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Next year it will be 50 years since the publication of River Between by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and I think one of the reasons the art of fiction is so beautiful is because stories can always teach us something or make us feel empathy for others. I LOVE that we can simply open a book and be deep in the heart of Kenya, identifying with a boy who is born into a tribe of rich culture and traditions. Through Waiyaki’s story, and the stories of the other children in the book, we can see the effects of oppression and colonization on kids. There are consequences for children when they grow up in a world of separation and divided morality, and those effects transcend national boundaries, and can certainly span generations.
Waiyaki is sent away at a young age to receive an education from missionaries that bring Christianity and “civilization” to the people of the ridges. The missionaries hoped to change the little Gikuyu children by bringing them education and rules to live by. When Waiyaki comes back to his tribe after his time away at school, he feels estranged. He doesn’t feel like he fully belongs in his own culture, but he also knows how different he is from the white missionaries. His dream is to bring the “white man’s education” to the tribes so they could have better lives. Ngugi portrays a boy who is caught in the middle of change. Waiyaki struggles with the fact that he may not seem loyal to the people in his tribe when he becomes like the missionaries with his educational pursuits. But the Christian missionaries still see him as a heathen because he condones the rituals of the tribe.
As Waiyaki grows into a young man, the narrative reflects on the work he has already done and his hopes for the future: “With the little knowledge that he had he would uplift the tribe, yes, give it the white man’s learning and his tools, so that in the end the tribe would be strong enough, wise enough, to chase away the settlers and the missionaries” (87). Ngugi reveals Waiyaki as a hero in this way. He doesn’t fall prey to the occupying religion or ways of life, but he adopts their best aspects and tries fervently to share what he has learned with his people. Waiyaki’s desire to remain a part of the tribe is at the heart of what Ngugi was doing when he wrote this novel in his native tongue, Gikuyu. Ngugi shares his character’s desire to spread education and also to remain loyal to his people. In a way, this story he tells is his own.
Another child in the story, Muthoni, grows up on the Christianized ridge, and when she decides she wants to get circumcised, her father is horrified. Even though she knows that her family will disown her, she chooses to “be made beautiful in the eyes of the tribe” (44). Ngugi depicts Muthoni as a brave child, and she foreshadows the attempt that Waiyaki makes later in the novel to bring the two sides together. Her death is a dark reminder that it is often the weak and the powerless that take the brunt of these kinds of cultural conflicts.
Muthoni’s sister, Nyambura, also tries to bridge the gap. She attempts to stay loyal to her family, not wanting to cause division, but eventually goes back to her tribal roots and leaves the umbrella of the colonial occupation. Her desire for Waiyaki shows her belief in the power of agreement between sides. Nyambura goes through the most struggles deciding what side to end up on, and she eventually chooses the middle ground. Her and Waiyaki both are too lukewarm to be accepted by either side. As the novel comes to a close, the two characters that have done the most internal soul searching, and experienced the most personal growth, are ridiculed. Their situation pays tribute to the difficulties children go through coming of age in a country that is being colonized. They not only have to find their own moral boundaries, but they must decide whose morality – their ancestors’ or the occupying country’s – they are going to accept as their own.
In the River Between it is the children who are most affected by the occupying country, and it is they who will live in the world that is created by the mess. Ngugi seems to suggest that a story of the next generation, after Waiyaki, might bring even more separation, rather than a coming together of the opposing sides. In the setting of the African jungles of Kenya, it is the children who feel the full force of colonization and oppression – both the struggles and triumphs in adapting to the precarious cultural position into which they were born.
In his research abstract on the faculty page at U.C. Irvine, Ngugi says of fiction: “I use the novel form to explore issues of wealth, power and values in society and how their production and organization in society impinge on the quality of a people’s spiritual life.”
You can read more about his life and works at his website –> Ngugi wa Thiong’o | Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine
What do you think is the biggest effect that civil wars, colonization, and/or poverty have on the current generation of kids experiencing these things around the world today? Or do you think that these issues aren’t relevant anymore?
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The book looks like a good read, though I’ve never heard of it before. I’ll have to see if my local bookstore has it. By the way, whoa…I had no idea girls could even get circumsized?!?
Sounds like a interesting read! Might have to add it to my read list ;-)
I love books like this, historical fiction where you learn a lot the true history of a place or an era. I am reading a massive novel now the last of three that has covered WWI up to the Vietnam War, it is so interesting. I will have to keep this one in mine for my next book, I read every day on my commute.
Sounds like a wonderful story, have you read the Lizard Cage? This looks right up my alley.
Wow, it seems like a very compelling book. I can’t imagine what it must be like to grow up in two different worlds and then have to decide which one to be in. Sounds like a great read and like a good insight into African culture.
I am into these kinds of stories, because I feel that I also get to learn something new compared to the, well typical(s). I’m getting a copy of River Between and will recommend it in my Book Club.
Sounds like a great book! I do believe this is still an issue just not in America or Canada but other places for sure.
This sounds like an interesting read. I really wish I could make the time to sit down and read wonderful books again, all my time is taken up with reading wonderful blogs at the moment! :)
We are taking so many of the liberties and freedom we enjoy for granted when so many things are happening in the world. That’s an interesting read for sure. Thanks for sharing this review, Jamie!
Thanks for the book suggestion. I like books in all different genres and this looks like an interesting one.
I normally don’t read books like this but it looks interesting. In South Africa there’s a lot of poverty so it has a huge effect on education :(…
Sounds like a great read! I’ve been looking for a new book!
Sounds like a great book to read. I wish that I could find the time to sit down and read a book like this. Hopefully soon!
These are very relevant issues. It is so sad that there is so much poverty in the world.
I think the issues of poverty and civil wars are most certainly relevant, and the younger generation in those countries are in greater peril than ever before. I mean, not only do many lack food, clean water, and education…they have to worry about being kidnapped, killed, and forced into something they do not want to do. Netflix has a couple of really interesting documentaries that I’ve seen which shed a light on some of the issues we don’t even hear about in the news. Just sad.
This book sounds very interesting! I was wanting more after reading your description. I bet I would not want to put this book down.
This sounds like an interesting read. I’ll be checking it out on goodreads.
Sounds awesome! I don’t read for pleasure these days. All reference books. Although, I do read for fun with my kids! :)
wow what an intense book. I might just have to pick it up but it sounds like a book I have to be the mood for. One of those tear jerkers.
This sounds awesome! Adding it to my booklist…
This sounds like a phenomenal & eye opening read. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it before!
Sounds like a really eye opening book, I am not in an area that has many ethnicity groups, mostly Caucasian here, so I am not bearing witness to many things that I would be able to answer your question you ask, but thank you for opening our eyes to this. I will have to check out this book and the website!
This sounds like an interesting book indeed. I would love to read this one with the controversy dealing with cultures. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this book. I’ve been thinking about getting back into reading.
Wow, that sounds like a beautiful story. I’m actually interested in reading this. It sounds like something I would enjoy. I’ll have to book mark this. Thanks!
This looks like a wonderful book. I always enjoy books set in other cultures.
Sounds like an amazing read.
I think the biggest effect of wars, poverty, and other situations (which, of course, are relevant today as much as before!) in which people are required to survive is the social norms that are internalized by kids. These norms and beliefs are so pervasive. That’s why the war doesn’t end right when it ends. The war-born norms linger for many generations, complicating people’s lives and getting these lives so much harsher…
This book sounds amazing. Reading your review, it reminded me a little of Cry, the Beloved Country, which is one of the most amazing books I’ve even read. I’m adding this to my list.
Miss Angie sent me here. Thanks for the post and this is my new author of the day.
Wow, that book sounds like a wonderful and inspirational read! I can imagine this book could make quite an impact on someone.
So excited that I found your blog!! I love how you do book reviews and reading your travel posts!!
This sounds like a powerful book. Going to add it to my Goodreads shelf!