As this dude has been touted as one of the favourites to win the Nobel Prize for lierature this year, let us arm ourselves with something to talk about in the bars when he wins. We shall look at one of my favourite books which I sat for my Literature paper many decades ago... Here is a short synopsis of the book


"The River Between, tells the story about the separation of two villages of Kenya who were neighbors but differences in faith separated them. The bitterness between them caused much hatred between the adults of each side. The story tells about the struggle of a young leader to unite the two villages of Kameno and Makuyu through sacrifice and pain.

In the story a boy, Waiyaki, the son of Chege, was to be a great leader in the village of Kameno. Chege sent Waiyaki to Siriana, where the white men stayed, to gain knowledge of the white men's advancements to help his village. Waiyaki dreamt of the day where he would be born again to be a man; "All his life Waiyaki had waited for this day, for this very opportunity to reveal his courage like a man" (p. 45). He was to be circumcised to be initiated to be a man and gain respect from everyone in his village.

Circumcision of both the men and women was the way of all tribes that had not embraced Christianity or the British educational system. To monotheistic followers it was an abhorrent practice; they were strongly against the female circumcision or female genital mutilation depending on how non-tribal, traditional followers viewed it.

Read the rest of the story from http://ezinearticles.com...ween-Book-Review&id[color=green]=458649

TODAY WE ARE ONLY DISCUSSING THE LITERARY ASPECTS OF[/color] THE NOVEL

Tomorrow we can explore if there are any symbolisms or deeper meaning...The river between!!!

...So what do you like, know think about etc 'The River Between'?

Have read more or less all of Ngugi wa Thing'os books. He is the best writer I've read by far.

The wizard of the crow is actually my favorite as it captures the situation we were in during the m01 years

I remember reading one of Ngugi's plays - "Ngahika Ndenda" (I will Marry When I want) about ten years ago. I think it is the only Gikuyu book I have read from beginning to end (shame on me!). It is a riveting act, a delicate combination of everyday humor and dead serious depictions of the inequalities that afflicted our country in the years following independence. I believe the play remains a poignant characterization of our society today. Maybe one of the local drama troupes should pick it up and do a rendition of it at the theaters.