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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