Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Minutes of Glory by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a collection of 16 short stories organized thematically under the headings Of Mothers and Children; Fighters and Martyrs; Secret Lives; Shadows and Priests. The stories cover a range of topics dealing with Kenyan culture, the impact of British colonialism, racism, political corruption, indigenous beliefs and traditions versus Christianity, internalized racism, discrimination, the erosion of indigenous culture, and gender relations.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o explores these topics by showing how they manifest in the lives of his characters. The conflicts take many forms. We witness women ostracized by their communities because of their inability to bear children; a village’s desperate struggle to survive a draught; people adopting western ways, western clothing, and western attitudes in a tragic effort to gain respect and acceptance; villagers turning against members of their own community; conflicts between city and village, between rich and poor; the smug attitudes of the colonizers, convinced of their superiority to the indigenous peoples and of their right to appropriate native land; and the ways in which oppression of the other also entraps the oppressor. But it is not all bleak. The collection concludes with a couple of delightfully whimsical short stories.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a skilled storyteller. He weaves folkloric elements, ghosts, magical happenings, and superstitions into his stories, giving them an other-worldly quality. He also grounds them in political reality with intermittent references to the Mau Mau uprising and its repercussions. The stories are told simply, with compassion and poignancy. The characters are drawn with sensitivity.
This is a compelling collection of short stories focusing on the challenges facing Kenya. But the themes transcend Kenya. They illustrate the deleterious impact on all people and all cultures ripped apart by colonialism, classism, and corruption.
Highly recommended.