Matigari by Ngũgĩ wa Thiongo | Summary and Analysis

Matigari by Ngg wa Thiongo Summary and analytic thinkingMatigari is new written by one of the most famous tocopherol Afri peck writer Ngg wa Thiongo. The novel Matigari was first gear written and published in Kikuyu in 1986, which was later translated and published in slope in the year 1987. Ngg wa Thiongo, wrote Matigari in Kikuyu so that the messages inside the novel can reach the masses of Africa (the poor). jibe to F.Odun Balogun, Ngugi states that African literature in foreign languages is inaccessible to the vast bulk of the African population (Balogun 129). He even renounced his Christian name throng and English language and began writing in his native language Kikuyu and Swahili because English to him is a colonial language which beneathmines the colonized. The novel Matigari final payments on the oral exploit where the narrator can be externalisen as telling a romance to his readers or listeners. For an example the novel starts with a none to readers or listen ers in one case upon a time, in a landed estate with no name ( Ngugi wa Thiongo ix). However, Matigari oral tradition does not serve, as in the past, however kind of is served by the Western novelistic tradition ( Balogun 131). Some of the of import issues confronted by Ngugi wa Thiongo in the novel atomic number 18 oppressiveness, colonization, decolonization and neo-colonization. Furthermore it is also just ab appear Matigari, the protagonist of the novel in search of right and arbitrator in his land where the tribe(masses) are oppressed by their give birth rudemen who held precedent( bourgeoisie), a pee of neocolonialism.According to Ngugi wa Thiongo, at that place are only cardinal types of people in the Kenyan land-nationalists and the oppressors ( Nyame. JR 128). It is take a shit that this statement is significant because thither are nationalists and the oppressors in the novel Matigari. Patriots are represented by characters such as Matigari ma Njiruungi, the patriots who survived the bullets( Ngugi wa Thiongo 20), Guthera, Muriuki and Ngaruro wa Kiriro. The patriots love their country and strive for its immunity from the oppressors. They are willing to give up their lives for their beloved land. This is a special announcement. This is a special announcement. The police hand over shot one of the escaped madmen. He has been identified as Ngaruro wa Kiriro (Ngugi wa Thiongo 135). In the novel Matigari, the patriots first off fought once against the white colonialist (oppressors) who colonized and dominated Africa. The colonizers ill treated the colonized as if they were the other who are looked upon as uncivilized and needed to be controlled. ofttimes of the narrative of the novel centers on the exploitative relations between the colonizers and the Kenyans, for whom Matigari is a representative( Nyame. JR 129 ).Furthermore these colonizers reaped all the resources of Africa for their bear benefits and left the masses to dwell in poverty. For an example,You see I built the foretoken with my own hands. But colonist Williams slept in it and I would sleep outside the veranda. I tended the estates that spread around the residence for miles. But it was Settler Williams who took home the harvest.I worked all the machines and in all the industries, remedy it was settler Williams who would take the profits to the bank and I would end up with the cent that he flung my way I produced everything on the farm with my own labour. But all the gains went to Settler Williams (Ngugi wa Thiongo 21).The protagonist, Matigari ma Njiruungi is a patriot who went to the forest to oppose the colonialists and weightlift for freedom of his land. He had spend umteen years in the forests and mountains to hunt down the oppressors so that he could loose his country and countrymen. Matigaris character represents everyone who toiled under the colonialists and fought in the war of independence (Loflin 90). build up with his AK47 a nd other weapons, Matigari spent many years hunting down colonialist Settler Williams and caper son(Settlers servant). After his victory, he reemerges from the forest to reclaim what was his, especially his house. Matigari mat up freedom and liberation was achieved by his country and people from the white settlers. Our of import protagonist Matigari even buries his weapons under the mugumo fig shoetree and girdles himself with a clap of peace believing that full independence was attained from the oppressors. To his utter dismay, though they may have gained independence from the colonialists, now they are being control by African themselves ( bourgeoisie imperialist) who treat their own people badly. Matigari attempts to scrap the new type (neo-colonialism) of oppression peacefully, hardly failed. He searched for days for truth and justice but had to succumb to defeat for there is none under the African exploitative regime. For example, He approaches a student, a teacher, and a non-Christian priest all fail abysmally. Their denial of Matigari condemns them as irresolute and complicit with the oppression (Gurnah 171). in conclusion he resorts to arms and trampled his belt of peace because he realized that justice for the oppressed comes from a sharpened spear (Ngugi wa Thiongo 131). The prototypical subversive hero, Matigari, must ultimately abandon his attempts to challenge the current system peacefully(Williams 60). Matigari had to take up arms in order to get back his house again, but now against The Minister of Truth and justice , ass Boy JR who are the oppressive elite group Africans.Guthera and Miuruki are also patriots in the novel Matigari. However they were transitioned from being the oppressed to draw patriots with the influence of Matigari ma Njiruungi. some(prenominal) of them played important roles in helping Matigari to make sure that John Boy JR, will neer sleep in my house again (157). Guthera for example, lets go of her elevent h commandment never open my legs for any policemen, these traitors no matter how much they are prepared to pay for the favors( Ngugi wa Thiongo 37) in order to save Matigari from the policemen. This proves that she wants to safe a patriot who is in the pass of justice, truth, right and yearns goodness for the country and its people. Furthermore through her narratives we came to know that her father( a Church Elder) was a patriot as well who was arrested and killed for he would not support the oppressors. Guthera was ready to die by going against the traitors and the oppressors with Matigari. She wants to be the knife edge and never wants to get left behind. Guthera states One can die once, and it is bettor to die in the pursuit of what is right (Ngugi wa Thiongo 139). Thus it is clear in the novel that Guthera too a patriot following the footsteps of Matigari ma Nijuungi.Muriuki is an orphan who lives in the children village(scrapyard) and survived by scavenging rubbish later p aying hitch fee. He called an old Mercedes Benz at the scrapyard his house . Muriuki was not the only one,for there were many children parents-less and poor due to the new reigning system after independence which cared less. Muriuki like Guthera joined Matigaris quest in the battle against these oppressing bourgeoisie Africans. It is a world in which the bourgeoisie act criminally within the law (Indangasi 194). Muriuki may have not been under the oppression of the colonizers but he is under the injustices of neocolonialism within Africa. He understands that his land is in absence seizure of justice and Matigari was willing to get it back for them. So Muriuki joins him and becomes a patriot himself. He even called himself and his fellow Children of the village as , Yes. We are the the children of Matigari ma Njiruungi, we are the children of the patriots of the patriots who survived the war (Ngugi wa Thiongo 139).He aided in Matigaris missionary work by providing him shelter at children village from the policemen and accompanied him alongside with Guthera . At the end of the novel Muriuki was visualized as picking up Matigaris weapons from the mugumo tree and strapping them to himself . This then establish an understanding that Muriuki will continue Matigaris fight and mission for freedom as a patriot for his beloved country from the heartless oppressors. Hence, even though Matigari and Guthera were never stated as survived or dead in end of the novel,through Muriuki, Matigari ma Njiruungi remains undefeated (Loflin 90).Ngaruro wa Kiriro a factory worker was also classified as a patriot in the novel Matigari. In the first few pages of the novel, we can see that Ngaruro was involved in a strike outside the factory. This is because the workers were not being paid appropriately and were being unjustly treated .Ngaruro, was not afraid to ask for justice. According to the Minister of Truth and justness, Ngaruro was the first to stood up in public and oppose the presidential decree after the independence. For that he was sent to the mental hospital with Matigari. However before he was interpreted away, Nagruro shouted bravely ,you may arrest me , but the workers will never stop demanding their rights (Ngugi wa Thiongo 123). Sadly he was killed by the policemen for resisting the office abusing ruling party Kiama Kiria Kirathana(KKK).According to Ngugi wa Thiongo, there are only dickens types of people in the Kenyan land-patriots and the oppressors ( Nyame. JR 128). In the novel Matigari there are two types of oppressors. The first oppressor would be the white colonialist like Settler Williams. The second oppressor in the he novel would be the elite African themselves who misuse effect and oppress the poor people. For example, John Boy JR, The Minister for Justice and Truth, His excellence Ole Excellence and the ruling party KKK who are sell-outs, traitors, parasites, enemies, ogres, and even dogs (Idangasi 194). The mass of Africa mat up that they were out from the frying pan into the fire. Lives and standard of living of the people in the novel after independence did not get better but deteriorated. Children living in old cars, women are prostituting themselves , unjust at working place and corruption within the police enforcements are some of the examples portrayed in the novel. If a person were to question these abuses, The Minister for Truth and Justice himself sends the questioner to jail or mental asylum. The establishment of Parratology and newspaper everyday Parratology, were ways to keep the masses under control by the neo-colonial power as well. People who subdue and abide to their unjust laws were called Loyalists (Ngugi wa Thiongo 103). These oppressors having the discolor skin but white masks behaved like they were the colonialists and ill treated their own people. Sadly after fighting against the colonialists, now Matigari has to continue battling against the neo-colonial power. Having fough t against colonial rule, he returns to discover that injustice still exists, albeit in a slightly diametric form that reflects changed circumstances of neo-colonial society. Settler Williams and his servant John Boy, whom Matigari had fought to death in the forest, have been replaced by their sons, now partners in reaping-what-theydid-not-sow (Gurnah 170).The white colonialist had given a few people(elite) like John By colonial education. Furthermore he was brought up to see his own people through the lenses of the colonialists. Now, this education which instills political orientation of the colonizers was given by the oppressors for their own benefits. The elite Africans ,to white colonizers are still collaborating servants , and not much difference from the masses. Through this colonial education, the colonialists retained power over the colonialized land. African leaders is itself a product of a logical formation and ideological construct specific to the project of mental and mental colonization of Africans perpetrated by colonialist ideology (Nyame JR 134). Therefore,in the novel Matigari Ngugi states that though liberation was achieved by the Africans from the colonizers , their minds were not decolonized. Ideology of the oppressors still lingers within the leaders and it creates more subordination, poverty, oppression to the African society.According to Ngugi and Maya Jaggi, What is needed is for us in Africa and the Third World to become as conscious of neo-colonial arrangements and their economic, political and cultural implications, and to be horrified by them with the same force, determination and sincerity, as we were vis-al-vis colonialism(Ngugi wa Thiongo and Maya Jaggi 246). For example in the novel, Africans have this strong sense of communal bonds and in the novel Matigari calls almost everyone his child. However, John Boy JR prefers the individual over the term masses because it is primitive. The change of approximation within John Boy J R are brought about by colonizers. Our country has remained in the darkness because of the ignorance of our people. They dont know the importance of the volume individual, as opposed to the word masses. White people are locomote because they respect the word and therefore honor the freedom of the individual, which means freedom of everyone to follow his own whims without worrying about others (Ngugi wa Thiongo 48). Thus, the dream of Matigari and others that someday John Boy JR will be the future patriot was dashed. These elite Africans become the neo-colonisers and imperialists , who continue the oppression taught by the settlers.In conclusion, the statement there are only two types of people in the Kenyan land-patriots and the oppressors ( Nyame. JR 128) is relevant for the main characters within the novel Matigari are the patriots and the oppressors. However, one must not sink that there are the oppressed Africans depicted in the novel as well represented by the student, teac her and priest who would rather be complacent than fight for truth and justice. They are scared to voice out their opinions for fear of trouble. So they rather ignore and deny Matigari rather than join him in the battle for freedom and decolonization.Work CitedIndangasi, Henry. Ngugis Ideal Reader and the Postcolonial Reality. The yearly of English Studies 27 (1997) 193-200. Web. 3 Mar. 2011..Loflin, Christine. Ngg wa Thiongos Visions of Africa. JSTOR 26.4 (1995) 1-19. Web. 3 Mar. 2011..Ngugi wa Thiongo, . Matigari. Bostwana Heinemann Kenya Ltd, 1987. N. pag. Print.Ngugi wa, Thiongo, and Maya Jaggi. Matigari as Myth and History An Interview. Third World every quarter 11.4 (1989) 241-51. Web. 3 Mar. 2011..Nyame JR, Kwado Osei. Ngugi wa Thiongos Matigari and the Politics of Decolonization. A Review of International English Literature 30.3 July (1999) 127-40. Print.Williams, Katherine. Decolonizing the Word Language, Culture, and Self in the Works of Nggwa Thiongo and Gabriel Okara. R esearch in African Literatures 22.4 (1991) 53-61. Web. 3 Mar. 2011..