Essay Questions

What is the opinion of Ngugi wa Thiong’o concerning the arrival of the missionaries in Africa?

In the short story 'The Village Priest,' Ngugi describes the contrasting beliefs between the African way of worship and the Christian approach. Before the arrival of the missionaries, Africans often made sacrifices to their gods to bring rain and healing. When the missionaries arrived, they disregarded the African traditional worship and decided to replace it with modernity. However, the apostles later realized that the African way of worship is sacred and should be respected. During the drought, Joshua, an African converted priest, tried to pray for rain without success. However, when the traditional rainmaker prayed to gods and made sacrifices, the rain came instantly. Joshua almost lost his faith because he started to believe that God listens to traditional African rainmakers. Therefore, Ngugi thinks that modern Christianity brought by the missionaries was meant to brainwash Africans to abandon their traditional worship.

How does the author demonstrate that traditional African society gave procreation much value?

In African culture, the purpose of marriage is solely procreation to ensure future generations' continuity. Any woman who got married was expected to raise children of her own. Unfortunately, women who were unable to bear children were considered a disgrace to society because they had no value. In the short story 'Mugumo,' a husband beats his wife for not delivering children for him. The wife decides to run away and wishes to die because she considers herself worthless. Similarly, in the short story 'And the Rain Came Down,' Nyokabi is ready to commit suicide or get washed away by the rainwater because she cannot bear children for her husband.

What is the symbolic meaning of the Mugumo fig tree?

The Mugumo tree symbolizes the presence of the gods. Most of the Mugumo trees are many years old, and the gods' spirits are believed to be dwelling on them. Whenever people face challenges and problems in life, they ran to the Mugumo fig tree to ask for healing. For instance, in the short story ‘Mugumo,’ the barren woman runs to the fig tree, hoping that her womb would be healed to bear children.