shortly after independence, the parallels established here are indeed unmistakable.

Secondly, once Lacuna ascended to power, he immediately opened doorways to foreign investment and donor funding. He welcomed the likes of Goldstein and Robert to his country in the quest to make his country progressive. If we can recall clearly, Uhuru Kenyatta, on assuming office, he became a certified globe trotter, in all his voyages, he was looking for foreign funding and investments. Just like Lacuna Kasoo, Uhuru Kenyatta hoped that foreign investments would steer his country to ‘economic prosperity.’ Besides globetrotting, Uhuru welcomed investment forums into the country but all these efforts never materialized in economic stability.

When opening the new dam in Bukelenge, Lacuna promised that the dam was the beginning of development in the country (pg21.) However, the reality is that life became hard because people could not even get basic commodities like water. Tamina laments that they have to walk for fifteen kilometres to get water. On the other hand, Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration promised free education, creation of employment opportunities, paved highways, and state of the art stadiums and bullet trains. However, eight years in power, none of the promises he gave have materialized. In fact, instead of development, the country is facing unprecedented inflation with supermarket chains, restaurants, and companies closing and unemployment levels on the rise. Just like in Kutula, the projects that were earmarked to bring development are the same problems that have become an incurable cancerous ulcer. Nevertheless, Uhuru dares to say that he has done a lot for his country than his predecessors.

Talking about water, the dam Lacuna built was aimed at providing water for irrigation and basic use. However, instead of the proposed irrigation of the land, both the Bukelenge Valley and plateau dried up as the streams that provided water to the people were directed to the dam. Kenya is facing a similar situation. The sprawling Nairobi city has a surging population that has put a strain on the local water resources. To mitigate the situation, the government came up with a plan to draw water from Maragwa and Mathioya rivers from Murang’a County. Available research shows that the environmental impact will be huge for the economic activities taking place in Murang’a county. However, the government disregarded the research and went ahead to build the Northern Corridor tunnel. The claim is that the tunnel will collect excess water from the rivers especially during the flooding season. Murang’a is a demi-arid region that relies on both rivers for her agricultural activities. Just like Bukelenge, we may see Murang’a dry up.

Apart from Murang’a, there was opposition to the building of the Standard Gauge Railway across the Nairobi National park. The park boasts of being the only National park near a major city. Similarly, research showed that the railway passing through the park would affect the local flora and fauna. The government went ahead and built an overhead railway line. In her defense, the government said the overhead railway would have little impact on the migratory routes of wild animals. Besides the railway, the Southern bypass also cuts through the national park. There are already fears that the park has now been reduced to a vast empty land.

Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime has also led to massive land grabbing and forced evictions. From grabbing playground belonging to a public primary school to the fears that the Nairobi National park is fully gone, the land situation is dire just like in Kutula. Just a couple of months ago, families were evicted from areas around Gikomba and Kariobangi. As can be seen in Inheritance, Lacuna is planning for forced eviction from Bukelenge valley to pave way for foreign investment.

Lacuna and his team of councilors is a pack of wolves. According to Robert both Lacuna and his henchmen have massively stolen from the country’s coffers and stashed the loot in foreign accounts (pg110.) The money heavily stolen was the money donated to Kutula for the earmarked development projects. According to Robert, the company gave Lacuna one and twenty billion shillings. None of the money had been paid and the interest was building up by the hour. Similarly, Kenya has borrowed billions of shillings for development and of late to fight the COVID19 pandemic. However, going by the stories in the media, the money has been used to create what is now called the COVID19 millionaires.

The resemblance of Inheritance to present-day Kenya is uncanny. Unless those in authority change their greedy ways, the situation may skyrocket to what happened in Kutula. It is no wonder that civil rights activists like Miguna Miguna is not allowed into Kenya. Just like Romanus Bengo, Miguna Miguna may lead to a quiet movement against the greedy leaders in power today.

CHARACTERS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE

2020-06-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

A PLAY BY DAVID MULWA

Introduction

Characters are the voice of the author in any works of art. In plays, they come alive and may take different forms depending on the director of the play. In the play Inheritance, David Mulwa creates vivid characters some of whom we may have encountered in real life. For instance, Lacuna Kasoo is a clear mirror of our current Kenyan politicians. He is as greedy as he is detached from the problems facing his people. As we explore characters we need to look at them as people who may have or do exist in real life. A character like Judah Zen Meloh represents a confusion of sorts. The Judah we know in the Bible betrayed Jesus while our Judah in the play does not want to betray his blood brother. Although, we need to tell the difference between Judah and Judas. Talking about Judah, he was the son of Jacob in the Old Testament of the Bible. He is the man who came up with the brilliant idea of selling Joseph Ishmaelites.

Our Judah, on the other hand is neither Judas nor Judah the brother of Joseph. He is the brother of Romanus Bengo and the man who tries in vein to redeem his name after he refused Lacuna Kasoo’s directive of eliminating the stubborn Romanus Bengo.

Other characters like Tamina, Malipoa and Chipande play mute to all the atrocities being committed in Kutula as long as they get by.

In plays, characters play different roles so as to bring out the playwright’s message. In the play Inheritance, David Mulwa creates colonial and post-colonial characters who shape the direction of the play and the ripples of their decisions are felt in the present day Kutula.

Bishop Menninger sets in motion neocolonialism by his plans to assassinate the arrogant King Kutula XV. On the other hand, King Kutula plants a seed of hope in princess Sangoi which manifests itself when princess Sangoi now reverend leads a bloodless revolution that ousts Lacuna Kasoo from power effectively ending the colonial grasp over Kutula.

CHARACTER AND CHARACTERIZATION

LULU ZEN MELO
She is the daughter of Tamina and Judah Zen Melo. Romanus Bengo, the activist is her uncle. Lulu has two brothers both of whom are mentioned but do not play an active role in the play. However, they are pivotal in bringing down Lacuna Kasoo’s leadership.

Lulu is an outstanding student at a local government institution. She has dreams of studying up to university level and becoming a doctor. However, with recession in Kutula, her mother has no money for her university entrance exam.

Lulu gets upset with the complacency of her mother especially when her future is in jeopardy. Her mother’s piety disgusts her. She wants her mother to stop her religious myopism and protest against the dictatorial leadership of Lacuna Kasoo. Nevertheless, it is not just religion that has created fear among the people, Lulu’s mother included, but the fear for the repercussions like those meted on Lulu’s father.

Lulu displays a rather peculiar personality. On the one hand, she is a naive, innocent and easily trusting girl. That is one of the reason she plays a pivotal role in the commemoration of King Kutula’s death. On the other hand, she is a defiant follower of Romanus Bengo and a fearless critic of the gospel of mindless obedience and fear. Her outspokenness and outgoing nature makes her mingle with Robert Rollerston- a key investor in Kutula. Out of politeness, Lacuna does not get to spend the night with Lulu as had been planned. Lacuna is incensed by Lulu’s behaviour but according to Malipoa, the ritual can be performed at a later date.

She, however, stands for the voice of the oppressed young women who are put down by oppressive leadership and backward traditional practices meant to prey on the weak and the vulnerable. Her triumph after Lacuna’s fall is the win for women who have forever been yoked by a retogressive society.

LACUNA KASOO
He is the son of the former King Kutula XV. He becomes the first leader of the independent Kutula state. As the head of state, Lacuna Kasoo uses his powers to intimidate the people and gain personal wealth as he runs the economy of Kutula down.

Despite the skyrocketing inflation and donors withholding funding, Lacuna is oblivious of the suffering of the masses. He continues to impose stricter rules on the people demanding more concessions on the citizenry. In the silver mines, despite the rickety machines, he demands for more output. This leads to the death of Judah Zen Melo. Around the state, there is massive land grabbing by state to satisfy multinational conglomerate while displacing the poor commofolk.

As can be seen in the play, Lacuna leads his tribesmen and those loyal to him in grabbing state resources. For instance, Lacuna controls the silver mines while Councillor Chipande has large tracts of land in the village from which Lulu resides. Moreover, he rewards those loyal to him with lucrative jobs. He also tortures and fires those who cannot do what has been asked of them.

However, towards the middle of the play, he changes tact. Firstly, he releasedpolitical prisoners including Romanus Bengo. Secondly, he appoints Rev. Sangoi into senior position. Lastly, he reaches out to elders from Bukelenge Basin in order to discuss evacuation plans. Nevertheless, Lacuna’s olive branch was just a veil to get his way. But he was wrong this time. The elders were tired of being manipulated and refused to convince the people to evacuate.
Lacuna represents the voice and puppet of the former colonial masters. Instead of serving his people, he is much more interested in serving two industrialists who control his pocket money. When he fails to pay the industrialists their loans, he realises how vulnerable his position is. Although, he tries to exercise his sovereign power, it is too late because on both sides he has been rejected.

He also represents a class of political elites who believe in the inferiority of their own people. In this regard , they outsource everything subjecting the masses to foreign exploitation. As can be seen in the play, the silver mines and cash crop farming are encouraged over other basic production. In fact, the evacuation from Bukelenge plains is meant for further foreign investment.

ROBERT ROLLERSTONE
He is a young energetic foreign investor in Kutula. He plays the role of the bad cop, a business face that has no time for petty conversations like his counterpart Daniel Goldstein.

Robert dislikes Lacuna because he believes that the old geezer has thrown Kutula into turmoil. In fact he fearlessly blames Lacuna for the deplorable condition of the country. However, this should not be construed as a sympathetic foreigner. He is just angry because Lacuna has severally failed to to service the loans extended to the country of Kutula.

Meanwhile, the same Robert who could be construed as a sympathetic foreigner, has compelled Lacuna government to allocate prime plots for foreign investment according to his terms. In this regard, he is contributing to more suffering to those who will be evicted in Bukelenge for the said project.

Therefore, his interests in Kutula are purely business and has no interest with the ‘stupid’ locals who do not know how to utilize the numerous local resource for development.

Nevertheless, Robert saves Lulu from imminent sacrificial ritual organized by Malipoa in the palace. Lulu was supposed to spend the night with Lacuna according to ‘traditions’ after the celebrations to celebrate the death of King Kutula XV. However, that night the oblivious Lulu spent the night entertaining Robert.

ROMANUS BENGO
Romanus Bengo is the brother to Judah Zen Melo and uncle to Lulu and her two brothers.

He is the leading civil rights activist in Kutula having escaped death when his brother Judah refused to finish him as had been ordered by Lacuna Kasoo.

According to Tamina, Judah had cursed Judah since it is Judah’s activism that had made them lose their jobs, cars and lands and were now living in abject poverty. Tamina does seem to blame Romanus for the situation in her household.

However, Romanus is adamant. He believes that the only way out of Kutula’s situation is to speak against Lacuna’s excesses despite the apparent challenges. Lulu shares her uncle’ssentiments and so does her brother’s who join him in the revolution that ousts Lacuna Kasoo from power.

TAMINA ZEN MELO
Tamina is the wide of Judah Zen Melo. She has three children with him among them Lulu. Currently, Tamina lives in poverty. She is pained by the fact that she has been compelled to live a miserable life because of her stubborn brother-in-law.

Instead of Tamina blaming her situation on Lacuna’s situation, she blames it on her brother-in-law. She is among the majority who believe in doing nothing even when the leadership is blatantly corrupt and unreasonable. She believes that Lacuna was annointed by God and only God shall remove him from office. She is patient as she is prayerful.

Nevertheless, towards the end, she joined the protesting bandwagon that yanks Lacuna from office. This happens late for she had previously lost her husband.

DANIEL GOLDSTEIN
Daniel Goldstein is a company man. Together with Robert Rollerstone, they represent neo-colonial interests in Kutula. Goldstein is a wide old man who knows how to manipulate Lacuna Kasoo. He is the man looks towards as a friend and a confidant.

He builds such trust in Lacuna which makes Lacuna feel comfortable to work with him. However, once he has put Lacuna into his grasp, he brings in Robert to finish what Goldstein had started.

The withdrawal of Goldstein is very tactical since he shows that there is nothing he can do to help. Goldstein claims that business has no human face.

Goldstein’s mannerisms and conduct are the very core of how the situation is in Kutula. He is unlike his counterpart Robert. He is ruthless and cunning. He uses polite talk and praise to uplift Lacuna then once he has gotten an opportunity, he takes a business tone tearing down Lacuna. He knows very well that Lacuna leads a bunch of greedy uneducated loyalists who do not understand investments, but he keeps on extending loans which are grabbed and carted to foreign accounts.

Hiding on the principle of sovereignty, he choses not to pursue the matter of rampant corruption in Kutula. However, when his business is threatened by the huge loans taken by Lacuna, he is ready to take what readily belongs to him including emptying Lacuna’s foreign accounts.

COUNCILLOR CHIPANDE
Chipande is Lacuna’s trusted hand in running Kutula. He is a people pleaser and astute follower of Lacuna. Together with Malipoa, they form a ring of trusted allies of Lacuna.

Using their positions and power, they enrich themselves by grabbing up lands and embezzling government resources. Chipande is Lacuna Kasoo’s strongest ally. He is there to advice Lacuna Kasooto tread lightly infront of the two white people. As can be seen, he employs a modest and humble tone with the westerners but is bossy around his countrymen. He believes in the colonial mindset of being ruthless to keep the natives in tow.

As a land owner, Chipande pays his employees peanuts so as to keep them coming. He does not extend credit facilities and that is why Tamina has no savings or nowhere to turn when Lulu asks for school fees money.

COUNCILLOR MALIPOA
Together with Chipande, they are the closest and most trusted leaders who surround Lacuna Kasoo. Malipoa plays as the traditional and religious advisor to Lacuna Kasoo just like Menninger was the advisor to the colonial Governor Thorne Macay.

As a religious advisor, Malipoa ensures that he continues to incalculate religious rituals that raise Lacuna to Devine status. In this regard, people of Kutula believe that the Lacuna was chosen by God and no one can supplant him from the office. It is Malipoa traditional rituals that keep Lacuna in office for long.

Malipoa also demands certain privileges to be extended to the leader. An example is that the people should offer a pure girl teenager to Lacuna as a piece of sacrifice to appease the ancestors and bless Kutula. It is for this reason that Lulu had been chosen to entertain Lacuna Kasoo.

PRINCESS/ REVEREND SANGOI
She is Lacuna Kasoo’s half-sister. She has been adopted by the late King Kutula the XV because of her intelligence and wit. Although she had come from poor background, the little girl was infatuated by the white man’s religion and education.

King Kutula seeing this, he requested that Bishop Menninger should ensure that the girl obtained the best of the white man’s education. However, Menninger had other plans for the girl-he wanted to make her a good for nothing religious and philosophical fanatic who would have nothing to do with the suffering of her people but fervently in search of the white man’s philosophies burried in books.

Menninger was wrong. It seems the King had seen something human in the little girl. For although the girl grew to become a Reverend, she never forgot her people. In fact she used the bible to elevate the suffering of her people and fight for the muffled freedoms.

This made her at loggerheads with her half-brother Lacuna Kasoo. Kasoo tries to buy her by appointing her into office as councillor and representative of the people but she refuses to silence the voice of the people. Instead she leads the opposition against Lacuna Kasoo and his foreign saboteurs.

JUDAH ZEN MELO
Judah is the father to three children, Lulu and her two brothers. He is the husband to Tamina. He is also the brother to Romanus Bengo.

Judah is an obedient folower to Lacuna Kasoo. He rises above the ranks and becomes one of the most powerful people in Kutula. However, Judah’s brother Romanus Bengo, refuses to tow the line. He becomes a leading activist in Kutula. When Lacuna Kasoo asks Judah to deal with his brother Bengo. Judah declines because he cannot shed the blood of his own brother.

Thereafter, Judah is attacked by a mysterious gang that leaves him for dead. When he recovers, thanks to Reverend Sangoi’s husband. He finds out that he has lost favour with Lacuna Kasoo. For the rest of his life he would work hard to please Lacuna to no avail until when he is killed at the mines.

KING KUTULA XV
King Kutula XV was the last post colonial leader in Kutula. He was the father to Lacuna Kasoo, who succeeded him and Reverend Sangoi- an adopted child.

King Kutula appears in the prologue. He is one of the driving force behind the activism manifested in Romanus and Sangoi.

Kutula’s wisdom and defiance drives the colonial authorities to device a means of eliminating him. Kutula favours complete emancipation as opposed to political freedom when the economy of his people is still in the tentacles of the super powers. His sentiments are shared by Sangoi, who when she released the two foreign friends declared that Kutula was ready to do business with them at her own discretion.

GOVERNOR THORNE MACAY
He is the last colonial Governor of Kutula. He hopes to continue the exploitation of Kutula by foreign force. However, he meets a defiant King Kutula.

According to conversation between Kutula and Macay, the Governor turns out to be illiterate to Kutula customs and manner of speaking. He is also oblivious to the suffering of the people as he leads a lavish lifestyle while the majority are languishing in abject poverty.

His inhumanity blinds him to the fact that the colonial authority is in fact milking the people dry instead of creating an environment of development and prosperity. He is more interested in Kutula’s mineral and natural resources as opposed to humanitarian interests.

BISHOP MENNINGER
He is a representative of colonialist religion. As it were, this religion was tailored to raise submissive initiates who have little opposition to their own humiliation.

Seeing that King Kutula would jeopardize his plans, he hatches a plan to eliminate the king. He also plans to also induct Sangoi into the field of academia such that she has no mind of her own or plans to liberate her people from implanted ignorance.

His plans for King Kutula succeeds in driving the king to death and raising Lacuna into power. However, instead of Sangoi being brainwashed, she comes out well educated in matter political freedom and economic emancipation which she plans to use to bring an about turn in Kutula’s deplorable poverty.

THE PLAY INHERITANCE AS AN ALLEGORY OF THE CURRENT REGIME IN KENYA

2020-04-08T02:07:00.000-07:00

Inheritance is a play by Kenyan playwright David Mulwa. Set in the former kingdom of Kutula-now a republic, the play looks at post-independence trials wrought by greedy leaders and cunning foreign investors.

This play, derides countries like Kenya which are besieged by greedy leaders and unwitting citizens.

Since independence, Kenya and many African countries found themselves beleaguered by a lot of demands. As Kenyan first president said, Kenya was facing three major setbacks: ignorance, poverty and disease.

Being a pioneer leader in Kenya, Kenyatta was tasked to fight the three forces. In order to do this, he needed help. Help came easily in the form of foreign aid and expat community to train the young turks in the country on how to make the country socio-economically progressive.

Instead of the promised nirvana, African development turned into economic exploitation by the west and foreign aid was milked into foreign banks as corruption became the system of governance.

Even though the world monetary authorities observed the worsening conditions in Kenya, their interests were elsewhere. With threats like economic sanctions and tough talks about austerity measures, they continued supporting the leadership's ravenous lifestyles to the disadvantage of the poor.

Currently, by standards of development, Kenya can be considered as a developed country with paved roads and vibrant city life. However, hidden within this development, is a country tied to cinder blocks of foreign debt. As a matter of fact, the debt continues piling on because allegedly, a country with massive lush lands cannot produce enough food for its citizens!

Therefore, what little the government gets goes into servicing foreign debt and importing food. This has led to massive job losses in the country, reduced earnings by families and disinterest in agriculture because it's cheaper to import than to produce products locally.

One of the reasons why the cost of production is skyrocketing in Kenya is, the country having borrowed heavily, is hugely indebted to foreign lenders. Therefore, there is no way the country can impose huge import tarriffs to those it owes. Tarrifs are determined by the debtors. Secondly, due to massive corruption, local importers would rather bribe customs officers than pay import taxes. Finally, since the country needs to pay foreign loans, it needs to over tax local businesses to get revenue.

The above coupled by poor governance ergo economic policies have put a burden in resolving the independence problems mentioned by founding fathers.

Therefore, the citizenry are still ignorant especially in leadership education. That is why every election year they choose incompetent leaders because they vote along tribal lines or dish out sympathy votes. When there is a malpractice in the voting process, the masses are voiceless and the media a tool to rewrite history to fit the perfect narrative of god-chosen leaders.

Therefore, David Mulwa's Inheritance play comes off as an allegory of the current regime. Coincidentally, the play is being examined in Kenya at a time when the current president is the son of the first president. In the play, Lacuna Kasoo is the son of the last King Kutula XV. Besides, the government of Kenya is reeling under a financial crisis as does the republic of Kutula and Lacuna Kasoo. There is also rampant corruption in the current and an increase in police brutality.

Currently, it is hard to stage peaceful demonstrations against the government. It is either that the demonstration will turn chaotic or few people will turn out due to fears brought about by threats from the government forces. In Kutula, there are fears as well. Activists like Romanus Bengo are detained and there families threatened. The government issues executive orders to be followed without opposition e.g. evacuation of people to create space for foreign investment. In Kenya, activist are also intimidated it is one of the reasons as to why Miguna Miguna is in exile. Apart from threats, there are unexplained mysterious disappearance of people and accidents. Furthermore, government's directives like presidential appointments, which are supposed to be vetted by parliament pass without opposition. Moreover, constructions like the Standard Gauge railway and by-passes disregard the existing land and environmental policies without any opposition.

On matters foreign debt, although the country insists that Kenya still has a breathing space, fears are that the loans may overwhelm the economy as they did in Kutula. Currently, foreign debt is heading to 4 trillion kenya shillings from a low of 855 billion shillings in 2013. Kutula's figures as read by Robert Rollerstone are dizzying as well.

Finally, going by the trends on social media and the hushed opinion of Kenyan citizenry, one can see that people are tired of the current leadeship. In Twitter, the hashtag calling for resignation of those in power and the harsh criticism against the presidency made the State House pull down the president's Twitter account. Just like in Kutula the people are tired and can't wait to rid the country of such obstinate and incompetent leadership. Hope if it gets to that, it will be as bloodless as was with the end of the reign of Lacuna Kasoo and his powerful men ie councillors Chipande and Malipoa.

RELIGION IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE: A play by DAVID MULWA

2020-04-04T05:25:00.001-07:00

Many times when we talk about religion, we look at Christianity and other major religion in the world. Although this religions play major roles in literature, there are still many other religions that writers and playwrights also discuss in their works.

In this play, Christianity and Kutula traditional religion play a significant role. However, the role played by these two religions is negative.

The play clearly brings out how religion can be applied subjectively to the people. During the colonial era, Bishop Menninger made sure to preach about obedience and humility in order to make the people of Kutula submissive. Besides, he used the sermons to get to know the people especially the young generation. It is within his teachings that he came to learn that Lacuna Kasoo would make a fine leader for Kutula(pg15).

Menninger also observes that Princess Sangoi would be no bother since she was enamoured by the foreign religion. According to the Bishop, Sangoi would be lost in the corridors of academia to worry about leadership. He was wrong as can be seen in the play.

The teachings of humility and obedience seem to have stuck in Kutula even after independence. Coupled with traditional teachings, they have reduced the people of Kutula into fearful sufferers including the leaders. Although some like Romanus Bengo and Lulu are waking up to reality and condemning this act of cowardice, the rest are still in the murk (pg30-47.) Lulu has woken up to realisation that being godly does not mean being stupid and afraid and points it out to her mother. Her mother Tamina, is afraid of those in power that the only person she can raise her voice to is her daughter. She represents the voiceless who suffer under the laws meant to benefit those in power.

Traditional religion is propagated by Councillor Malipoa. Using his understanding of his traditional religion, Malipoa propagates male chauvinistic ideologies which are meant to satisfy Lacuna Kasoo’s insatiable lust for innocent girls. Malipoa postulates that in order for Lacuna to keep his position, he needs to appease the gods by sacrificing a pure untainted girl in the former king’s chambers. This tradition was meant to prey on unwitting parents and thus let the leader defile young women in the name of tradition.

HOW DAVID MULWA EXPLORES NEOCOLONIALISM

2020-04-02T05:59:00.002-07:00

After independence, many countries that were granted independence found themselves drawn towards their former colonial masters. Such countries were drawn by incentives such as the Commonwealth, foreign aid and the promise of assistance in economic development.

Those countries or leaders who refused such arrangements were either assassinated or removed from power. In this respect, the colonialists found themselves coming back as expatriates and financiers for development.

In Kutula, the king who had vision for his people is assassinated. In his place, the colonial players put his greedy son as the new leader democratically elected. In this way, the former powers made leadership decisions for the people of Kutula even though the people's favourite was princess Sangoi. Although the power arrangement has changed from kingdom to a democracy. Lacuna Kasoo seem to retain the pre-colonial title of king. Lacuna Kasoo is controlled by two international financiers: Robert Rollerstone and Daniel Goldstein. Goldstein is as old as Lacuna but Robert is way younger.

On his part, Daniel plays the good cop. He appeases Lacuna while defiantly asking for more concessions from the country. On his part, Lacuna needs more money to run the country. The colonialists knew how greedy Lacuna was, and they planned to use Lacuna's greed to profit from Kutula's Silver mines and rich agriculture lands.

Although the country has rich mineral resources and people are working tirelessly in the mines, the country can't sustainably pay for the loans. Goldstein still demands for more. Indeed, Lacuna's greed may have sent the mines to bankruptcy. However, if that was the case, then Goldstein would have frozen aid long ago before things got out of hand. They continued supporting Lacuna because they benefited from the mines and also from the loans they extended to the state.

Robert, on the other hand, is the bad cop. Using business voice, he threatens Lacuna to pay up the building loan instalments as had been agreed upon. He goes even further to claim that he could access Lacuna's Foreign accounts and use the money to repay for the loans.

The foreigners show Lacuna that he could be running a sovereign nation but without money, he was just useless and dependent on their mercy.

POVERTY IN INHERITANCE A PLAY BY DAVID MULWA

2020-03-31T08:17:00.001-07:00

Inheritance refers to what is left by the deceased to the family in material wealth or sometimes power. However, the word could have diverse meanings when applied to works of literature. In this respect, David Mulwa looks at inheritance in various ways.

The play revolves around a three decades old Kutula under its new leadership. Having achieved independence from colonial masters, Kutula is now governed by Lacuna Kasoo-the son of pre-independence King Kutula XV. Lacuna ascended to power after the death of his father. Although the King has adopted Princess Sangoi as his successor, he dies mysteriously thus handing the power to the greedy, self-centred Lacuna. As it were, Lacuna conspired with the colonial masters to assassinate his father King Kutula XV.

Having assumed power with the help of colonial masters, Lacuna runs the government under the influence of Kutula's former imperialists. He receives hefty loans aimed at 'developing' the country. However, the loans are meant to make Kutula a slave of foreign saboteurs led by Old Daniel Goldstein and young Robert Rollestone. Even though Kutula boasts of being an independent state, there is a lot that suggests that the country inherited the former colonial legacies. For instance, the Daniel Goldstein's company bankrolls Kutula. Without their loans and donations, Kutula's economy is bound to collapse. (Pg72) Secondly, when Goldstein points out how blatant misappropriations of funds were in Kutula, he assumes power and even sits on Lacuna Kasoo's throne just to show who exactly was in power in Kutula. (Pg79) Therefore, Kutula was a sovereign nation under imperial powers.

One of the reasons King Kutula was assassinated was because he was tired of being treated as a slave by colonial authorities. He wanted liberation on Kutula terms not the terms set by the imperialists. He had demanded for total independence- a privilege the super powers were unwilling to extend. In order to control Kutula and perhaps harvest humongous profits from her mineral wealth, the colonial Bishop Menninger suggested the appointment of the greedy yet brainless Lacuna Kasoo. (Pg15) With Lacuna in office the colonialists continued to enjoy the same privileges they had enjoyed during the colonial period. On the other hand, the people of Kutula would suffer in poverty and bad governance as they had during the reign of Thorne Macay- the colonial governor. However, the people believe that the conditions were better of during the colonial period.

The play explores inheritance and its pains to the society. As it were, the people believed in the their leaders, especially King Kutula. On the one hand, locals believed that King Kutula had blessed Princess Sangoi- later Reverend Sangoi as the rightful heir to the throne. While on the other hand, the colonialist hatched a plan to swear in the legitimate child- Lacuna Kasoo as the new leader. Therefore, the struggle was between the rightful heir and the chosen one. In this case the rightful heir won but is thrown out of office in a bloodless coup led by Romanus Bengo.

As can be seen, inheritance maintains the status quo but a fresh breathe of new leadership brings to the table new ideas which can be optimistic for the people. In the play, Reverend Sangoi represents a fresh new leadership that would agree to negotiations with foreign investors as opposed to dictation as seen in Lacuna Kasoo's regime where foreigners enjoyed while locals suffered in slavery and poor pay. The new Kutula is open to quid pro quo kind of agreement as stated by Reverend Sangoi. (Pg35)

THE THEME OF INHERITANCE IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE BY DAVID MULWA

2020-03-26T02:22:00.001-07:00

Having assumed power with the help of colonial masters, Lacuna runs the government under the influence of Kutula’s former imperialists. He receives hefty loans aimed at ‘developing’ the country. However, the loans are meant to make Kutula a slave of foreign saboteurs led by Old Daniel Goldstein and young Robert Rollestone. Even though Kutula boasts of being an independent state, there is a lot that suggests that the country inherited the former colonial legacies. For instance, the Daniel Goldstein’s company bankrolls Kutula. Without their loans and donations, Kutula’s economy is bound to collapse. (Pg72) Secondly, when Goldstein points out how blatant misappropriations of funds were in Kutula, he assumes power and even sits on Lacuna Kasoo’s throne just to show who exactly was in power in Kutula. (Pg79) Therefore, Kutula was a sovereign nation under imperial powers.

As can be seen, inheritance maintains the status quo but a fresh breathe of new leadership brings to the table new ideas which can be optimistic for the people. In the play, Reverend Sangoi represents a fresh new leadership that would agree to negotiations with foreign investors as opposed to dictation as seen in Lacuna Kasoo’s regime where foreigners enjoyed while locals suffered in slavery and poor pay. The new Kutula is open to quid pro quo kind of agreement as stated by Reverend Sangoi. (Pg35)

HELMER FAILS AT MAINTAINING A GOOD IMAGE TO THE SOCIETY

2020-03-24T07:30:00.001-07:00

Many strive to keep up with what is perceived to be outstanding image of the society. Most often, we are rewarded for this. However, sometimes we try to hard to the detriment of our family and friends as can be seen in the play A Doll's House.

Helmer is one of the key characters in the play being the husband to our protagonist Norah. In order to keep up with society, Helmer steers clear from whatever can destroy his reputation.

Norah knows well Helmer's stand on how one is to conduct themselves in the society. However, she goes ahead and borrows a hefty sum of money from Krogstad. To add insult to injury, she forged her late father's signature to the bond she used to secure the loan.

Krogstad would never have revealed Norah's oversight but things within the play thickens when Helmer is promoted to a bank manager position. Having gained superior status, Helmer seeks to rid the bank of workers with bad reputation.

As it were, Krogstad is the most vile person in the society having committed forgery many years ago. Threatened by the loss of his livelihood, Krogstad decides not to go down alone. This comes after Norah failed to dissuade her husband not to sack Krogstad.

Norah understands very well what Krogstad could do to her self-righteous husband. Although she plans to discreetly solve the matter, Mrs Linde-her friend believes it's best if Helmer learns the whole truth. All this while, Helmer has never known that his naive wife was capable of taking such huge risks.

When Helmer learns of Norah's misdeeds and Krogstad's demands-fearing the public humiliation- he prepares to bow before Krogstads. However, little did he know that, Krogstad after meeting the love of his life-Mrs Linde- had decided to drop the matter.

On learning about Krogstad's change of heart, Helmer is jubilant. But Norah is not. She has learned that her husband was more interested in protecting his own public image other than protecting her from the manipulative Krogstad. She had thought that her husband would challenge Krogstad for her sake but he had chosen to bend to the whims of Krogstad just to keep the secret of the bond from being revealed to the public. Therefore, she divorces Helmer. This is a much bigger humiliation given that the Helmer's were an enviable family in the society.

INHERITANCE IN A DOLL'S HOUSE

2019-08-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

A Doll’s House looks at various aspects of inheritance. Most often, inheritance is looked under the concept of coming into material wealth left behind by a dead relative. Banking on material inheritance, Nora lies to Torvald that the money she had used for their trip down south was part of her inheritance from her dead father.

By the end of the 19^th century, there was a growing interest in genetic science. However, society’s understanding of this science was not as conclusive as it is today. Therefore, there were a lot of misconceptions on what could be passed on from one generation to another.

Among the misconceived notions was that moral decadence could be inherited. Dr Rank suffers from a strange illness which he believes he inherited from his father who led a promiscuous life. When Nora learns about her own immoral conduct, she begins to distance herself from her children. She believes that she will poison her children with whatever disease she currently has. To reinforce her predicament, Torvald sets the terms of their new arrangements and forbids Nora (pg105) from bringing up the children. In fact, Torvald believes that Krogstad will poison his own children with his own moral crimes.

MORALITY IN A DOLL'S HOUSE

2019-08-27T11:53:00.001-07:00

Morality can be many things. However, it basically guides what is regarded as right or wrong. Right or wrong is subjective to the individual, community or societal beliefs at a particular time, within particular constructs. For instance, gayism /homosexuality was considered a moral wrong within so many societies and nowadays, it is slowly becoming a recognized social norm. Similarly, some communities in Africa and Asia practised and some still practise Female Genital Mutilation. Girls who did not undergo such rites were chastised and to some extent could not get a husband. However, such considerations are slowly losing ground as new philosophies around morality are formulated.

The community within A Doll’s House has its own moral rules which are to be followed by every individual. It is within this moral confine that Nora is caught. The society is such rigid that it considers Nora’s sole act of heroism as untoward. Nora’s act of forgery was mainly because she had nowhere to turn at the time her husband needed her. Her father having passed on, she had no male relative to sign an affidavit that will help her secure a loan.

Nora wonders why society would judge and ostracize someone for taking a desperate measure on behalf of their loved ones. As part of her self-discovery, Nora hopes to prove whether she or it is the society was wrong. She is embittered by the way the society treats those who do not follow rules. The truth about the matter dawns on her when Torvald, the representative of ‘the moral code’ states clearly the facts of the matter and how Nora is to conduct herself henceforth.

Another victim of morality is Krogstad. Although he was a fine lawyer and exceptional employee, his misdeeds make him a social pariah. Moral disciples like Torvald cut links with him. In fact, on being promoted Torvald dismisses Krogstad hence stirring the events that compel Nora to leave her husband. Krogstad opens Nora’s eyes to exactly what should happen to her and family if in case whatever she had done is exposed to the limelight.

Other characters who come in the play at the same time are Mrs Linde and Dr Rank. Mrs Linde had broken her relationship with Krogstad so that she could marry for money and security. On the other hand, Dr Rank is hopelessly in love with Nora. As can be observed, Ibsen was satirizing the society within which the play is set. Despite the clear cut image of what is considered right, most of its followers were imperfect except for Helmer.

THEME OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN A DOLL'S HOUSE

2019-08-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

Women’s roles have always been in the shadows of men hence the saying, ‘behind every successful man, there is a woman.’ Going by this trend, women have always been overlooked in major decision making. To this day, America has had over 40 presidents but none is a woman.

Henrik Ibsen believed that women have the responsibility to develop their individuality; nevertheless, their role has always been self-sacrificial. In society, women have never been seen as equals in their contribution to family and society. This is the reason why Helmer finds it absurd that his wife can advise him not to fire Krogstad. He believes that it is embarrassing to kowtow before one’s wife. It will taint his image.

Women did not have the authority to conduct business or transact in their own money. When Helmer fall’s sick, Nora is devastated. On the one hand, her husband is afraid of debts and according to the doctor, really needs a holiday to get better. On the other hand, her father is very sick and on the verge of dying. Yet she needs to save her husband for the sake of her children. Having no other male relative, Nora forges her father’s signature and secures the loan necessary for her husband’s treatment.

Just like many other women, Nora had not had a decent education and did not really understand the implications of her forgery until when Krogstad pointed it to her. According to her, she thought she could get away with forgery. She was wrong.

Nora envies Mrs Linde’s freedom. Such women had the opportunity to get jobs and their money did not go to their husbands. Nonetheless, opportunities open for women had limited freedom and the pay was extremely low. Women were offered jobs like clerical work, a domestic worker and teaching. Such jobs did not offer intelligent women opportunities to exploit their potential fully.

Women characters in the play are sacrificial lambs for their families. Mrs Linde was in love with Krogstad, but she chose to marry a rich guy in order to provide for her mother and her two brothers. Nora’s forgery was to protect her ailing father and at the same time secure her husband’s health. Nora’s Nurse has to leave her own children in order to look for a low-paying job for their own sake. Interestingly, the nurse considers herself lucky for getting a job yet she got her child out of wedlock. In this society, women were indicted for getting children out of wedlock as if they were Virgin Mary!

The play does not as much offer solutions to women’s trepidation; however, Nora’s realization that she is not part of her society is a glimmer of hope to women outside there. Nora realises that marriage is a trap and the only way she can regain her own identity is to let go of her children and begin the journey of self-realization. As an independent woman maybe she could equal and maybe rival men in their thinking and setting up standards that run the society.

THEME OF MARRIAGE IN A DOLL'S HOUSE

2019-08-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Henrik Ibsen explores marriage as a tool for women subjugation and at the same time as a weapon of financial emancipation. He also looks at marriage as a level-headed arrangement between two like-minded individuals.

Marriage is one of the most celebrated unions in the world. Similarly, it enjoys such high moral ground in religious and many cultural circles. In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen explores this vital part of the society in the life and times of Nora, her husband Torvald Helmer and other characters.

From the onset, marriage seems a happy association since Nora is jubilant and bubbly as a wife. Although money could be one of the factors that threaten this marriage, Nora is capable of handling it. Torvald is very particular about the family’s expenditure and warns Nora to be careful. Being naïve and playing innocence helps Norah to get away with her husband’s restraint.

In their association, Helmer holds the high moral ground, chief financier and key decision-maker. He feels it a weakness to take advice from a woman. This makes him stand ground on his decision to fire Krogstad.

Mrs Linde’s marriage, on the other hand, was a marriage of convenience. She was in love with Krogstad, but she decided to marry a man of means because she needed to help her mother and two brothers financially. According to her, the chances of Krogstad making it in life were hopeless at the time. Anyway, when the man she married dies, she is free to reunite with her former love.

Marriage is a union of two like-minded individuals. As seen in the play, Krogstad settles down when he meets Mrs Linde. In the beginning, Krogstad was a bitter vengeful person, but when he meets Mrs Linde, he is ready to forgive anything. In fact, he is ready to ask Helmer for his letter back but Mrs Linde dissuades him from doing so.

According to Mrs Linde, a good union should be built on mutual trust with no secrets. The fact that Nora has kept such a secret from her husband shows that their marriage is built on falsehood. If Nora’s marriage is to work, she should reveal her true self to her husband.

This does not actually work for Nora. Indeed, Nora’s union was a meeting of unlike-minded individuals. Whereas Nora was a free-spirited risk-taker, Helmer was rigid and callous with an outward look at the society. Although at the beginning their marriage worked, it was just a time bomb waiting to explode.

Henrik brings an interesting conversation around marriage in this play. Firstly, there is the question of why we get married as seen in Mrs Linde’s marriages. And then there is the question of compatibility; not only physical but mental and in a way spiritual. Matrimony is a meeting of like minds for it to work and that is why Helmer’s family breaks apart.

THEME OF RESPECT AND REPUTATION IN A DOLL'S HOUSE

2019-08-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

In Victorian society, a society within which the play is set, people believed in being respectable and honourable. Within this constructs, Torvald would do anything to safeguard his reputation including bending to the whims of Krogstad.

The biggest irony in A Doll’s House is that the play takes place in the living room of Torvald Helmer but, the men in the play are constantly haunted by their public image. In A Doll's House, one's standing in the society transcends family.

Having been promoted to a bank manager, Helmer plans to fire Krogstad because of his tainted reputation. Helmer is afraid that associating with such characters would ruin his reputation.

Krogstad, on the other hand, plans to redeem himself through the Helmers. On learning that he is to be dismissed, he digs up old dirt on Nora and plans to use it to his advantage. At first, he had planned just to extort from Nora using her forgery as a yardstick. Realising that extortion won’t work, he pulls out the big gun. He plans to reveal Nora’s forgery to her husband and threaten to release it to the public unless the Helmer’s agree to his demands. This scares Nora. As things stand, Nora is more afraid of ruining her husband’s reputation than death. Like cancer, she is ready to cut ties with her husband for the sake of his reputation. On the other hand, when Helmer learns of Nora's forgery, he is horrified and quickly switches to survival mode. He is ready to do anything to appease Krogstad than have his name disgraced.

As can be seen in the play, the members of A Doll’s house are keen on individual reputation and respect. Lack of these two virtues is considered as a contagious disease. Helmer believes that Krogstad’s children will be poisoned by their father’s crimes. In this respect, Helmer forbids Nora from raising their children after he learns about Nora's transgressions in the letter.

Helmer also faces another agonising situation. He knows his wife committed a crime. Given his good reputation and moral standing in society, he cannot live with such a disgraceful person in the house. But he cannot also separate with his wife since that would be more humiliating than the forgery. Therefore, the only way is to let Nora act as his official wife for the sake of their public image.

THE THEME OF APPEARANCE VERSES REALITY IN A DOLL'S HOUSE

2019-08-21T09:10:00.001-07:00

A Doll's House is a play by a Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. In this play, Henrik explores the two aspects of humanity: appearance and reality. We live at a time of social media lies and this theme speaks about many in modern-day society.

Henrik Ibsen cleverly plays out contrasts in this play. What we see from the outset, is not exactly as it seems. From the beginning, the house of the Helmer’s seems progressive, happy and respectable. However, beneath the veneer of all the happiness, there are hidden secrets and sacrifices.

Nora can be seen as a naïve, playful woman with little care in the world. Her role throughout the play is that of a mother and chief decision-maker in the affairs of the house. Nevertheless, we come to see a mature Nora who sacrifices for her family and love. She confesses to Mrs Linde that she took a loan for the in order to save her husband who had been diagnosed by a fatal disease. It is a well-kept secret that even her husband does not know. In order to pay up the loan, Nora has to plays spendthrift yet spends nothing on herself.

Besides the sacrifice, Nora grows into an independent woman. She realizes that her spineless husband is not worth her salt and walks away. Helmer is shocked at the turn of events. Nora, as a girl living under the shadow of her father and later as a woman under the shadow of her husband. However, towards the end of the play, she is ready and willing to ditch all this security and take on the vicissitudes of the world. She is no longer naïve and weak as we saw her earlier in the play. She is a lioness.

Helmer, on the other hand, plays the role of a protective loving husband. However, when he reads Krogstad's letter; he folds like a deflated ball and cringes at the fear of being shamed. Helmer’s turn-about shocks Nora. She had hoped that all she had sacrificed, Helmer would stand by her and protect her from Krogstad’s intimidation. Despite playing a loving, devoted and generous husband, Helmer was indeed a shallow empty man only concerned with his public reputation.

Another character, Krogstad comes of bitter, vengeful extortionist whose only interest is fighting for individual gain. However, when he is reunited with his love- Mrs Linde, he becomes a forgiving and generous man. He even forgives Nora’s transgressions to the relief of Helmer.

Finally, Mrs Linde we are introduced to is independent and self-sufficient until we learn of her misfortunes. In fact, she had come back to town solely with the purpose of looking for a job.

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF NASILIAN CULTURE IN BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH

2019-08-15T07:47:00.001-07:00

SOME ASPECTS OF CULTURE ARE BENEFICIAL AND OUGHT TO BE MAINTAINED. USING EXAMPLES FROM THE NOVEL, BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH, WRITE A COMPOSITION TO ILLUSTRATE THE TRUTH OF THE STATEMENT

Culture defines our identity and social relationships within a certain setup. Sometimes, some cultural aspects come off as bad while others can be looked at as good. However, culture only becomes bad when compared to another that seems superior. Many African communities found themselves at crossroads when the ‘superior’ European culture was thrown down their gullets. Nevertheless, many African cultures have grown into what they are today while some have retained what can be perceived as negative cultural practices. In the book Blossoms of the Savannah, H.R Kulet presents a boiling pot of cultural confusion within the Maa community specifically the people of Nasila. As we can see, some of the Nasilian cultural practices can be beneficial to the wellbeing of society and, therefore, should be maintained.

Among the many cultural practices that should be maintained is the one for respecting seniors. Ole Kaelo is Simiren’s older brother. Despite Simiren’s wealth and large family, he bestows deep respect for his elder brother who was the olmorijoi- a family’s representative to the council of elders. As it seems, Simiren knows well his brother’s weakness- choosing to remain monogamous with intoiye nemengalana. However, despite the weakness, Simiren boldly hopes that his brother will handle his duties well. Respect for the elders helped build stronger relationships within the family and also promote peace and harmonious living as can be seen in the book.

The people of Nasila come off as generous and readily open to welcome guests. Kaelo daughters, in the beginning, find this queer and untoward but in time come to appreciate the presence of uninvited guests in their house. Welcoming guests goes beyond the occasional visitor at the breakfast table. During the homecoming party, as a true Ilmolian Kaelo held nothing back. He slaughtered a fattened ox, six rams and four he-goats. The lavish party ushered Kaelo back to his clan and ensured that his family received blessings from the people of his clan. What was also more fascinating was how Kaelo’s kinsmen and women worked hand in hand to make the occasion a success. Kaelo did not have to hire outside catering services for food to be cooked neither did he hire children, men and women to come and entertain the guests. All these were done by the community thus building co-operation and unity.

Nasilian culture also promoted a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood through its clan system. Although clans can be looked at as inhibiting, like in the case of the blossoming love between Joseph Parmuat and Taiyo, it also made sure that clansmen and women looked after each other. When Kaelo’s daughters are almost raped, the men of Ilmolian gathered seeking retribution. Their approach was indeed harsh and warlike but their intention was pure; to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. Having people to help you in time of need and stand by you is one of the things that made this practice good. Furthermore, in the case of Taiyo and Parmuat pair bonding, it ensured that such incestuous behaviour was a thing of the past. In order to make the practice palatable, any offending party was forced to pay compensation in the form of cattle besides suffering public humiliation and undergoing demeaning cleansing ceremony.

Many of us live under the illusion that Maasai men marry underage girls terminating their efforts of achieving their dreams. However, according to the book, this was not the case. When Oloisudori comes to visit the Kaelo’s and proposes to marry Resian. The parents are troubled. Mama Milanoi wishes that the age-old tradition that forbade men from marrying daughters of men whom they share an age-set was still in practice. If a man was caught eyeing an underage girl, the girl’s mother would appeal to the women’s court. The vengeance that would be directed towards men would only be quelled by the fearsome Oloiboni. The offending man would already have been shamed and beaten to death. Such strict culture discouraged men like Oloisudori from preying on young girls. Nevertheless, such culture had died thus throwing young Maa women at the mercy of gluttonous men like Oloisudori and Ole Kaelo.

One final the cultural practice was the institution of Patureshi which was meant to check on the conduct and behaviour of young people and keep them disciplined. A patureishi was a platonic relationship between members of the opposite sex. Once a young man chose a girl as a patureishi, and the available rituals were performed. He promised to abide by the rules of patureishi until death. In case the man had been rumoured to have committed an act of shame or cowardice he would be disgraced by his patureishi and forced to run away. This institution helped to put men in check as well as forge a united and peaceful community that respected order and good conduct.

These traditions and various aspects of communal life work best at uniting a community and at the same time forging bonds that last. Furthermore, they help respect for humanity and forgiveness hence building a cohesive society that is united towards both individual and communal growth. However, the sad reality is that the best cultural practices are easily replaced by those rotten as culture evolves. It is such an evolution of culture that breeds individuals like Ole Kaelo and Oloisudori- men who use their might to bring suffering to the weak and vulnerable.

HOW MUCH LAND DOES A MAN NEED? LEO TOLSTOY

2019-07-02T07:18:00.001-07:00

Ambition and Greed are two antagonisms explored by Leo Tolstoy in this short story. In this review, we look at how the two play out in the main character Pahom

Regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time, Leo Tolstoy would be well known for his works War and Peace and Anna Karenina- books sought after by many literature lovers in the world. Born in 1828 in Tula Province, Russian empire, Tolstoy is regarded as a master of realistic fiction. Besides writing, Tolstoy would become a renowned world moral and spiritual leader whose teachings greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi. However, his teachings on religion significantly dwindled as people got to explore his life and literature.

Tolstoy’s writing reflects a lot about his beliefs and moral standing as regards society. In the story, How Much Land Does Need? Tolstoy explores greed and Ambition. In this iteration the author explores greed as the driving force for wanting more, but can there be the distinction between greed and ambition?

Cambridge Dictionary defines greed as “a very strong wish to continuously get more of something, especially food or money.” On the other hand, Sage Dictionary defines ambition as “a strong desire for success.”

In ‘How Much Land Does Man Need?’ Tolstoy toys around greed and ambition in such a way that there seems to be a thin line separating the two words. Whereas greed is negative; ambition breathes some optimism and it is viewed as a driving force for greatness.

In the story, narrated in a simple human folktale language, Tolstoy tells the story of a farmer who had 123 acres of land. Driven by ambition, the farmer, whose name was Pahom, grows his herd to a point he desires more land. As his wealth grows, Pahom keeps on wondering where he could get more lands.

As fate could have it, Pahom learns from a passing dealer that he had bought 13000 acres from the Bakshirs for only 1000 roubles. Drawn by the desire to own more land, Pahom jumps at this lucrative offer. He buys gifts for the Bakshirs and receives a warm welcome. Because of his generosity, the Bakshir chief tells Pahom to map out the piece of land he needs for only 1000 roubles. The condition is that Pahom has to return to the point where the mapping began before nightfall. Driven by greed, Pahom acquires the largest chunk of land he could in one day.

Nevertheless the tedious task of walking the entire day, mapping out the land and hurriedly returning to point zero saps all the energy in Pahom’s body. Bone tired, Pahom dies at the foot of the Bakshir chief’s feet. Pahom’s servant picks up the spade and digs a six feet grave in which the farmer was buried- the land he really needed.

Although Pahom was driven by the ambition to succeed, it is greed that ended his life. In as much as we are driven by ambition, we should always watch out for greed for it is what blinds us from our intended goals. Therefore greed and ambition are intertwined.

HOW WOMEN'S SUCCESS PROSPECTS HAVE BEEN MUFFLED BY MEN

2019-03-27T12:45:00.001-07:00

Women have over centuries struggled to free themselves against Male dominance. However, men have always stood in the way of their achievements. In his play, A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen looks at how women have always been downplayed by the male dominated society. Interestingly, women on the other hand have been the leading advocates on their men's success.

Nora is a vibrant bubbly woman with the heart of a child. She is the manager of the house and ensures that the children are kept busy so as not to disturb Helmer while he is working. Furthermore, she entertains Helmer's guests until when it is appropriate for them to get into Helmer's office. Although she does all this, she does not receive appreciation from Helmer or an adult talk that would open her vistas to new opportunities. instead, she is treated like a child. Helmer only finds time to pamper and toy with her like one would a child.

Furthermore, instead of being led into adult discussions, the adults around her apart from Dr Rank isolate her to play with the kids. Indeed she enjoys playing with the kids but she also needs time to share her intimate secrets. Although she has lived with her husband for eight years, he has never known about her secret loan and how frustrating it is for her to raise the funds to pay back. It is only when Mrs Linde visits that she finds someone in whom to confide. It is from here that we understand the superficial relationship between Nora and Helmer.

As we can infer, Helmer trusts Nora to be careful in her expenditure but does not engage with her on matters of financial management. Within this family set up, the man's responsibility is to bring money and the woman is to make sure that the money is well spent. Helmer does not understand how things run, but he understands the scarcity of money and therefore, expects Nora to live and shop within the budget.

Being a righteous man, Helmer does not believe in borrowing and expects that his wife should do the same. Nevertheless, Nora seems ti have a deeper understanding of how money works. She therefore knows that however long her husband works, he cannot meet the familial obligations entirely. In fact, eight years ago, he could not afford a medical holiday to save his life.

Knowing this fully well, Nora forged her father's signature on a document she used to secure a loan. Although her father was still alive, he was too ill for her to request such a huge favour. To save her father's agony and her husband's deteriorating health, she did what most people in desperate conditions did.

Being indebted to someone is a difficult choice. It requires guts. But this was not Nora's choice at the time. Her only desire was to save her husband no matter what. By taking the loan, and trying to reason with Krogstad, she showed a sense of maturity. She showed that creating legal loopholes like taking a very sick child to hospital and lying to the doctors was a necessary evil.

However, her husband had never given her the opportunity to exercise her free will. He had always muzzled her with legal technicalities she did not understand and moral gibberish that made sense only to a blind society. If only he had given her an opportunity to rise from her doll's house, she would have blossomed into a better woman who wouldn't have left her family.

Mrs. Linde is also tested by poverty until she relents and marries for money instead of the man he loved. In matrimony, she helps her family but when her husband dies, she is left with nothing but a poor woman she was.

Interesting Fact:
Henrik wrote an alternate play where Nora stays at the house but decided against it choosing a rather sad ending.
Part 2 of A Doll's House was written in 2017 by Patrick Hnath.

HOW MONEY DRIVES THE CONFLICT IN A DOLL'S HOUSE- A PLAY BY HENRIK IBSEN

2019-03-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Money can be many things. It is one of the reasons as to why this most loved commodity has become a human being's obsession. Henrik Ibsen, in A Doll's House, looks at how money has enslaved human being and in some occasions made them behave insane or docile depending on an individual's disposition.

In A Doll's House, Nora seems to be in need of an endless supply of money to make the cogs of her house go by. Being a Christmas season, Nora wants the festivities to be flawless and that is why she goes overboard with her shopping. Helmer asks her whether she has been overspending and her answer is, this was their first Christmas that they needed not to worry about money after Helmer's big promotion (pg2). In this respect, Helmer is sceptical about Nora's grasp on basic financing. According to Helmer, they should have waited until the new appointment had come into effect before overspending. However, Nora is of the opinion that it should be sooner rather than later.

When we observe Helmer's mannerisms and conduct, he is more conservative with the use of money. With him, one is supposed to live within one's means. He does not share Nora's view that even if they ran out of cash they could borrow. Nora is the direct contrast of Helmer. She is unafraid of being in debt and when Helmer cautions her about it asking what she would do in case he died immediately after he had borrowed, she says she needn't worry about the debt anymore since the debtor had already died.

Nora's carefree spirit sees her secure a huge loan from Krogstad behind her husband's back. It was not for the want of a good life but for the life of her husband. Helmer had been seriously ill and the doctor had recommended they head South where the weather was tolerable. Knowing Helmer's fear of loans, Nora took it upon herself to rescue her husband by securing a loan.

The payment of loan proves to be a difficult task for Nora. Since she keeps it as a secret from her husband, Nora has to salvage the little from housekeeping and what Helmer gives her for wardrobe to pay it. Although everything is fine, changes in the bank threaten her secret.

When Helmer is promoted as a bank manager, he threatens to fire Krogstad a man to whom Nora owes a great deal. Krogstad on learning of his imminent dismissal threatens to tell on Nora if she doesn't stop her husband from firing him. Nora would have been okay with the secret being let out but for the little misdemeanour- she had committed forgery in order to secure the loan.

Apparently, Nora and Krogstad were to peas in the pod; they both had committed forgery. Krogstad had been disgraced in the society and the dismissal was a final blow to his career and standing in society. Nora, on the other hand, had been living on borrowed time.

Nora understands her husband well. He cannot be swayed by his wife's petitions and truly Helmer refuses flatfooted to reconsider Krogstad's situation. Armed with a letter, however, Krogstad is determined to destroy the Helmers.

When Helmer learns of Nora's treachery, he is ready to submit to Krogstad's demands. He issues edicts to which Nora has to abide. However, Krogstad under the persuasion of Mrs Linde decides not to punish the Helmers. Just as the bad news had thrown him into tantrums, the news of Krogstad's forgiveness drives Helmer into a frenzied celebration. Upon which Nora makes a decision to stand for herself if her husband doesn't.

It is money that drives health and wealth of the society and it is also the same money that tears apart a tight knit relationship between Helmer and his wife. Without money, one cannot sustain themselves as seen in Mrs Linde's situation. She had married to safeguard her family from poverty but the death of her rich husband had left her a pauper.

Ibsen seems to compel the society to revolve around the need for money. Whereas some are fearless and risk a lot to obtain it, others like Helmer are too careful that they are ready to die with a good name than risk the ridicule of society.