Written on toilet paper while its author was detained in prison, Devil on the Cross is a searing indictment of Kenyan politics and society.
After declaring that he would no longer write in English, Devil on the Cross was Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s first novel written entirely in his native Gikuyu tongue. It contains many of the themes and concerns that are central to Ngugi’s views on African literature and Kenyan politics. The novel is both a gripping read and a remarkable introduction to Kenyan culture and politics.
The Story
Devil on the Cross tells the tragic story of Wariinga, a young woman who emigrated from her small rural town to the city of Nairobi only to be exploited by her boss and later a corrupt businessman.
Ngugi uses Wariinga’s story, common to many young women in Kenya, to critique the political workings of contemporary Kenya as faced with the so-called “Satan of capitalism.” The novel follows a group of characters who meet on a bus, each with their own tragic story, as they attend the “Devil’s Feast” in a thinly disguised satirical account of capitalist business practices and Western cultural and political dominance in post-colonial Kenya.
Africa’s Oral Tradition
Devil on the Cross is written in a unique style akin to an oral performance. It begins and ends with the third-person omniscient narrating voice of the “Prophet of Justice” who provides poignant social and existential commentary. Recalling traditional African ballad singers, the novel can easily be performed as a play and thereby used to educate and inform its mainly illiterate audience of their political situation.
Foremost is Ngugi’s goal of telling the story of the Kenyan people, writing that “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” The use of traditional proverbs and song reinforces this goal, celebrating Kenya’s pre-colonial cultural history and heritage.
Lastly, the use of Gikuyu is also meant to reinforce the supremacy of the people, as opposed to their leaders. It also serves to combat the forces of neo-colonialism, in which Western culture dominates and belittles that of the colonized. As Ngugi explained in an interview regarding his choice of language, “African writers working in colonial languages can be unclear as to who their audiences are. They are not addressing the very same people or culture that is enriching their writing.”
Post-colonialism, Capitalism, and Neo-colonialism
In many ways, Ngugi’s goal is reminiscent of Marxist ideology, as the novel is ultimately meant to educate Kenyan on the corruption of their society and the power of non-compliance within such a repressive system. The central event in the novel is the “Devil’s Feast,” a sort of conference in which Kenya’s elite boasts of their cutthroat achievements. In allegorical form, the “Devil’s Feast” attests to the exploitation of peasants and workers by foreign business interests and a greedy indigenous bourgeoisie.
To learn more about Ngugi, go to Life and Work of Ngugi wa Thiong'o: King of Kenyan Literature.
Sources
1. Ngugi wa Thiong'o. Devil on the Cross. United States: Heinemann, 1987.
