Sejal Khanna

Dr Indu Jain

B.A. (Hons.) English | Sem VI

259

Critically comment on the various trials in the play, 'The Trial of Dedan Kimathi'.

This is not a drama of the martyr emerging to liberate the souls of the people who ordinarily go
on 'living and partly living.' This is the drama of the realisation of the people's strength
liberating one from doubt in the future of man. Dilip K. Basu

Ngugi and Mugo encompass a vast vision of history in the play, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi "the
pre-colonial wars of resistance against European intrusion and European slavery, through the
anti-colonial struggles for democracy, to post-independence struggles against neo-colonialism."

The concept of "stranger danger" (Sara Ahmed), is consciously applied by Ngugi to create a
yardstick of comparison between "us" and "them." From the white man's perspective, the other is
barbaric and homogenous and would give in to the basic and animalistic instincts, whereas
"they" are the harbingers of reason and rationality. The drama focuses on the trials of the
working class both before and after constitutional independence. The play is not a replica of the
ludicrous 'trial' in Nyeri, but more of a creative reenactment and interpretation of the Kenyan
peasants' and workers' collective will to fight the British ruling classes' brutal tyranny and torture
for sixty years, as well as their ongoing will to oppose exploitation, oppression, and new kinds of
subjugation. The drama follows the evolution of socioeconomic circumstances in contemporary
Kenya over time. The play re-defines the role which the Mau-Mau movement played in gaining
Kenya's political autonomy and socio-cultural re-identification. The focus of the play is not on
the intricate juridical procedure, but rather on how Kimathi goes through four "trials" that are
really just efforts to weaken his determination and efforts to liberate his people from the clutches
of the white man.

As the readers read each successive movement, they encounter a series of subtle temptations
offered to Kimathi, the protagonist, who also functions as the image of a rebellious Kenya. Every
offer that is made to Kimathi in the Trial scenes is an offer made to Kenya, the Kenyan people,
not to an individual man, Kimathi, to reap the benefit from it. Dilip K. Basu, in his introduction
to The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, states, "Kimathi's hesitations or double-mindedness in facing
offers made to him to save himself by accepting on behalf of revolutionaries the imperialist
government's gestures of compromise are so negligible and transient that this hesitation is
virtually nonexistent." As the play commences, we see a visual, abstract representation of a
colonized society of black people, pauperized and discriminated against. The play is written in
the form of an epic drama where scenes are merging into one another, whether through the
lucrative use of smoke, there are hymns and songs and dances which re-establish the unflinching
cultural roots within the people of Kenya amidst the geo-political insurgence of uninvited white
guests. A glance at the political instability that is now taking place reveals battles between the
settlers' troops and the guerrillas, whose commander is on trial. In the first movement, the figures
of the rebellious woman and the little boy and the girl are introduced, with much focus on what
they represent as a whole. The woman functions as the driving force of the narrative as she is
portrayed as a dominant motherly figure who is continuously and actively present throughout
each Movement. Her protective, rebellious and motherly nature towards the preservation of her
culture and people makes her stand apart from all the unnamed characters in the text. She, under
no circumstances, should be considered a mere figment of romantic revolutionary imagination.
Women's great contribution to the Mau Mau rebellion is a historical truth. Many critics comment
that the creation of the character of the woman is inspired by the "forest-wife" of Kimathi,
Wanjiru wa Waichangurus, and it may have also inspired women to join what Ngugi conceived
to be a continuing struggle against newer forms of imperialism. In one of the scenes, Kimathi is
inspired by the presence of the "chained" woman as she breaks into a triumphant 'freedom song,'
flooding the surroundings. The taking over of her seat by the boy and the girl, metaphorically,
symbolises the power struggle passed on to the youth of Kenya: "they squeeze into the space just
vacated by the woman." Similar to how the Boy first meets the Woman, the latter progressively
enters a state of self-realization that helps him to develop a more realistic and empowered vision
of reality in the final two Moves. The omnipresent voice of Woman declares: "The day you'll ask
yourself...what can I do that another shall not die under such grisly circumstances...that day
you'll become a man, my son." The performance demonstrates how the choice to oppose tyranny
develops gradually and consolidates under dependable leadership. The boy and the girl also face
trials as their spirit has to go through an ordeal successfully to prove their revolutionary mettle.
This crucial sub-plot plays an important role in throwing light on the socioeconomic milieu
characterized by the widespread prevalence of poverty and helplessness. The conflict between
Boy and Girl, Boy's pursuit of Girl, Girl's timid demeanour, her inability to fight off her
"oppressor," and Girl's eventual dramatic transformation all hint at the Native Kenyans' passivity,
resiliency, and ultimate militancy. After she can see the weakness in her "tormentor," who is
really just a bully, the girl's self-reflection, self-reclamation, and self-consciousness lead her to
complete restoration, self-assertion, and confidence, as well as her following rights to freedom
and dignified existence. It is Kenya, its people, first divided and fighting among themselves as
they unconsciously react to the suffering colonialists have forced them into; and then, after being
forced to contemplate the historical context and root of that suffering, they find themselves
joining hands and joining the ranks of the freedom fighters. The boy and the girl portray this
struggle without losing their existence as distinct human beings or devolving into shallow
allegories.
The shift to the Forest serves to re-enforce the special qualities which have enabled Kimathi to
perceive the Colonial and Neo-Colonial design and the need to sustain the resistance, in spite of
the difficulty in retaining his own kinsmen. Kimathi is being judged in this trial while acting as
the judge. The Woman helps him overcome his tendency to be "too human" with his kindred.
Kimathi permits the outlaws to flee out of love for his mother. He is taught to see how his
emotional frailty will be detrimental to the War's purpose. The scenario is significant because it
highlights the differences between Henderson's Trials and the Forest Trial, which is handled
fairly and democratically. Even if someone brings an accusation against Kimathi directly, they
are all given a chance to be heard. The Woman refutes Kimathi's emphasis on blood ties by
redefining true kinship in radical terms. The traditional African concept of kinship is given a new
depth and significance by the redefinition. The fact that Kimathi finds the woman's arguments
persuasive shows that he is not a staunch conservative in his anti-imperialist beliefs and
behaviour.

The Second Movement foregrounds Dedan Kimathi, the idealist, philosopher, and poet. It
involves the opposing powers of the hegemonic imperialists, their cunning and deception, and
the atoning violence of the hegemonic peasants. Despite the imperialist Kimathi and the devoted
revolutionaries seeking justice and self-determination in the face of powers that would stop at
nothing to maintain their control on the downtrodden Kenyans. The three Africans- Business
Executive, Politician, and Priest-try to persuade Kimathi to accept the imperialist offer. This
scene represents the political understanding of the playwrights, suggests the beginning of neo-
imperialist manoeuvres and asks the audience to be on guard against it.

In the latter trials, the torture inflicted on Kimathi is presented as the general torture inflicted on
the people after the 'screenings' and detentions were started. It is a remarkable moment when the
authors do not show the death of Kimathi on-stage as it indicates that Kenya's struggle does not
die. Kimathi unites with the active pulsating life in Kenya, freed from the isolation of his cell
which threatened to instil in him a corroding doubt by cutting him off from the people.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Basu Dilip K., Introduction to the Trials of Dedan Kimathi, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi,
Worldview Publications

2. Verma Krishna, Kimathi and the Image of Africa, Academia, 2023