Petals of Blood: A Searing Criticism on Africa’s Post-Colonialism

In the struggle for national independence and freedom from oppression, African
writers can be considered to have played essential roles. They were able to dig deeper
to the roots and successfully reveal the real intention of the colonisers; to enrich their
own country through the extraction and exploitation of Africa; its masses and resources.
Through their writings, they were able to raise awareness of the effects of the dangers of
the existing colonialism. Petals of Blood is one of Ngugi’s contribution in the arduous
struggle for liberation. Echoing the pleas of the peasants and oppressed, the novel
explores the fact that independence for them is almost nonexistent.

“When we, the black intellectuals, the black bourgeoisie, got the
power, we never tired to bring about policies which would be in
harmony with the needs of peasants and workers. I think it is time
that the African writers also started to talk in the terms of these
workers and peasants (Thiong’o 1967).”

Petals of Blood is Ngugi’s successful attempt to sketch a complex and detailed portrait
of the economic, socio-political state of the post-independent Africa through his use of
allegorical figures throughout the novel.

The particular setting of Petals of Blood has a vital function in the novel. In the
beginning of the first chapter, Ilmorog is described as a small, barren town on its way to
ruins. The people flee and never return, not a morsel of life in their deserted homestead.
In the succeeding chapters, Ilmorog is transfigured into a bustling town of “one or two
flickering neon-lights; of bars, lodgings, groceries, permanent sales, and bottle
Theng’eta; of robberies, strikes, lockouts, murders and attempted murders; of prowling
prostitutes in cheap night clubs; of police stations police raids, police cells (228).” It can
be considered that Ngugi chose the small town of Ilmorog as an allegorical
representation of the strenuous history of Africa; the effects of colonialism and post-
colonialism with a focus on the oppressed class. Hence, Ilmorog is a microcosm of
Africa and its history.

When Munira, one of the chief characters, was questioned by Inspector

Godfrey, he described the startling change as “…a devil came into our midst and
things were never quite the same (227).” This devil is capitalism. Great change came
about Ilmorog, however the peasants remained peasants, and a new social hierarchy
has been formed. In the decades of colonization, the colonisers are placed at the top
of the pyramid. In post-colonial Kenya, in the contrast of the expected obliteration of
any social pyramids, a new one arose; one of politicians, rich investors and financers
placed at the top, their bellies swelling from exploiting their fellow Africans. In the
struggle for independence, they had one common enemy, and the revolution was
united. However, the attainment of independence was no better. Lazarus writes;

“The history of post-colonialism thus looms, for them, as a

history of betrayal. The revolution was betrayed because the
leaders realized, once independent has been won, the
wealth and power and privilege meant more to them than
social justice. This realization, in fact, was that a precondition
of wealth, power and privilege was social injustice (Lazarus
2012).”

From the title itself, Petals of blood pertains to the Theng’eta plant, a wild plant
used to brew an Ilmorog ritual drink. It symbolizes the pure and unbersmirched culture
and traditions of Ilmorog, or of Africa, before it was stained by the imperialists of
colonialism (The Whites) and post-colonialism Africa (Fellow Blacks). A remarkable part
in the first chapter is when a child found a peculiar flower in one of Munira’s class.
Ngugi writes, “This is a worm-eaten flower. It cannot bear fruit. That’s why we must
always kill worms… A flower can also become this colour if it’s prevented from reaching
the light (26).” This simple remark is a foreshadowing of the fate of Ilmorog, its people
and a glance at the characters, specifically Munira’s, principle. When Wanja and
Abdullah began selling brewed Theng’eta, a traditional drink, to the peasants of New
Ilmorog, their business was a success. However, the success is momentary for Wanja
was forced to sell her business in order to save her grandmother’s land from being
owned by the bank. The stark figures of capitalism and oppression in the novel, namely
Mzigo, Chui, Kimeria, became the new owner of the premises and transformed the
small tea business into a massive brewery factory which employs over six hundred
workers under poor conditions, hence, the peasants of the New Ilmorog. The ills of
colonial state are merely reproduced in the post-colonial state. Ngugi was able to
establish in the novel the new socialist system, the wealthy class amassing riches,
unconcerned with the hardships of the oppressed underclass.

Another noteworthy allegorical figure in the novel, Wanja is depicted as a

beautiful young woman with a full-developed body. She falls victim to the rich Kimeria
who lures her with gifts and finally, makes her pregnant. When Kimeria refuses to marry
her because of his first wife, Wanja turns to prostitution. Wanja’s affair is parallel to the
social relations in the post-independent society. The rich men take advantage of poor
women, turning them into objects of sexual gratification, degrading the poor women.
However, Wanja believes that being a woman, she has no escape from sexual
exploitation. “If you have a cunt… if you are born with this hole, instead if it being a
source of pride, you are doomed to either marrying someone or else being a whore.
You eat or you are eaten (293).” Her attitude reflects her view upon the world aside
from being rich-dominated is male-dominated as well. She believes that her possession
of a “cunt” makes her the weaker sex, hence, an object of male sexual gratification. In
the novel, Wanja returns to Ilmorog to change herself; to leave the life of prostitution.
However, because of the circumstances in the New Ilmorog, she turns back to
whoredom. Wanja is Ngugi’s symbolic figure of the marginalized women, victims of
exploitation and oppression.

A notable element in the Petals of Blood is Ngugi’s use of Bible allusions. Replete
of Christian references, the author’s stand was effectively expressed. According to
Ngugi, the Christian religion is used to inflict a “Psychological wound… on the whole
generation (Ngugi 1973).” Religion was used as a tool by the oppressors to penetrate
the established cultural consciousness of the colonized and instil mental slavery in their
minds. Throughout the novel, there are no sympathetic portrayals of Christians or the
Christian religion. The second chapter, “To Bethlehem” is a metaphor pertaining to the
journey of the people of Ilmorog in search for help from the Members of the Parliament.
They receive no help from Nderi wa Riera, but the publicity of their march brought
donations and various aids around the country. However, the short-lived blessing was
deemed to be a burden, as Munira describes it, “…a devil came into our midst and
things were never quite the same (227).” Identical to the Joseph and Mary’s journey in
search of a proper birthplace for Jesus, the people of Ilmorog were shunned away as
well, deprived of help by every house they stop to. This way, Ngugi was also able to
draw attention to the hypocrisy of Christians, or in a more specific context, the
hypocrisy which lies among the colonized who mimic the way of the colonizers. This
can be more visibly seen among the characters. In their journey, they seek for help in
the house of Reverend Jerrod Brown. The group automatically assumes he is a
European because of his name, so they could hardly believe their eyes when they
discovered Reverend Jerrod was a black man. He gave the villagers a sermon but
offered no medical assistance to the ill Joseph nor food for the hungry villagers. He
merely told them that all they need to eat is the “bread and fish of Jesus.” Bitter and
empty-handed, the group went to a different house. Another symbolic character,
Reverend Waweru is portrayed as a man who propagates Christianity merely because
it is profitable for him, however he does not practice the Christian beliefs for he shows
no sympathy for the labourers of his land nor compassion to his son. Waweru is also said
to have used religion as refuge at the time of Kenya’s fight for independence. He
condemned all anti-colonial activities as the devil’s works. Another noteworthy
character depicting the critic of Christianity is Munira, however his portrayal is much
more complex.

Trapped between the category of the bourgeoisie and the subaltern, the hero
and the villain, Munira is the center of the narrative in the novel. Somewhat depicted as
a hero with good intentions, but unjust actions, Munira can be considered to be the
only fully individualized character in the novel because of his contradictions. The fact
that he is born in a wealthy family already sets him apart from the other characters.
With the Christian religion steep in his bones, he obsessed with doing good. This
obsession leads him to establishing a school in Ilmorog. An intellectual trapped into the
four walls of a classroom, Munira is depicted as detached, isolating himself from a world
he knows too well. With these reasons he can be classified as idealistic and rebellious,
standing straight with his academic posture. He had been so convinced that the world
was wrong, and there was an immediate need to change it. It was Munira who set
Wanja’s house on fire, burning the Chui, Kimeria and Mzigo alive. With this act, Munira
believes he has achieved oneness with the Law. It can be concluded that his passion
for goodness turned into a destructive flame, engulfing everything, including him.

Ngugi created three types of heroes from his three male protagonists. First is
Munira, the idealistic visionary, next is Abdulla, the forgotten veteran. Abdulla is a
reincarnation of the time of Africa’s struggle for freedom, the colonial past. An unsung
hero, all he has left from the war is his stumped leg. Through Abdulla, Ngugi captured
the allegorical representation of the heroes who sacrificed everything yet gained
nothing from the struggle for independence. Abdulla is introduced primarily in the novel
as a bar owner in Ilmorog, reliant on his small business for living. In the end he turns into
a drunkard obsessed with revenge on Kimeria who betrayed him to the colonialists.
Abdulla’s dull present sharply contrasts his heroic past, which parallels the history of
Africa before and after colonialism. Through Abdulla, Ngugi created a confrontation
between the past and the present, in which the past stands in judgement over the
present.

Ngugi was able to express vividly the allegorical figure each character possesses,
and one of the major defining figures in this narrative is Karega. Considered as Ngugi’s
genuine hero, Karega is portrayed as the stereotype underdog marked by intrepid
determination and a strong sense of justice which fuels him to become rebellious or not
wanting to be dominated. In contrast to other characters such as Nyayinkuya, Abdulla
and the workers who are merely onlookers in the text, Karega’s connection between
Ilmorog is active. He becomes a character whose quest is to improve the poor
conditions of Ilmorog. As a bustling youth, Karega took part in the strike against the
headmaster of Siriana High School. His noble character is further shown he took up a
teaching post in Munira’s school and seeks to transform the education in Ilmorog
altogether. In his search for truth and relating the truth to others, Karega’s teaching is
unorthodox; his approach was so radical that it produces more questions than answers.
His resolved faltered when Munira dismisses him unceremoniously from his teaching
post. However, his coming to consciousness or the awakening of his defiant spirit was
better depicted when he came back to Ilmorog after his self-imposed exile. He began
a trade union which he uses to raise awareness to the workers of Theng’eta Breweries.
The formation of his trade union leads to the workers’ strike which can be seen in the
beginning of the novel. As a lone flame, he was able to rekindle the consciousness of
the masses. The novel ends with Karega being detained for being a communist, but
even as he lingers in prison, he believes that the workers will be able to raise a revolution
against the unjust system, just as the workers and the people of Ilmorog believe in him.
“’You’ll come back,’ she said again in a quite affirmation of faith in eventual triumph
(409).” Despite all the tragic events, the novel’s ending is filled of hope and positive
notes of a brighter future for the peasant masses and Ilmorog. “’Tomorrow…’ and he
knew he was no longer alone (410).”

Ngugi’s Petals of Blood explores the effects of post-independent Africa on the

lives of the peasant masses, how a new socialist system is formed and the unchanged
conditions of the marginalised. However, despite the seemingly stagnant and
unsatisfactory state of affairs, Ngugi’s searing criticism on the history of colonialism also
propagates the possibility of a new sunrise for his nation.

“Perhaps not tomorrow, or the next day, nor even the day after
that, but still it will come because the peasants, aided by the
workers, small traders and small landowners… had mapped
out the path for themselves to follow (Thiong’o 1967).”

MANINANG, Elaine R.
III-6 AB/BSE Literature English Stream
28 September 2015
African Literature
Miss Pia Besmonte

THESIS STATEMENT: Petals of Blood is Ngugi’s successful attempt to sketch a complex

and detailed portrait of the economic, socio-political state of the post-independent
Africa through his use of allegorical figures throughout the novel.

I. Ilmorog as a microcosm of Africa

A. Capitalism and exploitation in post-colonial Africa

II. Wanja as a symbolic figure of marginalised women in

the new socialist system of post-independent Africa

III. The hypocrisy which lies in Christianity

A. Implication of bible allusions in the novel
B. Reverend Jerrod Brown
C. Reverend Waweru

IV. Allegorical representation of the various characters

A. Munira
B. Abdulla
C. Karega