The Hero as Villain in Armed Resistance: A Comparative Study of Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s "The Trial of Dedan Kimathi" and Ahmed Yerimah’s "Hard Ground"

Abstract

An armed situation like a liberation movement is a trying time for the people. It is a time when events are unsettled and lives are at risk. In such situations, there emerges central figures who become the rallying points for oppressed people searching for change. Such a central figure is seen as hero by one side and as villain on the other. Such are the situations graphically dramatized in Ngugi’s “The Trial of Dedan Kimathi” and Yerima’s “Hard Ground”. Against this background, this paper examines the character of the heroes of the two plays against the backdrop of the Mau Mau and the Niger Delta insurgencies in Kenya and in Nigeria, respectively. It seeks to investigate the heroes’ actions and motives in carrying out their revolts. In what dramatic tropes have the playwrights represented them in the plays? In what ways do they achieve heroic stature? Working within the Marxist literary theory, we apply such concepts as oppression, ideological underpinning and exploitation to the actions and events of the plays. A close reading of the texts and a rigorous critical interpretation of the character of the heroes reveal that “one man’s freedom fighter is, indeed another’s terrorist.” The paper concludes that, rather than uncritically accepting ‘establishment’ or ‘official’ categorisation of leaders of insurgency/ armed struggles as devilish, brutal and bloody ogres, a nuanced understanding of their social and political conditions that necessitated their actions must be considered. Thus, Dedan and Baba (protagonists in these plays) are innately gentle, committed and caring leaders that are driven by the quest to liberate their people.