Weep Not, Child is a moving book written by one of Africa’s greatest writers, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. This debut novel was first published in English, but Ngũgĩ shifted to writing in his native language of Gĩkũyũ shortly after,true to his advocacy of post-colonial “linguistic decolonization”. Ngũgĩ describes this concept as writing in one’s native language as opposed to a language forced through colonization.
The novel centers on the Mau Mau Uprising of 1952-60, a movement where Kenyans rose against the British who controlled Kenya as a colony. The colonial rulers had officially oppressed Kenyans of all ethnicities since 1920 yet they were under British control since 1880 when the region was referred to as the ‘East Africa protectorate,’ preventing them from moving up the social ranks. Central to their control was creating British-style education systems to funnel a smalll number of Kenyans into government positions withinin the Empire (Mwiria, 1991). The British then ruled the colony through those workers, administrators, and landowners.
The British divided Kenyans and turned them against each other based on class, ethnicity, and education. This tactic meant it was difficult or impossible for enough people to lead a unified uprising against the dominance of the colonists.. In fact, it proved effective at mitigating the strength of the Mau Mau Uprising, one element illustrated in Weep Not, Child.
Ngũgĩ vividly captures both the Mau Mau Uprising and Kenyan life in the 50s. The protagonist, Njoroge, has plans to go through the education system both to fulfill his love of learning and to avoid following his father into farming. Njoroge believes he can provide a better life for his family through school, becoming rich like Jacobo, the village chief who went to school.
The novel follows Njoroge over the years, providing a lens for Ngũgĩ to illustrate the sentiment in Kenya surrounding the independence movement. Weep Not, Child reads like a harrowing roman-à-clef of Ngũgĩ’s upbringing as his brother was involved with the Mau Mau Uprising (Jaggi, 2006). Written one year after independence, these non-fictive elements cement the struggles, feelings and division of Kenyans during the Mau Mau uprising.
Ngũgĩ portrays the British governing tactic through Jacobo. Jacobo owns the land that Njoroge’s family lives on, but Njoroge’s father Ngotho farms the crops owned by the most powerful British man in the area, Mr. Howlands. When Ngotho and his fellow farmers strike because of poor wages, the British don’t simply end the quarrel themselves. In line with their governing policy, the British have Jacobo attempt to end the strike instead of the police.
Further illustrating the British ruling device, Jacobo joins forces with the British to quell the local stirrings of the Mau Mau rebellion. Since Jacobo has greatly benefited from the British rulers, he wants to stop any attack on his source of land ownership and power. This shows the success in the British system;Jacobo, educated and in another class from the people in his own village, turns against his neighbors as they turn against him.
Overall, Ngũgĩ paints a vivid picture of the sentiments in Kenya during the Mau Mau Uprising, as well as the effective ruling structure the British employed. All these aspects thread together through Ngũgĩ’s writing style. His ability to communicate emotion will connect you with all characters and the historic setting, making for an informative and emotive read.
