Customer Reviews

Matigari: Ngugi wa Thiongo ; (African writers series)

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Keil,

Ngugi was self-exiled from his country in 1982, and the novel came out in 1986. You also left out the part where the police arrested the book since they couldn't arrest the man.

In short, Matigari is the name of a former Mau Mau fighter who, as the book opens, comes out of the woods to lay down his weapons and, as he puts it, trades them for the belt of peace. Trouble comes when he begins asking the question "Where can a man find peace and justice in this world". We soon find out that in this nameless postcolonial country, there is none to be found. This book is extrememly powerful in its portrayal of the fictional Matigaro, and the Kenyan government also found it powerful. Soon after its publication, rumors began to spread of a man named Matigari who traveled the countryside, fighting for justice amongst the common people. The government soon issued a warrant for his arrest, not understanding that this man was a fictional character. Not long after this, Ngugi himself was exiled from the country. This says more for tthe power of Ngugi and his writing than my words ever could.