THIS TIME TOMMOROW
THEMES
A theme is the main idea or subject in the work of art.
In “In This Time Tomorrow” by Ngugi wa Thion'go several themes can be analyzed and discussed. These themes includes protest, tribalism, poverty, betrayal, conflict, colonial legacy, building the future, illusion, disillusionment, social differences (stratification), awareness, environment sanitation, ignorances e.t.c.
PROTEST
Protest means the reaction against something or a certain idea. OR Disapproval of something or
idea since it is unjust.
In “This Time Tomorrow”protest is the central theme. The protest in the play is caused by dissatisfaction that people have as a result of injustice shown by the government.
Also some people protest against the new culture ways of life introduced by the whites. For example Njango protest the idea of Wanjiro of behaving like the European lady such as to have a hand bag, high heeled shoes.
Others protesting against conservatism caused by ignorance of modern ways of life because of old age.
For example Wanjiro tells his mother that she is old and does not know the ways of the world or the needs of a young woman.
BETRAYAL
The majority of Kenyans decided to go to the forest to fight for freedom of Kenya because they were promised by their leaders that after independence they will have a good life, for example good jobs and good houses, as well as the land that had been taken away by the white settlers, but after the attainment of UHURU the new government betrays the people. For example one can see that the government has left the people to live a very poor life in slums without helping them.
It is just the “chosen few” who enjoys the national cake while the majority are living in miserable lives and they lack hope. For example Njango's shelter is made of poor constructive materials that are cardboards and rotting tins. She is sharing the floor with her daughter WANJIRO as bed.
Also the crowd betrayed the stranger by running away when they saw the police. For example the 2nd customer tells the people at the meeting to run away because the police are coming.
Moreover WANJIRO betrays her mother by running away with ASINJO despite the protest from her mother. EG WANJIRO tells her mother that she is going away with ASINJO and that he is waiting for her.
3.HUMILIATION AND DEHUMANIZATION
The government exercises humiliation to the people through implementing their decision to demolish the slum in the UHURU market. They are doing so without showing them the other place and giving them time to move out of the city comfortably.
For example the shoe maker says “it is not that I don't want to move, but the government should give me a place to go.”
This indicate that how people feel humiliated by being forced to go away from their homes while they have not being given another place to live.
It is mistreatment done by the government by making decisions without involving the majority who are going to be affected by the changes.
4. NEW CULTURAL ASPECTS
There is adoption of the new cultural elements in the city, this is mainly accepted by the young generation. There are new ways of dressing like white people which Wanjiro admires. Njango is disturbed by the new dressing style, she asks her daughter “You want to dress like white people?”
TRIBALISM
Tribalism is another aspect depicted in the play, It is caused by conservatism among some people in the slums due to illiteracy or ignorances.
Tribalism is seen when Njango refuses her daughter to marry ASINJO because he is from another tribe, so she does not trust him and after all he is not having a job.
Njango says “With that man? A man from another tribe? A man without a job? No child of mine from my own flesh, will sell her body.”
This indicates some deep rooted elements of tribalism existing in Kenya and other countries.
IGNORANCE:
This means the lack of knowledge or information on a certain thing.
The problem of ignorance is seen when some of the slum dwellers can not read and write and also cannot tell when they were born.
For example the shoe maker tells the journalist “I don't know my age.”
Also the stranger gets a problems in making people understand him when he tells them. “let us stand together” Because of their ignorance they believe that the stranger can perform his magic to save them.
1st customer “Why don't we held a meeting with the stranger? He works in magic, will he not blind their eyes?”
2nd customer, “yes the stranger's magic save us” this also shows ignorance because people believes the stranger can prevent the government from destructing their houses by using magic.
MODERNITY
This is shown by WANJIRO who desires to wear and work like a European girl. For example she likes to dress like whites, wearing high heels shoes and to have a hand begs.
8. CONSERVATISM
This is the act of protesting change or new ideas. Njango is conservative in the party, for example she prevents her daughter from marrying a man from another tribe.
Wanjiro and Asinjo take her to be an old woman who does not know the needs of a young women in the modern time. This shows that Njango is ignorant and hence conservative, as she does not change with time and this is contributed by the fact that she is old.
LAND ALIENATION
People protest against land alienation. The land has been taken from them during the colonial time in Kenya. They then decided to go to fight in the forest so as to get back their independence and regain their land that has been taken by the white settlers.
Even after achieving independence things have not changed, the majority are still landless. The land is in the hands of the few.
For example the stranger says “We have fought for the land! Where is the land?”
Therefore this shows that the majority are not owning land, except for the few who are in the government.
DISUNITY
Disunity has also been portrayed in the play. People are not united, that is the reason why they fail in attaining their goal of stopping the government from demolishing their slums. This is seen when the stranger tells the people to stand together and protest against the city council's decision to demolish their slums.
At first they seem to be together but later, in the face of the police they are seen depressing.
Example, 1st customer says, “Police!, The police are coming!”
2nd customer “Run! Run! Run! Run quickly! Out of my way!”
11.COLONIAL LEGACY
The playwright shows us that, still there are colonial elements in the country, especially among the members forming the new government. People do not see changes even after getting UHURU they are jobless and the land has not been given to them as they were promised. The minority are the ones who enjoy the national cake, as they are seen driving expensive Mercedes Benz and long American cars.
Also the dressing style of the white people has been widely adopted by people in the city. Even Wanjiro admires it and she says “I want a frock and shoes-high-heels- so that I can walk like a European lady.”
BUILDING THE FUTURE
This is a struggle or action by an individual or community to bring changes in life.
The struggle was through Mau Mau movement so as to get independence and regain the land from the white settlers.
Building the future at family level is shown by Njango who sells soup. She struggles to make sure that they get the necessary requirements of life. In any struggle the secret for success involves strong determination , courage, patience, and unity. If these aspects lack, then there can be failure. Failure in the struggle occurs when people are not united,determined, when there is ignorance, cowardice and lack of weapons.
ILLUSION
Illusion is a false idea or belief about somebody or something. For example, in the play, the freedom fighters had illusion or expectation that after the attainment of independence they would be given good jobs, houses and their land. But it is not the way they have been thinking. Things have become quite opposite to their expectation. For example the stranger says “we fought for UHURU because we were told it would mean decent jobs and decent houses.” The expected situation is not realized since after independence people have been suffering, no jobs, no lands and even no good houses.
Another example of illusion is shown when people believed that the stranger have the magic power to save them while in reality it is not true.
For example the 1st customer says “why don't we held a meeting with the stranger? He works in magic. Will he not blind their eyes?” but it was not true that the stranger worked in magic but he was insisting on unity.
DISILLUSIONMENT
It is a state of being disappointed with a situation or by someone you thought was good or helpful to you. In the play, disillusionment is shown when people are disappointed by the new government created after independence. It is no longer giving them hope because it has betrayed them. They are suffering in slums but leaders don't care. They are just living in luxurious lives with expensive cars.
Example disillusionment.
Stranger: “But what has UHURU brought to us?”
Crowd: “Nothing!”
Stranger: “We fought for UHURU but where are the the jobs? Where are the houses?”
This shows that they are disappointed and have no confidence in the new government.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION/SEGREGATION
After independence, the minority seem to enjoy the national cake (those in the government position). They are seen in expensive cars and live in good houses in the city. On the other hand, the majority are living a poor life in the slums, doing petty jobs in order to survive.
Also social differences/stratification is seen in places of living, for Example European lives in Kolo, Westlands and Kabete, where rich Africans have built good houses. On the other hands the majority are living in the slums.
This statement indicates sound stratification and segregation which is taking place even after UHURU.
POVERTY
The playwright has portrayed poverty in the play. The people in the slums, the majority who have been fighting for independence are living a poor life. They engage themselves in informal petty activities and their houses are shanty. Njango's house is made of cardboards and rotting tin. She share a floor with her daughter as a bed.
For example Wanjiro says: “I want to be like other girls in the city who dress like white people. Look at me I have no clothes.”
This shows that the family is so poor that they can not afford buying good clothes. The poor life make people feel that the government has neglected and hence they are not having any hope.
LACK OF SANITATION
The slums are in filthy or dirty condition due to poor sanitation mechanism. Hence the city councils wants to demolish them since it is a shame towards the face of tourists. For example the journal has written an article to describe the filthy concentration. The article reads “The filthy mushrooms inhabited by human beings.”
The “filthy mushrooms” symbolizes the dirty slums, therefore this shows that in places where poor people lives the issue of sanitation is not considered.
AWARENESS
Awareness refers to the state of knowing that something exists and is important. Knowing about the situation and it's positive and negative impacts.
For example, someone can be aware of the importance of education, effects of tribalism and the significance of unity in the struggle.
For example the stranger is aware that in any struggle people should have strong determination, unity and courage. For example he says “let us stand together, let us with one voice tell the new government we want our homes, we love them.”
Asinjo is aware that tribalism is a problem, it can bring problems in development or changes. He knows that tribe is no longer a problem in marriage.
Njango also shows awareness on problems that face women in town who takes decision like that of Wanjiro of running aways with boys.
Njango tells Wanjiro “Have you not heard of a women left in the gutter? Women stabbed and left to die in the streets?”
19.GENDER DISCRIMINATION
Girls are facing the problem of not being sent to school. They stay at home doing domestic activities while boys are given the chance to get education.
Example Wanjiro says “Mother you mock me with your talk of clothes and schools, where is my brother? You sent him to my uncle so that he might attend school. Me, you kept here to work for you.”
PROSTITUTION
This is also seen in the play, when Njango tells Wanjiru that “No child of mine from my own flesh will sell her body, I will break her bones.”
Prostitution takes place because of poverty and unemployment which makes girls start selling their bodies.
CONFLICT
Reffers to the misunderstanding, clashes, quarrels between people due to some differences in interests or ideas.
Conflicts can lead to disunity, enmity and underdevelopment. It can also lead to positive changes, such as it can change the nature of treatment that people get in particular place by their government.
a) Conflicts between the slum dwellers and the city council.
The slum dwellers and the city council are in conflict because of differences in their interests. The slum dwellers want to stay in the slum while the city council want the slum to be demolished so as to clean the city.
b) Conflicts between the young and the old.
There is a misunderstanding between the young people who after the modern life and people like Njango who are still conservative. The differences in interests leads to misunderstanding, for example Njango dislikes dressing like white people while her daughter does.
Another conflict occurs when Wanjiro tells her mother that she wants to marry Asinjo, A man from another tribe. This annoys her mother but also Wanjiro is not happy for her mother to prevent her.
Another conflict is shown between Asinjo and Njango. Asinjo wants to marry Wanjiro but Njango refuses this and chases him away with her wild tongue.”
Another conflict occurs between Njango and her daughter (Wanjiro) because of oversleeping.
Njango is not happy by the way her daughter sleeps too much that she is even snoring.
Njango makes her saying, “Wake up, wake up I tell you I will truly pinch your fat nose and drench your face with cold water, wake up! .”
Another conflict between Njango and Wanjiro rises over the issue of school, clothes and bad language used by Wanjiro to her mother.
Wanjiro tells her mother “Mother you mock me with your talk of clothes and school, where is my brother? You sent him to my uncle so that he might attend school, where are the clothes that you buy me? I am ashamed to walk in the streets.”
Njango reacts by saying “You speak to me like that?”
Conflicts between the police officers and the stranger.
The police officer is in bad terms with the stranger because he makes people to be involved into violence and civil disobedience. Hence, the police officer arrest him by saying in the name of our new Republic, You are arrested.
Intra-personal conflicts (The conflicts within an individual)
Wanjiro is unhappy with the state of not going to school while her brother has gone. She is also unhappy with the poor life in the slums, where by she does not have good clothes unlike other girls in the city. She wants to be with Asinjo but her mother is preventing her.
So poverty in the slums makes Wanjiro hate living there and she wants to move from that place.
MESSAGE
Refers to the lesson that one can learn after reading a certain literary work.
The following are some of the messages that one can get from the play of this time tomorrow:
The government should decide properly when it wants to make a decision so as to avoid/prevent creating problems to people. It is very important to involve people when making decision and their views should be considered. For example the city council was supposed to consider the views of the slum dwellers before demolishing their slums.
Another lesson is that, success always goes to those who struggle. The importance aspects when struggling for success are self determination, unity and patience. Tribalism, ignorance and cowardice are great problems that hinder the attainment of certain goals. So one needs to be very careful when trying to bring some changes in the society.
Education is an important tool in bringing changes in the society. People in the UHURU market are not ready to write because of ignorance and they don't know why they should write. They have poor believes based on magic power that it can help them while it is not true. All these are due to low level of education.
Another lesson is that the young should listen to the advice of the elder since they have enough experience and good wisdom. Making decisions based on personal desires can lead someone into problems. For example the decision of Wanjiro to run away/elope with Asinjo was a dangerous one.
Also we learn that the government is always strong, because it has the machinery to enforce or implement their decisions. Therefore people or citizens cannot easily succeed on fighting it.
There fore it is good to use the diplomatic ways of facing the government because the use of force can lead to the loss of life and property. Also the government should not make suddenly changes that affects people without involving people.
One can also learn that rural-urban migration is a big problem in African countries. This lead to the existence of slums and informal sectors like food vendors. For example the Tin Smith says to the journalist “I came to the city many years ago.”
Rural-urban migration has led to the emergence of people who are not employed.
