The author Thiong'o is a distinguished professor of comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine. He is also a known theorist and author. When he wrote this particular play, it caused quite a bit of controversy because it pointed out the poor living conditions of the common people in Kenya.
The play weaves his interpretation of the living conditions and culture clashes of post-independence Kenya, when land and wealth were supposed to be returned to the indigenous people, into a somewhat comedic story about a family struggling to keep their home and land. Although told as a story about this family, the author focuses on the political stories throughout the play so that the main themes stem from this aspect.
The main themes are betrayal and conflict based on the conflict between commoners and those in charge. The indigenous commoners were betrayed by those in charge and seemed to have less after British rule ended than they did before when the opposite was supposed to be the case. Conflict arose as some of the Africans joined the "Homeguard", siding with the European interests and took action against fellow Africans.
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