The Trial of Dedan Kimathi presentation

The Trial of Dedan Kimathi

Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Micere Cithae Mugo

ENG 421 - Group 4 Adeoti Osifeso Moses Godiya Maryam Usman

About the Authors

The events surrounding the 1656 trial of Dedan Kimathi, the legendary Kenyan hero who led the Mau Mau rebellion against the British colonial rule in Kenya and was eventually hung, inspired Ngugi and his collaborator Micere Githae Mugo to create a strong and challenging play.

Plot

The First movement

• The mature woman, barefoot carrying a basket walks straight into the mouth of a gun. The policeman, Johnnie halts her progress and starts to interrogate her. He tries to molest her looking at her lasciviously then he tumbles down her basket of fruits and eats her bananas
• He tries to inspect a loaf of bread which the woman begged and pleaded with him not to that it’s her only source of livelihood for her and her children. A group of soldiers were coming then Johnnie ran away and the woman hid

• The soldiers are on patrol duty to capture Mau Mau fighters to avoid an attack to release Kimathi.
• Boy and girl are fighting and woman separates them. She talks to boy concerning the fight and gives him some money to get food are return the change. He does so and as a result agreed to take part in helping woman deliver a loaf of bread to an orange in-front of the courthouse.

The Second movement

• A trial in the court that brings a crowd of spectators, the whites and blacks sit on opposite sides and don’t mingle. They are here for the trial of Dedan Kimathi

• Dedan Kimathi comes and his charge was read out by the judge: “Dedan Kimathi s/o Wachiuri, alias Prime Minister, or Field Marshal, of no fixed address, you are charged that on the night of Sunday, October the 21 st, 1956, at or near lhururu in Nyeri District, you were found in possession of a firearm, namely a revolver, without a licence, contrary to section 89 of the penal code, which under Special Emergency Regulations constitutes a criminal offence. Guilty or not guilty?” (p. 24)

• Dedan Kimathi remains silent and then speaks against the judge. He is aghast being judged according to the biased law of the imperialist government and judge “To a criminal judge, in a criminal court, set up by criminal law : the law of oppression. I have no words...Two laws. Two justices. One law and one justice protect the man of property, the man of wealth, the foreign exploiter. Another Jaw, another justice, silences the poor, the hungry, our people” (p. 24-25)
• Dedan Kimathi is taken away and a white settler agitated holds out a gun. He blames the loss of all he has because of Dedan Kimathi and wants him dead.
• Outside in the streets, the boy makes it to the courthouse but does not see the orange seller. Instead, he sees the girl and chases her for his money.

The Third movement

• Boy and girl walk to the jailhouse and recognize the woman disguised as a male fruitseller. They join forces and devise a plan to get the gun into the courthouse and free Kimathi
• In the court-house of the trial of Dedan Kimathi, he notices that his former partners have betrayed him and joined the white British.
• The woman walks in and joins the crowd and takes a seat. Kimathi’s former partners notice the woman and they signal for her to be arrested. As she was taken out, the boy and girl came in and sat among the crowd as the court house gets restless.
• The judge pronounces Dedan Kimathi guilty as charged and says he would be hanged. As the judge leaves, the boy and girl move swiftly towards Kimathi with the gun while the courthouse is in restless

The Four Trials of dedan kimathi

The First Trial

• Shaw Henderson comes to meet Dedan Kimathi in his cell. He tells Kimathi to plead guilty in court to save his life, which he refused.
• Henderson tells him of his partners, and that his confession would bring them out. He talks of Wambararia, his brother who betrayed and went to the British rule

The Second Trial

• A colonial governor and a delegation of bankers - a white Englishman, an Indian, an African come to meet Kimathi in his cell
• The Banker tells him to plead guilty and end the war that the war is holding back investment, money, and development
• The Indian banker tells him about India who have gotten their independence and are developing. The have a flag, national anthem, and their religion
• They tell him that money would remove racial discrimination and provide stability in the government, and that he should only plead guilty to the charge.

The Third Trial

• An African businessman, a politician and a priest come to meet Kimathi in his cell
• The British would allot posts to the Africans in Legislative councils and also in provincial and district political parties if African surrender to them. They would make laws against racial discrimination towards the Africans
• The African will be given equal rights and due respect in all the realms of life. The new motto of the British is to give the Africans 50% partnership in progress, development, and business
• The politician says that Kenya will gain Uhuru province by province. That the blacks would have a place in the State house and have independence
• The priest says that Kimathi is very stubborn and should repent and surrender to “call off bloodshed”(p.50). He says that the church would be Africanized if they surrender to the British, that Christ should be reflected in their culture

• Dedan fears that “I feared the self-acclaimed messengers of God might come to our fighters and say : surrender... that's the word of God”(p.50)
• He further refers them as traitors saying, “You...traitors to your own people...sellers of your own people...for...your own stomach..for medals and leftovers...our people will never surrender”(p. 57-58)

The Fourth Trial

• Shaw Henderson comes to Kimathi’s cell for the last time to pay his “last respects”. They ask him to reveal the where about of his partner, Stanley Mathenge and the names of other rebels while whipping him mercilessly but he does not reveal
• They gave him a paper to sign a surrender form that Kimathi is surrendering everything, and telling the Mau Mau fighters to surrender to the British, but he tore the paper in their faces

Characters

Dedan Kimathi

• He is a freedom fighter for Kenya. He is referred to as a great commander and fighter of the Mau Mau movement against the British rule. He is described by the woman in the following:
• “He was a wonderful teacher: with a laugh that was truly infectious. He could also act and mimic any character in the world: a story teller too, and many were the nights he would calm his men and make their hearts light and gay with humorous anecdotes. But above all, he loved people, and he loved his country” (p. 62).

Woman

• She is a patriotic fighter and part of the movement against the British rule. She disguises herself as an orange seller and risked her life to free Dedan Kimathi. She recruited the boy in helping to enact the plan to free Kimathi

Boy He is an orphan boy who helps the woman in the plan to free Dedan Kimathi. His father worked in a factory but eventually lost his life during a fatal work accident. Girl She ran away from home and from school from the molestation she receives from the headmaster and the nonchalant nature of her father. She joins the boy in helping the woman in the freedom of Dedan Kimathi. Shaw Henderson He is given multi-functional roles. He acts as a British official, judge, prosecutor and member of the Special Branch. He is also the enemy-friend of the Africans. He is from Scottish descent and is a childhood friend of Dedan Kimathi.

Wambararia

• Dedan Kimathi’s younger brother was a traitor who betrayed his country and served the British rulers for his material benefits

Johnnie

• He is a white policeman who patrols the grounds. He harasses the woman and throws down her fruit basket and also eats her bananas

symbols

The Gun

• This symbolizes freedom and liberation

The Surrender form

• This is a symbol of forced subjugation under the British imperialist rule

Themes

Colonialism

• The play explores this theme by repeatedly showing how Kenyans are impoverished and hungry and contrasting this with the large farms, nice clothes, and comfort of the settlers. In each court room scene, for instance, Kenyans are shown in tattered clothes and sit on uncomfortable benches, while white settlers wear fancy clothes and sit in much nicer chairs. In the few instances where black people are shown wearing nice clothes, it is meant to show that they are collaborators with the oppressive forces of colonialism.

‘Guilty or not guilty?’ Shaw Henderson, the judge, demands. Dedan does not give an answer to the question, rather he objects the rulership of a European judge over an African in an African court of law

Fight against capitalism

• Kimathi is repeatedly confronted in his four trials with various bribes meant to get him to confess his guilt. These bribes all ask him, in various ways, to accept life, glory, and monetary success—first for himself and then, nebulously, for Kenya. Kimathi, however, sees through these shams. To Kimathi, capitalism is one of the evils he is fighting because it creates masters and workers. In his conversation with the businessman, he specifically rejects equal participation in this competition in favor of the true freedom of communities who subsist off their land.

Heroism & fight for independence

• Dedan Kimanthi was considered a major threat to the whites because he led several freedom fighters against the European government. Regardless of the torturing, beatings and bribes he was offered he stayed true to himself and country till the very end. Standing up for his country and rights even if it got him harmed.

conclusion

Ngugi wa Thiong'o writes this play to change the negative notion of the movement and Dedan Kimathi. He is presented as a man of great courage and commitment. The play ends on a note of hope, defiance, and reassurance does this freedom struggle of Kenya will continue forever strengthened with division and strength of the successive generation

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