Petals of Blood by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

 Hello Everyone,

I am Hinaba Sarvaiya a student of English Department MKBUniversity Bhavnagar. This blog was posted by Yesha ma'am. This blog is based on The African Literature novel Petals of Blood by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o. Here I am discussing neocolonialism in this novel. 

About Author:-

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, original name James Thiong’o Ngugi, (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.

Summary of Petals of Blood:-

Petals of Blood is NgugiwaThiong’o’s last artistic work written in 1977; it is set in Ilmorog, an undeveloped village. The novel is divided into four parts, Petals of Blood starts 

with a knock at the doors of four characters, Munira, Karega, Wanja and Abdulla, who are 

wanted at the new Ilmorog police station, because they are suspected of murdering three 

capitalists Chui, Kimeria and Mzigo.

In the first part of the novel, Ngugi establishes the setting and mirrors through it the image of 

neo-colonial Kenya. The second part is an account of the journey to the city by the Ilmorogians to meet their representative Ndiri wa Riera. The third part illustrates the changes that came to Ilmorog from a rural community to an urban city. Finally, the fourth part reveals the beginning of the exploitation of the peasants of Ilmorog.

What is Neocolonialism?

It is a policy of a strong nation in seeking political and economic hegemony over an independent nation or extended geographical area without necessarily reducing the subordinate nation or area to the legal status of a colony. 

The term neocolonialism was first used In 1965, by Kwame Nkrumah after World War II to refer to the continuing dependence of former colonies on foreign countries

Roland Fuh gave a simple definition of Neocolonialism that,

"Neo-colonialism can be defined as the indirect control of the economic, political and socio-cultural life of African countries by their former colonial masters. Unlike colonialism which was direct control, neo-colonialism operates indirectly and secretly."

Neocolonialism in Petals of Blood:-

The novel starts with the news of murder of: Mzigo, Chui and Kimeria. Wanja, Munira, Karega and Abdulla are suspected. Ilmorog has grown from a traditional Kenyan village to a modern industrial town.

According to Josephine Sitwala, 

"The modernisation of the area brings changes which Ngugi regards as examples of neo-colonisation. He does not accept the urbanisation of Ilmorog because it has destroyed its original beauty and, as such, brought suffering to its inhabitants. 'The focus of neo-colonialism in Petals of Blood is land and is based on social abuse, oppression, exploitation and injustice.''(Sitwala, Josephine Ntelamo)

During the age of imperialism, European powers conquered African lands and ruled them as colonies. As African nations began to throw off their colonial rule and become independent in the mid-20th century, they began to form their own governments and seek to establish control over their economies. However, most of them became almost immediately privy to neocolonialism, which is where foreign investors and local ruling elites partner to "invest" in the country, but instead return said country to an almost colonial type of relationship. They are now subject to market forces, loans, transportation changes, and local corruption. Ngugi chronicles Ilmorog's experience with neocolonialism, showing that all of the new modern developments merely hid the fact that the people were losing any power of their own.

Petals of Blood, Ngugi records instances of corruption and capitalist exploitation of the masses by those in authority, who alienated themselves from the people to become just as 

the former colonizer. Kimeria Hawkins portrays perfectly the Native Bourgeoisie, who 

considers themselves superior to their people because of their wealth and education. 

Thus, Kimeria who was once a fighter with the Mau Mau, and who betrayed Abdulla 

and Ndinguri became a wealthy businessman. He takes advantage of Wanja, his friend’s 

daughter while she was a young college girl. On the Ilmorogians’s way to the city to see their 

representative Nderi wa Riera, Joseph falls ill, consequently Wanja, karega, and Njuguma the 

an old man seeks help from a house in Blue Hill. By their surprise, they were taken to a room in the big house and locked up in darkness89, without reason. The only way for them to be 

released is for Wanja to once again sleep with Hawkins Kimeria. She accepts because she 

fears her refusal would end in Joseph’s death and the mission might fail and she would be 

blamed by all. Indeed these peasants are treated like strangers in their own country.

 The struggling in the African 

societies in order to resist this injustice and to illuminate the leftovers of the colonizer. This news gives Karega a new hope. 

He asserts: 

"Tomorrow it would be the workers and the peasants is leading the struggle and seizing power to overturn the system of all its preying bloodthirsty gods and 

gnomic angels, bringing to an end the reign of the few over the many and the era of drinking blood and feasting on human flesh."

Started establishing their own government and control over the economy.

As Weiping and Zhang said,

 Ngugi also adopted the collective African voices to demonstrate the general opinions of the African people towards neocolonial activities. With the building of the Trans-Africa road, Ilmorog was put into the agenda of fast development and modernization. The Land was taken from the people; shopping centers, tourist centers and other infrastructure were constructed; machines and measuring instruments of different kinds were in use to promote the economy. (Li, Weiping, and Xiuli Zhang)

Conclusion:-

For Ngugi, the African females were driven to be prostitutes directly because of the imperialists' exploitation; however, these females, like other proletariats, would take actions to fight. The conflicting narrative of Ngugi reflects his oppositions concerning neo- colonialism, one as an insider opposing it, while the other as an outsider standing by it.

Ngugi has catapulted caustic criticism against the middle class of Africa who derived power from the common people during the anti-colonial struggles and after independence derived it to "form a cozy relationship with the western bourgeoisie.

 

Thank You..