Wild or Free?

Reading the Musings of a Colonial Administrative

Officer

Introduction

Colonization is an integral part of Africa's history, and almost all African countries

have been victims. The British were one of Africa’s biggest colonies. It had many colonies in

Africa: in British West Africa there was Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Southern Cameroon, and

Sierra Leone; in British East Africa there was Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania (formerly

Tanganyika and Zanzibar); and in British South Africa there was South Africa, Northern

Rhodesia (Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Nyasaland (Malawi), Lesotho,

Botswana, and Swaziland (Africa: British Colonies | Encyclopedia.com 2022). The rise of

imperialism births the rise of postcolonial literature in Africa. Many young African writers

were writing against imperialism, with writers like Ngugi Wa Thiongo and Chinua Achebe

being standouts. Many raised topics of interest in their books, with the central theme being

the dangers of imperialism in Africa. Colonial officers were at the heart of British rule over

Africa, and they were responsible for overseeing districts in British colonies and reporting to

their superiors.

A Grain of Wheat, written by Nguigi Wa Thiong’O, is one of Africa’s best post-

colonial novels. It follows the story of a man named Mugo and the village of Thabai in the

last four days before the “Uhuru,” or Kenya’s independence. Arfat and Tariq (1079) opine

that “Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's narrative A Grain of Wheat documents the Kenyan independence

movement that was inspired by nationalism and which resulted after the scores of struggle

against colonial machinery. Fundamentally speaking, Ngugi seems to have been re-writing

the history of colonization and its different manifestations aiming at unmasking the discursive

practices of the colonizers…” It is a book that explores imperialism Vs. nationalism, and its

socio-political impact on Kenya and Africa. This paper explores the musings of a colonial
administrative officer in A Grain of Wheat. It attempts to study the motivation behind their

thoughts in the book and whether or not their action justifies it.

John Thompson is the last colonial administrative secretary for Thabai in the novel.

However, he was not the only one mentioned, and before him was Thomas Robson. Not

much is said about Robson in the book, but he was generally known as “Tom, the Terror''

(Thiong’O 211). The name was reflective of his cruelty, and he has been said to commit

murders by driving “criminals” to the edge of the forest. He would ask them to dig their

graves and say their final prayers before shooting them halfway through it. (Thiong’O 211).

He was murdered by Thabai’s head of the forest fighters, Kihika. However, his character is

integral to the book, as it influences some of the actions of John Thompson.

Arfat and Tariq (1079) describe Thompson as “highly racial and judgemental because,

to him, it was “difficult to tell one black face from another.” (Thiong’O 1996: 63). This claim

can also be substantiated by his actions, which correlate to his line of thought. Originally a

soldier who served in Kenya, he returned to Britain to study history. However, “he found

himself interested in the development of the British empire” (Thiong’O 62), of which

imperialism was a massive part at the time.

“At first, this was a historian's interest without personal involvement.

But, drifting into the poems of Rudyard Kipling, he experienced a swift

flicker, a flame awakened. He saw himself as a man with destiny, a man

poised for great things in the future. He studied the work and life of Lord

Lugard. And then a casual meeting with two African students crystallized his

longings into a concrete conviction.” (Thiongo’O (62).

This excerpt from the book shows that Thompson was a man engraved by British

imperialism, even before becoming an administrative secretary at Thabai. He believed the

African mind is consumed by irrationality, inconsistency, and superstition. However, he

wants all of them to be replaced by the three principles of the Western mind: i.e. the principle

of Reason, of Order, and Measure (Thiong’O 62).

“'My heart was filled with joy,' he wrote later. 'In a flash I was convinced

that the growth of the British Empire was the development of a great moral idea:

it means it must surely lead to the creation of one British nation, embracing

peoples of all colours and creeds, based on the just proposition that all men were

created equal.” (Thiong’O 62).

While Thompson thinks and speaks like an angel on the transformation he thinks

Africa deserves, he does not care how it is enforced. In his Manuscript that he titles Prospero

in Africa, He quotes Albert Sweitzer, who said, “the negro is a child, and nothing can be done

without the use of proper authority” (Thiong’O 64). “Thompson believes that the natives are

at the infancy of evolution and therefore, they need to be instructed, monitored, and punished

to keep them on the track set by the whites.” (Arfat, Tariq 1084) However, the authority

being used is a harsh one, and the Africans are subjected to slavery and imprisonment on

their land.

“Contrary to the claims of the whites about themselves as harbingers of modernity and

civilization, the natives perceived them as quite otherwise; the harbingers of barbarism,

brutality, exploitation, injustice, division, bloodshed, and mass massacres.” (Arfat and Tariq

1080). The people of Thabai were not allowed choices. Rather, they were forced to accept the

white man when he tried to take over their land. He came innocently to spread Christianity.

“...the white man came to the country, clutching the book of God in both hands…”

(Thiong’O 13) The people of Thabai gave them a place to build their church and continue

their lives. However, he kept expanding his territory to more than what was allocated to him,

and the “'elders of the land protested.' They looked beyond the laughing face of the white
man and suddenly saw a long line of other red strangers who carried not the Bible, but the

sword" (Thong’O 15). The white man has conquered their land with his “bamboo poles that

emitted fire and smoke.” (Thong’O 15).

While all these happened long before Thompson became the colonial administrative

secretary for Thabai, he did not rule over the village with a different hand. He mentioned in

his manuscript that he would rule with a “stick” after the murder of Thomas Robson, as “No

government can tolerate anarchy, no civilization can be built on this violence and savagery.”

(Thiong’O 64). However, he speaks as if the “violence and savagery” of the Africans is

unprovoked. For him, the Europeans can kill and torture Africans how they wish, but it

becomes violent when they retaliate. Thiong’O imaged this using the dog incident. A blue

mastiff belonging to Dr. Lynd attempted to attack a group of Africans, and one man tried to

defend himself with a stone. While he did not use the stone as Dr. Lynd came in time to stop

the dog, she was angry that the man attempted to defend themselves, saying: “I am ashamed

of you, utterly ashamed of you!” (Thing’O 49) Kihika also mentioned in his interaction with

Mugo, one of the text’s main characters; “We don’t just kill anybody…We are not

murderers…Hangmen, like Robson – killing men and women without cause or purpose…We

only hit back.” (Thiong’O 216).

Even after Kenya gets independence and Thompson was about to leave, he still

believes that Africa is dependent. “We are not yet beaten…Africa cannot, cannot, do without

Europe. (Thiong’O 188). However, the statement is more reflective of his sad feelings about

having to leave Kenya than being a realistic reflection of what he thinks. Stephen and Basil

(2012) opine that “The colonization of Africa by European powers was necessitated by

several factors. Notable, among the factors was the emergence of the Industrial Revolution

which brought about a rapid change in the socio-economic transformation and technology of

the European countries.” One of the main motivations of colonialism was not because Africa
needed Europe but rather because Europe needed Africa. Postcolonialism, it can be argued

that Europe, and Africa need themselves almost on an equal base, which leads to the

existence of neocolonialism.

Despite its use of flashbacks, the book did not vividly portray Kenyans before

colonialism. (It did not portray their "primitive" nature like Things Fall Apart did for

instance. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately gauge some of Thompson's assumptions of

Africa because they address the continent before the white man came. However, they

(Kenyans) have their musings about administrative officers like Thompson did against them.

The Africans were open to accommodating the whites, evident when they gave him land to

build his church. However, their trust was betrayed when they used guns, and their opinions

about him changed forever. Gatu, a detainee from Nyeri, is a character who gives a solid

opinion of what the average African thinks of the white man. He mentioned that “the white

man just wants to break us with lies” (Thiong’O 122). The people of Thabai were very much

aware of the white man’s deceit in his claims to transform the continent. They knew that the

introduction of religion was used as a decoy for their ultimate goal. “We went to the

church…He said, let us kneel down to pray…Let us shut our eyes...When we opened our

eyes, our land was gone, and the sword of flames stood on guard.” (Thiong’O 18). Freedom

to the people of Thabai is being able to live their lives without being forced, tortured, or sent

to detention camps for crimes they were not convicted of. The Mau Mau movement is one of

the book’s most significant answers to the white man’s portrayal of Kenyans. It shows that it

would go to any length to fight against imperialism and will not stop till it gets it, which it

does. General Koinadu sums up the motivation behind the Mau Mau rebellion in the

following words:

“The white man went in cars. He lived in a big house. His children went

to school. But who tilled the soil on which we grew coffee, tea, pytherium, and
 sisal? The whiteman lived on our land. He ate what we grew and cooked. And

even the crumbs from his table, he threw to his dogs.” Thiong’O (250).

Africa is not a baby and will fight for what it deserves. As a detainee in one of the

detention camps puts it, ”The Love that I have for Kenya kept me alive and made me endure

everything.” (Thiong’O 76). Kihika is used to portray the doggedness and intellectual

capability of Africans. Rather than follow the white man’s religion, he questions aspects that

confuse him. (Thiong’O 100). Kenyans also question the white man's looks and way of life

just like he did theirs, calling him “the stranger with the scaled skin.” (Thiong’O 13). They

also laughed when he talked about “another country beyond the sea, where a powerful

woman sat on the throne.” (Thiong’O 13). They laughed because it is considered unusual for

a woman to lord over men. References to Africans who attend schools and succeed also

portray the blacks as not primitive but rather the weaker side in a battle for supremacy.

Kenyans embraced the good way of life of the whites but were not ready to give up their land

to the white man. In the end, Africans and whites are different, and trying to make them one

as colonial administrators like Thompson insinuate is a battle that he can not win.

(Quote Albert Switzer, and the positive words he spoke to counter Thompson's

assumption of Africa.

(Characters like Kihika are proof that Africans are nt naive, and are ready to fight for

freedom, no matter what it takes. No matter how you want to look at it, the Africans were the

winners because they succeeded in chasing the white man from their homes)

About Thabai, (p.g 5)

 References

Africa: British Colonies | Encyclopedia.com.

www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-

maps/africa-british-colonies#C.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o. A Grain of Wheat. Heinemann, 1967. Digitalised by RevSocialist for

Socialist Stories.

Stephen, Ocheni, and Basil C Nwankwo. “Analysis of Colonialism and It's Impact in Africa.”

Cross-Cultural Communication 8(3), 46-54.

Yasir, Arfat, and Hafsah Tariq. “Representation of the Colonizers in A Grain of Wheat By

Nguigi Wa Thiong'o.” Pakistani Journal of Social Research. April-June 2022, pp.

1079-1085.