Ngaahika Ndeenda
Encyclopedia
Ngaahika Ndeenda, a play
translated later into English
as I Will Marry When I Want, was written by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
and first performed in Kenya
in 1977 in the playwright's home village of Kamiriithu. The resultant furore over the politics hinted at in the play is believed to have been the direct cause of the writer's detention without trial in 1977.
, to kill a vineyard owner, Naboth
, and seize his vineyard.
, Kenya
. Ngugi's project sought to create an autochthonous Kenyan theater, which would liberate the theatrical process from what the artist held to be "the general bourgeois education system", by encouraging spontaneity and audience participation in the performances. If traditional theatrical form was based on rehearsal "more or less in secrecy", in order to present an awing, perfected, daunting final form to an audience, Ngugi aimed to present a form of theater which would abstain from "mystifying knowledge and hence reality". By concealing the struggles of the actors to achieve their sought-after form as embodiments of their characters, traditional theater, according to Ngugi, actually causes people in the audience to "feel their inadequacies, their weaknesses and their incapacities in the face of reality; and their inability to do anything about the conditions governing their lives."
Ngugi's project sought to "demystify" the theatrical process, and to avoid the "process of alienation [which] produces a gallery of active stars and an undifferentiated mass of grateful admirers" which, according to Ngugi, encourages passivity in the viewer. Although Ngaahika Ndeenda was a commercial success, it was shut down by the authoritarian Kenyan regime six weeks after its opening. Ngugi was subsequently imprisoned for over a year.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
translated later into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as I Will Marry When I Want, was written by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a Kenyan author, formerly working in English and now working in Gĩkũyũ. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature...
and first performed in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in 1977 in the playwright's home village of Kamiriithu. The resultant furore over the politics hinted at in the play is believed to have been the direct cause of the writer's detention without trial in 1977.
Plot
The storyline of the play centres on a peasant farmer and his wife who are tricked into mortgaging their home and plot of land to finance a 'proper Christian wedding' by the owner of the adjacent shoe factory in order, in conjunction with a local bank manager, to allow the owner of the factory to acquire the piece of land in order to expand his business. The play also points an accusatory finger at church institutions that are complicit in facilitating the wedding arrangements and act only as a means for the oppressed workers to drown their sorrows, juxtaposing them with the local bars in which the characters spend their time. The story echoes the Biblical King Ahab, who is pressured by his wife JezebelJezebel
Jezebel may refer to:* Jezebel, wife of King Ahab*Jezebel, in the Book of Revelation 2:20 a prophetess in the church of Thyatira* Jezebel , starring Bette Davis and Henry Fonda* Jezebel , a blog aimed at women...
, to kill a vineyard owner, Naboth
Naboth
Naboth "the Jezreelite," is the central figure of a story from the Old Testament. According to the story, Naboth was the owner of a plot on the eastern slope of the hill of Jezreel...
, and seize his vineyard.
Kamiriithu theater
Ngaahika Ndeenda was performed at the open-air theater at Kamiriithu, in LimuruLimuru
Limuru is a town in central Kenya. It is also the name of a parliamentary constituency and an administrative division. Current 2004 population is about 4800....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. Ngugi's project sought to create an autochthonous Kenyan theater, which would liberate the theatrical process from what the artist held to be "the general bourgeois education system", by encouraging spontaneity and audience participation in the performances. If traditional theatrical form was based on rehearsal "more or less in secrecy", in order to present an awing, perfected, daunting final form to an audience, Ngugi aimed to present a form of theater which would abstain from "mystifying knowledge and hence reality". By concealing the struggles of the actors to achieve their sought-after form as embodiments of their characters, traditional theater, according to Ngugi, actually causes people in the audience to "feel their inadequacies, their weaknesses and their incapacities in the face of reality; and their inability to do anything about the conditions governing their lives."
Ngugi's project sought to "demystify" the theatrical process, and to avoid the "process of alienation [which] produces a gallery of active stars and an undifferentiated mass of grateful admirers" which, according to Ngugi, encourages passivity in the viewer. Although Ngaahika Ndeenda was a commercial success, it was shut down by the authoritarian Kenyan regime six weeks after its opening. Ngugi was subsequently imprisoned for over a year.
Characters
- Kiguunda, Farm Labourer. His plot of land becomes the centre of interest for Kioi and several of his investment partners
- Wangeci, Kiguunda's wife
- Gathoni, their daughter
- Gicaamba, Kiguunda's neighbour, a factory worker
- Njooki, Gicaamba's wife
- Ahab Kioi wa Kanoru, wealthy farmer and businessman. Also the factory owner who uses his connections to defraud the peasant and his wife of their land.
- Jezebel, Kioi's wife
- Samuel Ndugire, Nouveau riche farmer and shopkeeper
- Helen, Ndugire's wife
- Ikuua Wanditika, Kio's business partner