Ngugi Wa Thiong’o

This week we read three pieces by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o. First we read an excerpt from “Decolonization of the Mind”, then “Wedding at the Cross”, and “Minutes of Glory”. By beginning with the excerpt from “Decolonization of the Mind” it really helped me have an understanding of Ngugi’s views and allowed me to better understand some of the messages within the stories.

The story that stood out to me this week was “Wedding at the Cross”. The character Miriamu, was a very strong woman who despite the views of her family, made the tough, and sometimes sad, decision to do what was right for her. She chose to open her eyes to the colonization that was happening around her and that she was once a part of. Her decision not to marry “Dodge” helped her to reconnect with her traditional roots and to decolonize her mind.

This story makes me think about all of the women that may have been in similar positions. How despite knowing you love someone, realizing that they are no longer the person you fell in love with. It takes a very strong woman to understand that for her and her children she needs to remove herself from the situation. In Miriamu’s case, this decision was even more difficult because it was not only her lover that she had to leave behind, but her family as well. By overcoming years of having her mind colonized by the European Christianity of her family and material things, she showed her strength. When reading this story again, I tried to place myself into the story and think whether or not I would have been able to make the same decisions. It is a very tough question. We would all like to believe that we could, but unless you’re in the situation you can’t really say.