Aminata Summary - very profound read PDF

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In Aminata, Imbuga presents Aminata in media res such that it is not until almost halfway through the play (towards the end of scene two of part one) that she makes her first appearance on stage. Yet the play is essentially about her and she is also the preoccupation of some of the characters that we encounter much earlier. In this way, other techniques like suspense and flashback, as well as other characters’ discourses serve to gather some background information about her. For instance, Mama Rosina first mentions Aminata while informing Jumba of a messenger sent to halt the cementing of her father’s grave against his wish. Jumba’s reaction that Ngoya should not have “confided in a daughter when he had a brother and sons” (Imbuga, 1988:5) prepares the audience for the binary oppositions and the conflicting versions in the play. As a Christian convert, Ngoya's perception concerning women’s status changes and his new ideology of equality of human beings contributes a great deal to what Aminata becomes and how other characters view her. The point to emphasize here is that Pastor Ngoya’s views reflect the playwright's techniques of challenging patriarchal hegemony. Aminata's childhood is different from the norm in the community; unlike the other girls who listen to their mothers’ stories, her father’s narratives mould her world-view. Smith (2012:145) states that stories are ways of passing down the beliefs and values of a culture in the hope that the new generations will treasure them and pass the story down further. The dramatist is well aware of the power of the narrative as a tool for preserving the past as well as for social change. The most significant of these stories that Pastor Ngoya (Imbuga, 1988:45) recalls and retells Aminata moments before his death is as follows: When I was a small child, our mothers lived like prisoners. There were numerous activities in which they were not permitted to join. Indeed they were even barred from eating certain types of food. Yes, but as a man of God, I looked at the taboos and the superstitions and said no. We are being unfair to our womenfolk. So I led the campaign that made women to work confidently beside their men. I used you in that campaign […]. You were only a baby then. At first your mothers were afraid, but gradually they accepted the change and learnt to live with it. The men were not happy either, and your uncle, Jumba, was the unhappiest of all. If he hates you, it is because I used you to prove them wrong. The past changes Pastor Ngoya’s world-view and he uses it to champion women’s liberation. Hence, his daughter, Aminata, enjoys privileges that were formerly accessible to boys only such as

education. As Smith (2012:146) argues further, the “story and the story teller both serve to connect the past with the future, one generation with the other, the land with the people and the people with the story. “Pastor Ngoya uses his child in his campaigns for social change; and even after his death Aminata is positioned to be a living example of his gospel of women's liberation by inheriting his piece of land. Jumba's reaction to the whole Christian crusade summarises the acrimony that the phenomenon has bred in the family: “that woman conspired with her father to slap Membe in the face and embarrass me and the stool of rule” (Imbuga, 1988:17). Ruganda (1992:77) elaborates this to mean that Aminata's quest to acquire the land is an indirect way of subverting and invading the male space delineated by tradition justifiably and protectively as a man’s prerogative. A female character like Aminata is certainly a new phenomenon in the patriarchal Membe community; and she encounters a lot of resistance and antagonism mostly from some male members of her family, a brother and an uncle who feel that her achievements jeopardise their own status. Jumba’s hatred for Aminata is brought out effectively in the animal imagery, that he resorts to, that characterizes her as evil and alienates her from her gender. He calls her a “tigress” (Imbuga, 1988:11) and the egret pulling ticks from a bull's back and thinking it is eating a bull (15). Besides, he also refers to her as “Membe's black sheep out to destroy the ways of ages (13), “the home of the evil spirit that sent the red bird to destroy his (Jumba's) children” (29) and a “he goat on heat” (15). All these serve to rob her of her feminine qualities; distances her further from the ‘masculine’ world that her father has propelled her into. In fact she becomes something weird, not human in Jumba's mind. Maathai (2006:139) states: “Traditionally, society also puts more value on boys than on girls: Boys are provided education before girls and boys are expected to be greater achievers than girls.” As Pastor Ngoya's eldest child, Ababio feels betrayed by his father who is responsible for Aminata's success, a success that he has failed to measure up to. He feels so undermined that he expunges blood relationship with Aminata from his mind. He obviously feels threatened that Aminata seems to have usurped what he believed was his position in the family as the eldest son: she took their father to hospital and took care of him until he died; she bought the coffin and now pays school fees for Ababio's children. Ababio is an alcoholic and irresponsible man, yet he ironically blames his sister for his own shortcomings and domestic problems. In an escapist display, like Jumba, he equates Aminata with animals such as “a beast, a she elephant” (Imbuga, 1988:50) and “a serpent” (54). As pressure to hand over the piece of land to Aminata mounts and becomes unbearable for him, he decides to boycott the handing over ceremony.

Aminata’s in-laws are equally unwelcoming. As noted earlier, Aunt Kezia's has a skeptical attitude towards Aminata, arguing that Aminata has ignored what is expected of her as a woman. In addition to her sarcastic remarks, Aunt Kezia considers Aminata a cursed woman who has also sold her womanhood to her husband's profession (37).But amidst all these acrimonies, the playwright creates humour and comic relief through Agege, described as a “master of odd jobs” and regarded by some villagers, Jumba and Ababio included, as an idiot, otherwise acknowledged as a reasonable character by characters like Nuhu, Mama Rosina and Aminata. Nuhu tells Jumba, “His words do not smell of the idiot you people say he is” (11) while Aminata advises Ababio to borrow a leaf from Agege (55). Clearly, Agege’s role is stylistically and structurally important to the play. Despite his marginalised position marked by use of ungrammatical English language, he speaks his mind to all cadres of characters in the play without any fear and constantly asserts that his “mouth” is for “truth” and that “there is too much fire” (8). Our first encounter with him is at Ngoya’s cemented grave, about which two elders, the headman and his wife argue as Ababio who was supposed to pay the masons squanders all the money. Agege, who apparently was sent to look for Ababio returns to pronounce that Aminata “is equal than Ababio” for a number of reasons: she is generous with money, she has brought water to Membe alongside other deeds (9). He goes on to make the following observation: First, deadNgoya is father of Ababio. Second, today is grave cement day. So me I have one question. Why is Ababio in drink place? You see, because of that, me I say, Ababio is village idiot instead of me. I say also that Aminata is first son born of Pastor Ngoya (10). Agege goes on to suggest to the masons to wait for Aminata to pay them. Strikingly, Agege is the only character that reiterates Pastor Ngoya’s thoughts about his daughter Aminata, whom he had preferred over his sons (45). Interestingly, Both Agege and Aminata regard each other highly despite Jumba’s antagonistic attitude towards them. Agege’s refrain “too much fire” can therefore be decoded as criticism of unnecessary conflict. But more importantly, the term ‘idiot’ is used ironically and invites us to judge between the anti-Aminata and pro-Aminata forces in the text and determine who the real forces of change are. Thus, Agege’s role is that of a deliberately elusive character. Structurally again, Agege voices the concerns of the 1985 Conference of Women in Nairobi, at a deeper level. His depiction poses a challenge to the delegates on the issue of marginalization and equality. Agege represents men who are also oppressed by fellow men, leading themto seek affinity with female characters. As a child, he pleads with the ‘liberated’ female characters to also give him some chicken to taste, symbolizing his own plea to be liberated too. He openly rejects his

mistreatment and exploitation in the community and fights for his own rights as a human being, just like the others: Everyday, everyday, Agege do this, Agege do that. Even in middle of dark night, Agege do this. Now I refuse because even idiot need rest. Yes all man is equal. Even me I am equal also. And some women too are equal. Yes like Aminata is equal than Ababio because she brings water (9). Although Jumba rebukes Agege for this assertion, the latter makes a point about equality and the individual’s rights regardless of gender. He rejects his exploitation and affirms the need for a two way respect. Thus, Indangasi (2002:39) rightly observes that Agege’s “simple belief in the equality of people, his open appreciation of what Aminata has done, and his criticism of Ababio do reinforce the overall message.” It can also be interpreted as Imbuga’s challenge to women to reject systems that oppress them. In conformity with his role of providing comic effect where there is tension, Agege again interrupts Aminata and Ababio embroiled in an argument in which Aminata poses an important question to Ababio: “what is wrong with an enlightened change?” (54)Next, Agege interrupts Jumba and Mama Rosina in their discussion about Jumba’s scheme to resign from the stool of rule in favour of his wife. This section is significant in the sense that Jumba seems to have heeded Agege’s complaints and moderates his attitude towards him such that for the first time he does not insult Agege for interrupting his conversations. Other aspects of language use that enhance the quality of the text include use of proverbs, the trickster and the dance strategy. In the oral tradition, proverbs are not only wise sayings, but are also highly regarded speech elements that enrich conversation and enhance the status of an individual. Usually, proverbs are associated with elders who are regarded as wise and the custodians of a people’s knowledge and practices. This aspect is depicted in African Literature where the use of proverbs is still an aspect that characterizes the elders, although due to the transformation of the female character’s role and position, some older female characters also use proverbs in their speech. In Aminata, the characters that mostly use proverbs are Jumba, the village headman, Nuhu, a member of the council of elders and Mama Rosina. Aminata too uses one proverb, a new phenomenon given her age. Mama Rosina addresses Jumba using two proverbs at Pastor Ngoya’s cemented graveside, mainly to warn him against disregarding the wishes of the dead and belittling her advice on the basis of her gender. She tells him: “A wise man fills his ears before he empties his mouth” and “The

tortoise may be slow, but he seldom falls” (3). To emphasize Aminata’s role to Jumba, she adds a saying: “He that would bury his dead provides a coffin” (5). Mama Rosina later warns Ababio against their antagonism (together with Jumba) towards Aminata and their refusal to acknowledge the material gain they have received from her. She says: “The tears of a disturbed marriage are washed by a woman’s own people” and “the thanks of a jealous neighbour are accompanied with a curse” (52). Jumba actually threatens the elders and Aminata’s father-in law with a curse, the former for their support for Aminata (7) and the latter for failure to stop Aminata’s quest to acquire the land (37). This illustrates the degree of superstition in this community. Aunt Kezia elaborates that the curse of “a father, an uncle or an aunt runs right down the family tree for generations to come” (37). The proverbs that Nuhu use are attempts to make Jumba realize the futility of his battles with Aminata. Nuhu cautions him: “The bitterness of past events can blur our vision of today’s realities” and “when a village child drowns in the raging waters of a swollen river, do the villagers stop drinking water?” (11). Using the images that invoke differences in power and hierarchy, he tells Jumba that a lion does not challenge a mouse to a duel (12). He directs his other proverb at Mama Rosina who feels that because her two children are dead and the surviving one is mute, she does not deserve the salutation ‘Mother of People.’ Nuhu reassures her that it is her status in the community that is recognized: “A mouth may lack teeth, but it is a mouth still.” Notably, two proverbs that Jumba uses significantly develop the plot and allude to the ambivalence that overrides the play. Realising that his authority is waning, he obstinately adheres to tradition and vows to defend Membe’s “ways of ages” of which he is the custodian as the village headman. He declares a lone battle against his people who have been swayed away from their practices by Pastor Ngoya’s teachings. He is emphatic in his mission, so he declares: “The calf that is orphaned scratches its own back” (22). A number of things make Jumba arrive at this conclusion: he has suffered personal tragedies that he believes are due to the wrath of the ancestors when Ngoya led them to accept Christianity and some of its teachings. He cannot forgive Ngoya for the vasectomy that the men of Membe agreed to undergo because of its aspect of irreversibility even in desperate situations like the one Jumba faces after his own children were struck by lightning. He thinks Aminata is evil because she was spared in that tragedy. Jumba also detects decreased levels of allegiance from the elders. Whereas they are

expected to defend the stool of rule, ironically, they are sympathetic to Aminata’s cause. Thus the proverb helps to emphasize Jumba’s convictions to defend tradition at whatever cost. He vows to outwit the elders at their “own game, “convinced that he will have the final laugh (67). Jumba also uses the proverb: “It is not without reason that the bat prefers his upside down posture” (69). This proverb is intertwined with the next stylistic element that the playwright inserts in his text, the trickster. In oral tradition, the trickster narrative’s function is to encourage the physically weaker members of the community, especially children and women, that wit and creativity are also very powerful sources of strength and if used well can bring down the most powerful people in the community. In the fables, it was always the smaller animals that tricked the bigger animals considered dangerous yet foolish. Most African communities have fables in which animals like hare, tortoise and squirrel manage to trick and challenge huge animals like lion and elephant. Jumba resorts to this aspect of the trickster. Ironically, it reverses his role from that of a powerful character in the community to a weaker one that has to use tricks for his survival. Therefore, Jumba uses the latter proverb to defend himself. In this way, like the African women writers, Imbuga reverses the roles of the male and female characters in order to unmask the social construction of the male socio-cultural supremacy (Gueye in Kandji, 2006:53). What Jumba resorts to and refers to as ‘battle of wits’ significantly contributes to the meaning of the play. It offers the audience a series of interpretations of language use that leads to the overall message being communicated to the delegates at the Women’s Conference and to those championing women’s liberation. This section of the play, also titled “Battle of Wits,” marks a turning point in the attitude towards both genders in the text and results in Imbuga’s characteristic strategy of creating ambivalent characters. The playwright disrupts the structures that have always favoured the silencing of women in order to inscribe a new discourse (Gueye in Kandji, 2006:53). A number of factors lead Jumba to resort to this sort of battle: Joshua, Aminata’s younger brother studying abroad, has written a letter, copied to the elders, in support of Aminata’s bid to acquire her father’s piece of land as stated in their father’s will; despite Jumba’s refusal to summon the elders of the land circle to a meeting to deliberate on the issue, the elders themselves have gone ahead and met without him and approved that Aminata should be allowed to inherit the land; and Jumba’s late brother has appeared to him in a dream demanding that Aminata should inherit the piece of land in question. Finding himself powerless amid all these forces, Jumba’s only option, like the trickster in

the fables is to marshal his own creativity, swearing that he will “let the elders have their way in the matter of land” but eventually he must emerge victorious (67). But why would Jumba call this serious decision by the elders a game? A systematic analysis of language used in Jumba’s scheme could clarify the position. Jumba tells Mama Rosina: “I have been in deep thought” and when she is surprised by that sentence he adds, “Yes, I have been thinking” (66) which he repeats thrice during their conversation. It turns out that these “deep thoughts” have focused on Pastor Ngoya, Aminata and Membe’s traditions. Jumba is convinced that Ngoya has defied the “laws of ages” and since the elders have also wavered in their support for the stool of rule, the stool is now “spittle in the sand” and as such he has decided to let the elders hand over the piece of land to Aminata (66). Jumba designs a clear scheme to deny Aminata the piece of land and so calls it a “battle of wits.” He also calls it a “game of wits” because he intends to abdicate the stool and appoint Mama Rosina to replace him, knowing too well that the elders cannot question his decision because tradition demands that his Nyarango family must nominate his replacement should he resign; and the only eligible person is Mama Rosina (1988:68).Jumba is also aware that the elders supporting change do not know its full implication on tradition and making a woman a village head is his way of getting even with them as he says, “I will sell them to you before they sell themselves to strangers” (69). That will also be his test to assess whether or not they are really prepared for change. Both Mama Rosina and the elders view Jumba’s proposal as a joke or a game because tradition does not allow it. They all join in playing Jumba’s game, hoping that, at some point, he would change his mind. This cunning ability makes Mama Rosina refer to him as a fox (1988:64), a trait that Aminata had noticed earlier (36). Initially, Mama Rosina accepts the proposal on the basis that it is only a game: “If it is a game partner you want, you can count on me” (68). But later when she wants to rescind the decision, Jumba reminds her that they “are in it together” (69) and together they consider the challenge of how Mama Rosina would be referred to: Headman, headwoman, headperson or village-head (32). Incidentally, the playwright too plays this game of wits because he is well aware of the impediments in tradition that militate against women’s inheritance of property or access to political leadership positions. Jumba does not disclose his other accomplices and as it turns out, he has also cunningly enlisted Agege and Ababio to interrupt the handing over ceremony, to his own advantage.

Furthermore, Mama Rosina remains oblivious to the obligation that before she is installed as the Village Head, she must perform one “official function before the traditional run through the village” (77) and the function, in this case, is the handing over of the symbolic soil to Aminata. Finally, Mama Rosina is also unaware that being a woman, she cannot hand over the soil directly to Aminata; it must be done by a male member of the family and since Ababio will “boycott” the ceremony, the only other male member to perform the function is th...