Petals of Blood by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
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This particular blog is a task assigned by Megha Ma’am from the English Department M.K.B.U. In this blog task written on ‘Petals of Blood’ by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and further it deals with two questions which are mentioned in the task.
Ngugi wa Thiong’o
Ngugi wa Thiong’o (born January 5, 1938, Limuru, Kenya) Kenyan writer who was considered East Africa’s leading novelist. His popular Weep Not, Child (1964) was the first major novel in English by an East African. As he became sensitized to the effects of colonialism in Africa, Ngugi adopted his traditional name and wrote in the Bantu language of Kenya’s Kikuyu people.
Ngugi received bachelor’s degrees from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, in 1963 and from Leeds University, Yorkshire, England, in 1964. After doing graduate work at Leeds, he served as a lecturer in English at University College, Nairobi, Kenya, and as a visiting professor of English at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, U.S. From 1972 to 1977 he was senior lecturer and chairman of the department of literature at the University of Nairobi.
Petals of Blood
Petals of Blood is a novel written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and first published in 1977. Set in Kenya just after independence, the story follows four characters – Munira, Abdulla, Wanja, and Karega – whose lives are intertwined due to the Mau Mau rebellion. In order to escape city life, each retreats to the small, pastoral village of Ilmorog. As the novel progresses, the characters deal with the repercussions of the Mau Mau rebellion as well as with a new, rapidly westernizing Kenya.
The novel largely deals with the skepticism of change after Kenya's independence from colonial rule, questioning to what extent free Kenya merely emulates, and subsequently perpetuates, the oppression found during its time as a colony. Other themes include the challenges of capitalism, politics, and the effects of westernization. Education, schools, and the Mau Mau rebellion are also used to unite the characters, who share a common history with one another.
(1) Write a detailed note on Fanonism and Constructive Violence in Petals of Blood.
Introduction
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's book "Petals of Blood" harshly criticizes Kenya's powerful class for exploiting ordinary people and working with institutions like churches, schools, and businesses to keep them down. He also criticizes the legacy of colonialism.
Ngugi believes that violence can be a justified tool for fighting this unfair system. This idea is similar to the views of Franz Fanon, who argued that violence could be necessary for colonized countries to win their freedom.
Kenya has a long history of both struggle and violence, dating back to before its independence in 1963. Even after independence, Kenyans face similar problems under different names.
The novel follows four characters, Munira, Abdullah, Wanja, and Karega, who become disillusioned with the reality of post-colonial Kenya.
In simpler terms:
The book criticizes rich Kenyans and institutions for keeping the poor down.
The author thinks violence can be okay to fight this unfairness, similar to some views on fighting colonialism.
Kenya has a long history of both fighting and violence.
The story follows four people who are disappointed with Kenya after it gained independence.
Fanonism
In Wretched of the Earth, Fanon presents the vision of violence as a constructive force. He says,
“National liberation, national renaissance, the restoration of nationhood to the people, commonwealth: whatever may be the headings used or the new formulas introduced, decolonization is always a violent phenomenon” and “e naked truth of decolonization evokes for us the searing bullets and bloodstained knives which emanate from it. development of violence among the colonized people will be proportionate to the violence exercised by the threatened colonial regime” but the native's violence unifies the people. It frees the natives from inferiority complex from his despair and inaction. It works like a “cleansing force” for an individual.
Ngugi and Constructive Violence
Violence in order to change an individual, unjust social order is not savagery; it purifies man. Violence to protect and preserve an unjust oppressive social order is criminal, and diminishes man”-Ngugi declares in a review of Majdalany's state of emergency, in 1963. It provides the point of view of Ngugi towards violence as a constructive force and his attitude is quite positive like Fanon. He also believes that, “Imperialism, the power of dead capital, in its neo-colonial clothes will not be able to destroy the fighting culture of African peasantry and working class for the simple reason that this culture is a product and a reflection of real life struggles going on in Africa today”.
Kenyan History of Violence
The coast of Kenya has been exposed to outside influences for centuries, intruders' treasure hunting started in the early eleventh century and the conflict with the natives was the seed of further violence. e Indonesians, the Arabs, the Portuguese and Omani Arabs came to trade and halt during the next four centuries. The first Europeans entered East Africa after the sixteenth century, as explorers and traders. It wasn't until the late 1800s that settlers began moving inland Kenya. In Nairobi, Tigoni and Limuru the Europeans were taking the land from the indigenous Bantu peoples, Kikuyu. The struggle for land started and through the colonial years the British settlers and administrators put an administration of violence and oppression into place. e early fighting for freedom was led by Waiyaki Wa Hinga and others in the late nineteenth century. The real fight for independence began in 1950s; Dedan, Kmathi, L'Ouverture, Ole Masai, Chaka, Mathenge, Turner and other great leaders began a movement of Mau Mau. is was an armed struggle waged by Gikuyu peasantry against the British colonial forces. Ngugi was very much influenced by Mau Mau. It was a war that touched the popular imagination and was forever to change the fate of Kenya and many other countries under British rule. For the first time the peasants, the wretched of the earth, were taking the war to a highly sophisticated country with a long military history. This situation continued up to 1963 when Kenya was finally independent.
Constructive Violence in Petals of Blood
In Petals of Blood, Ngugi's 1977 novel, he is searching for a political strategy to successfully end “e Whole ing”- global monopoly capitalism of which Africa is constituent part. (Dorn,1999). In this novel, the Kenya Ngugi writes about, the Kenya that nobody can take away from him, is the 'Kenya of working class of all nationalities and their heroic struggle against domination by nature and other humans over the centuries.’Here we see the face of Kenya whose face is reflected in Ilmorog, the center of action for the novel. Ngugi chooses a barren, drought stricken part of Kenya where neo-colonialism puts the interests of foreigners and abandons the people who had suffered and died for the land. Us capitalism was burying Ilmorog and putting a new Ilmorog in its place. The people reached a point of no return and raised the protagonists to resist the destruction.
The Protagonists Concerning Violence
Petals of Blood is so bloody deep and detailed that by the time it ends nobody cares for the fate of the three petty preys, Krupps, Rockfellers and Delameres, or whether it was Wanja, Karega, Munira or Abdullah who has killed them. Wanja, the extraordinary struggling female character, like Kenya itself, has to fight to stay alive and for whom destruction is never too far away. Being humiliated by the society and the hostility of the world, she allows herself to turn cruel like the surroundings. She described the reality of the neocolonial situation in a plain formula- “You eat somebody or you are eaten. You sit on somebody or somebody sits on you”. She questioned, has Kimeria sinned less than her, why is she the only sufferer. She stroked his head with the punga before the arson. According to Fanon this is individual freedom and it will calm and clean her burning heart.
Munira the 'man of God' was also haunted by the need to break out from the situation, the passive “spectator of life” he wanted a connection that prompted him to do something. Even taking personal revenge by dismissing Karega, was a step to prove the activity to himself. Finally inspired by a divine feeling, he too desired to establish a 'secular new world'. He wanted to save Karega from the fatal embrace of Wanja. He decided to burn the 'Sunshine Lodge', the place of prostitution. It was also a common place for Kimeria, Chui, Mzigo, the neocolonial agents. the act was a repetition of his early life, throwing the sin, the corruption into the fire.
Conclusion
In this novel, Ngugi finally exposed some optimism by means of constructive violence. All the protagonists actively take part or provide silent support in the violent act of purification. After the arson, Wanja's pregnancy, Joseph's school rebellion, Karega's fate in renewed strikes and protests in Ilmorog, the future generation with the spirit of purification and courage from the parents involved in freedom fighting and social revolution, will be born to restore serenity. Constructive violence, like arson will burn down the corrupted, rotten society and there is a hope and promise for the rebirth of a new Kenya.
(2) Write a note on the postmodern spirit in Petals of Blood. (With the concepts of Homi K. Bhabha)
In Ngugi's novel, a key theme is challenging the idea that there's a clear break in knowledge between colonial and post-colonial times. Homi K. Bhabha highlights the broader significance of postmodernism, emphasizing the awareness that colonial ideas have limits and exclude diverse voices like women, the colonized, and minority groups. In "Petals of Blood," Ngugi challenges the binary thinking of colonialism to resist the dominant influence of the neo-colonial regime. He moves away from a Eurocentric view, questioning the societal norms in Ilmorog. Bhabha talks about how colonial discourse presents the colonized as both 'other' and knowable. This binary is crucial for the colonial power structure, reinforcing Western superiority. Bhabha's concept of hybridity becomes vital in this context, fitting into postmodern characteristics like surface-level understanding, multiple perspectives, and the effects of parody. These ideas, especially mimicry and doubleness of perspective, highlight the postmodern aspects in "Petals of Blood."
In "Petals of Blood," Ngugi depicts concerns about cultural purity as the village of Ilmorog undergoes a transformation into a proto-capitalist society. This change brings problems like prostitution, social inequalities, misery, uncertainty, and inadequate housing. The influence of the capitalist system affects various aspects of society—social, cultural, philosophical, economic, and political—leading to class struggles.
Bhabha argues that a new identity emerges from blending elements of the colonizer and colonized, challenging the authenticity of any fixed cultural identity. This is evident in the fragmented identity of New Ilmorogs, where there are distinct areas like Cape Town for the affluent and New Jerusalem for migrants, the unemployed, prostitutes, and small traders.
The fragmented selfhood in New Ilmorogs results in a loss of the revolutionary narrative, including resistance against British imposition and the Mau Mau rebellion. The different living conditions within Ilmorog highlight the challenges arising from this cultural transformation.
In "Petals of Blood," Ngugi explores the aftermath of the Mau Mau rebellion in the 1950s and its impact on the characters and the village of Ilmorog. The novel portrays the characters' detachment from a unified vision of African struggle due to the widespread effects of neo-colonialism. The road, representing progress, ironically brings unity only on the Earth's surface, making every corner vulnerable to international capitalist exploitation.
The protagonists, like Munira and Karega, experience a fragmented and ambivalent state, torn between pre-colonial loyalty and postcolonial disillusionment in the hybrid reality of Ilmorog. Even the promising student Wanja, once passionate about liberation, transforms under the influence of commercial society, commodifying human relationships in the new Ilmorog.
Ngugi remarks on the threat posed by this hybrid culture, emphasizing imperialism's inability to develop countries or people. The new Ilmorog reflects a blend of cultural identities, but Ngugi places his protagonists in a collective struggle, seeking answers to their transformation. This duality creates an ambivalent state, questioning the validity of archaic images or identities in the face of neo-colonialism.
Characters like Wanja's grandmother Nyankinyua and the occult priest Mwathi wa Mugo represent the clash between past glory and thriving capitalism, challenging the foundation of national identity and Kenya's cultural past. The manipulation of neo-colonialism leaves people feeling frustrated, dispossessed, disillusioned, and destroyed. To mimic the oppressor becomes the destiny for socially, racially, politically, and economically distinguished individuals.
Bhabha's concept of mimicry, as explained by Ngugi, revolves around ambivalence, repeating rather than fully representing the powerful. This is evident in Ilmorog's peasants turning into mimic men, adopting city vices and being lured into loans and imported fertilizers. Their ambivalent state is both threatening and reassuring, ensuring the colonial power maintains the other as 'a difference,' revitalizing binary power dynamics.
Wanja's character embodies postmodern elements, subverting the potential for female agency. Desired by all main characters, she becomes instrumentalized and struggles with guilt after abandoning a child. Wanja's journey reflects the complexities of societal expectations, personal choices, and the struggle for agency in a changing world.
In "Petals of Blood," Wanja, a central female character, undergoes a complex journey in post-independence Kenya. She transitions from a barmaid to a high-paid prostitute, symbolizing her attempt to find her place in the changing society. Ngugi challenges traditional gender norms by presenting Wanja's radical political effectiveness, subverting the dominance of male power and introducing postmodern uncertainty into the narrative.
The novel concludes with "Woman and Tomorrow," emphasizing Wanja's role in a hybrid society where she mimics power and exhibits ambivalence in her struggle. This mirrors Kenya's own fight for survival, highlighting the constant threat of destruction. Ngugi's postmodern approach questions reason and embraces uncertainty.
The narrative revolves around four individuals—Munira, Abdullah, Karega, and Wanja—who disrupt the originally isolated rural community of Ilmorog. Their presence brings change, reflecting the hybrid cultural collage and liminality. The misuse of the Theng’eta flower symbolizes the intrusion of capitalism, leading to a struggle where survival becomes a matter of "you eat or you are eaten."
Karega envisions a society post-independence, expressing concerns about a few exploiting others. Munira, however, remains doubtful about the possibility of a new world. The novel explores past, present, and future images, repeating the characters' denied experiences. The unresolved problems from their pasts and the novel's refusal to provide a unified meaning categorize it as postmodern.
Ngugi problematizes authority, submission, individualism, and community, disrupting the colonizer-colonized binary. Bhabha's postmodern concepts—mimicry, ambivalence, and hybridity—align with Ngugi's narrative, emphasizing the assimilation of minorities and marginalized groups into a fluid cultural experience. Bhabha's skepticism about theory's elitism and his postmodern challenges add depth to the novel's exploration of changing social, political, and linguistic relations. Ngugi's consistent disruption of binary oppositions aligns with the deconstructive nature of postmodernism, reflecting a complex and unstable reality.
References
Akter, Ms. Sharifa. “Postmodern Spirit in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Petals of Blood Based on the Concepts of Homi K. Bhabha.” American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 2014.
Amin, Tasnim. “Fanonism and Constructive Violence in Petals of Blood.” IJSR - INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, vol. 6, no. 4, Apr. 2006.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Ngugi wa Thiong’o". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ngugi-wa-Thiongo. Accessed 30 January 2024.
