NGUGI WA THIONG’O

 Ngugi wa Thiong'o, currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the
University of California, Irvine, was born in Kenya, in 1938 into a large peasant family.

 The Kenya of his birth and youth was a British settler colony (1895-1963). As an adolescent, he
lived through the Mau Mau War of Independence (1952-1962), the central historical episode in
the making of modern Kenya and a major theme in his early works.

 One of the novels, Weep Not Child, was published to critical acclaim in 1964; followed by the
second novel, The River Between (1965). His third, A Grain of Wheat (1967), was a turning point
in the formal and ideological direction of his works.

 Multi-narrative lines and multi-viewpoints unfolding at different times and spaces replace the
linear temporal unfolding of the plot from a single viewpoint. The collective replaces the individual
as the center of history.

NGUGI WA THIONG’O

 In 1967, Ngugi became lecturer in English Literature at the University of Nairobi.

 During his tenure at Nairobi, Ngugi was at the center of the politics of English departments in
Africa, championing the change of name from English to simply Literature to reflect world
literature with African and third world literatures at the center.

 Sharply critical of the inequalities and injustices of Kenyan society, publicly identified with
unequivocally championing the cause of ordinary Kenyans, and committed to communicating
with them in the languages of their daily lives, Ngugi was arrested and imprisoned without charge
at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison at the end of the year, December 31, 1977.

 In exile, Ngugi worked with the London based Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners in
Kenya, (1982-1998), which championed the cause of democratic and human rights in Kenya.

NGUGI WA THIONG’O

 He remained in exile for the duration of the Moi Dictatorship 1982-2002. When he and his wife,
Njeeri, returned to Kenya in 2004 after twenty-two years in exile, they were attacked by four hired
gunmen and narrowly escaped with their lives.

 He has edited several literary journals and is recipient of many honors.

 Weep Not,Child was the second novel Ngugi wrote and his first novel to be published. Set in Kenya
in the turbulent 1950’s, the novel tells the story of a family and how it is affected by the open
antagonisms between natives and colonists.

 The protagonist, Njoroge, is a young boy who wants more than anything to receive an education
and is thrilled to attend a missionary school.

 Ngotho, is a tenant farmer on land owned by Jacobo, a wealthy African farmer. Ngotho works for
the British Mr. Howlands on a tea plantation that is Ngotho’s ancestral land.
WEEP NOT CHILD

 The novel Weep Not Child belongs to the period shortly after the close of the Second World War.
The events and sentiments which emerge and culminate in the Mau-Mau rebellion are seen as
they influence the lives of the family of Ngotho; the families of Howlands, and Jacobo, a Kenyan
land owner.

 The events that the novel depicts are seen mainly from the point of view of Njoroge, the youngest
son of Ngotho, from the time he steps into the school. The first chapter focuses on his (Njoroge)
story, and the two dominant motifs of this novel - education and land.

 Ngotho’s older son, Boro, has returned from military service in World War II, bitter, disillusioned,
and having learned of the white man’s violence.

 Boro loathes his father’s passivity. In an effort to appease Boro, Ngotho becomes involved with a
strike and leads an attack on Jacobo, who attempts to quell the strikers. Consequently, Ngotho
loses his job.

 Boro becomes a guerrilla leader and political activist who ultimately kills both Howlands and
Jacobo. Although Boro is arrested and sentenced to be hanged, Ngotho confesses to killing Jacobo
and is tortured and killed.

WEEP NOT CHILD

 The village is located near Kipanga, a larger town where many of the villagers work. Njoroge
enjoys learning how to read - and eventually, how to speak English. He continues to bond with
Mwihaki, and also dedicates himself to studying the Bible. He sees parallels between the Gikuyu
struggle and the oppression of the Israelites.

 Two and a half years pass. Njoroge’s hero, the revolutionary Jomo Kenyatta, is arrested.
Meanwhile, there are many incidents of violence by the Mau Mau, one of the revolutionary
groups. The whole culture is in a state of flux and worry.

 According to Ngotho, a seer named Mugo wa Kibiro had prophesied all of this tragedy before the
British even set foot in Kenya. She had also promised that the white men would eventually leave,
a promise that gives many like Ngotho hope for the future.

 As time goes by, Njoroge immerses himself in books, especially the Bible. He develops his own
kind of religious faith, which combines Christian teachings with traditional Gikuyu values.

WEEP NOT CHILD

 In the present day, Njoroge sulks at his job, and his miserable mood frightens the children who
come into the shop.

 Mwihaki receives a note from Njoroge asking to see her. Njoroge apologizes for what happened
to her father. Mwihaki believes that he could have warned her before the murder if he chose, but
Njoroge insists that he knew nothing about it.
 Finally, he tells her that he loves her. Mwihaki confesses that she loves him too, and Njoroge
proposes they run away to Uganda together, as she once proposed. However, Mwihaki insists
they must stay because they have a duty to help make a brighter future for their people.

 Njoroge feels forsaken by everything he once cared for – education, God, country, Mwihaki. He
walks to the outside of the village, prepared to hang himself. At the last moment, Nyokabi
appears, and urges him to come home. He feels guilty for shirking his father’s last command,
which was to take care of his mothers.