Cultural Conflict And Affirmation In The River Between And A Grain Of Wheat By Ngugi Wa Thiongo

Cultural Conflict And Affirmation In The River Between And A Grain Of Wheat By Ngugi Wa Thiongo

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background to the Study

Before the advent of the Europeans and their culture in the African countries, Africans have a way of educating, entertaining, and enjoying themselves and these were based on culture and tradition. The African cultures were based on tradition such as folk-tales, folklores as such deals with myths and legends as well as the folk tradition. This has relevance to culture and tradition of the society that it emanates and is specifically, used to teach moral values like discipline, hard work, honesty, good behaviour, love, humility, gentleness, obedience care, among others.

          On the arrival of the Europeans and their culture, they begin to condemn African culture that African cultures are primitive and bad. They started to convert many Africans to their own culture and mode of worship. Some Africans who were converted by the European and also influenced by the European culture tend to see other Africans who still continued in their traditional culture and belief as primitive people.

          Again, the Europeans landed on African land did not first exposed their secrets to the Africans. They landed with the aim of building schools and also exposing the Africans to the outer world and also have a link with other people around the world. Africans on hearing this, welcome them into the African land and also give them accommodation and hospitality. Little did they know that European, step by step they bring in their brothers into the African society and begin to dominated the African land thereby subjecting the Africans to oppression, racial discrimination, and cultural conflict stating that Africans should not continue in their mode of worships which are their culture.

          Moreover, some of the Africans who adopted the European culture joined with the Europeans to fight with other Africans who still hold on to the African culture thereby ensued in cultural conflict and affirmation. The cultural conflict is seen in how the European culture conflicting with African culture and wants to dominate the African land. Cultural affirmation, on the other hand, refers to those people that do not want to adopt the European culture but hold on to the African culture and tradition.

          In The River Between and A Grain of wheat by Ngugi Wa Thiongo are among the best representatives of the ambivalence toward the native and foreign cultures. They are concerned with the divisions and hostilities that emerged among the native as a result of colonization. The representation of the characters combines elements from both the Gikuyu and the European culture.

1.2  Statement of the problem                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Though many works have been done on the theme of Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s other work, not much have been done on his theme of cultural conflict and affirmation in  A Grain of Wheat and The River Between. Consequently, the researcher intends to examine the theme of cultural conflict and affirmation in Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s two novels. Also the purpose of this study is to find out to what extent Ngugi uses themes to portrays what is happening in the society.

1.3            Objectives of the Study

The study seeks to analyze the cultural conflict and affirmation in The River Between and A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi Wa Thiongo. It therefore seeks to

i.                   Show how Africans reject European culture and want to continue to practice their culture.

ii.                 Show how the European culture causes conflict in African land.

iii.              State clearly the effect of the imposition of the European culture on Africans.

1.4            Significance of the Study

The study is of immense benefit to educators and other researchers in the following ways:

i.                   It will highlight the place of African culture in the society as it will be easier for the African culture to be recognized in the society.

ii.                 The researcher hopes that the findings will help the readers to protect their culture and tradition not to condemn it in totality.

1.5            Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study is restricted to the novels: A Grain of Wheat and The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiongo. This is to enable the researcher to carry out a detailed study of the texts and for close textual reference considering the limited time available to the researcher, the scope is restricted to two major themes under investigation. In addition, the researcher will restrict the analysis of the themes to the theme of cultural conflict and affirmation.

1.6            The Author’s Biodata

Ngugi Wa Thiongo is best known for his novel Weep Not, child which in 1964 was one of the first novels to make the literary world realize that writers in African were making a fresh and original contribution to the world literature. It was followed by The River Between and A Grain of Wheat which confirmed that Ngugi was a writer of great ambitions. His other works include Petals of Blood, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi among others. Ngugi Wa Thiongo 1938-(Born James Thiongo Ngugi, also translated as Ngiigi)  key a novelist, playwright, essayist, short story writer, children’s writer and critic.

1.7            Research Methodology

The method to be used in this study will be intensive study of related materials from the library and close textual analysis of the texts A Grain of Wheat and The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiongo.