Matigari

by Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o

  The priest felt at peace; a heavy burden had been lifted from his soul. So the prison doors had not really opened mysteriously. So all those tales about Gabriel were mere gossip “Yet one should always keep one’s lamp ready just in case. He cleared his throat and then said:

  ‘The riddle is a difficult one to solve. But there is nothing that the Lord in heaven does without a good reason behind it. Famine, hunger, disease, pain, droughts, floods, earthquakes, death, every pestilence — they all have a purpose. God works in mysterious ways, and He reveals the purpose of his actions only when and if He wishes, or when the time is ripe. We can never rush God’s decision. Pain and suffering are a test of our faith and our capacity to endure. If the girl had not forsaken the church, God would surely have shown her the way. But who am I to pass judgement over another? Who am I to stand between a person and their decision before their God? Do you remember the story of the woman who was found with a man who was not her husband? What did Jesus say to her when she was taken to him? Let him who has no sin cast the first stone, yes, throw the first stone. I shall now follow in the footsteps of Christ and say: Let him who has no sin cast the first stone. But I say to the girl: Come back to church and kneel down before God. Ask Him for forgiveness , . .’

  Without realising it, Matigari gave away the young woman’s name.

  ‘But what sin has Guthera committed? Between Guthera and

  God, who has really sinned against the other? Who of the two should kneel down before the other and ask for forgiveness? Tell me, you who read holy books: Who created a world so upside-down?’

  ‘Stop there! Just stop there before you commit the sin that will never be forgiven!’ the priest said quickly, shocked by Matigari’s words. ‘What devil is this that has come to my house?’ Then, on remembering what he had read in the Bible, and also the rumours in the country, he once again felt uneasy. Doubts assailed him. Might not these trials be the same as those which God put to Job when He allowed Satan to try him?’ ‘What sin?’ Matigari asked in a voice full of pain, ‘Blasphemy! The sin of abusing the Holy Spirit!’

  ‘Just because I said this world is upside-down? Let me tell you yet another riddle concerning him-who-sows and him- who-reaps-where-he-never-sowed. He-who-sows cleared the bush, cultivated the land, flattened it, sowed and tended the crop. He-who-reaps-where-he-never-sowed grabbed the land, and it was he who took home the harvest. He-who-sows then built a house; he-who-reaps-where-he-never-sowed grabbed it. He-who-sows made goods in industries, and he-who-reaps- where-he-never-sowed came and took them. He-who-sows- made some clothes, and he-who-reaps-where-he-never-sowed came and took these too. Whatever he-who-sows produced with his sweat and labour, he-who-reaps-where-he-never- so wed would help himself to it. So he-who-sows composed a song of resistance:

  I will not produce food

  For him-who-reaps-where-he-never-sowed to feed on it

  While I go to sleep on an empty belly.

  I will not build a house

  For him-who-reaps-where»he-never-sowed to sleep in it

  While I sleep in the open.

  I will not sew clothes

  For him-who-reaps-where-he-never-sowed to wear them While I strut about naked.

  I will not make goods

  For him-who-reaps-where-he-never-sows to grow rich While I remain empty-handed.

  I have refused to be like the cooking pot Whose sole purpose is to cook and never to eat!

  ‘Wise man! War broke out between him-who-reaps-where- he-never- sowed and him-who-sowed. But he-who-reaps was not alone. He and his servants chased the sower over many hills, down through many valleys, up many mountains, in caves, ditches, plains, forests, all over the country. They fought. One year. Ten years. So many years. He-who-sows first knocked down the servant. Finally he put his foot on the chest of him-who-reaps-where-he-never-sowed. He sang victory songs and set out on his way. Home! And who do you think he found at the gate of his house? None other than the son of him-who- reaps-where-he-never-sowed, accompanied by his servant. They are the ones who called the police and got him arrested. You, wise man, did you say that this world is not upside-down? A world in which:

  The builder sleeps in the open,

  The worker is left empty-handed,

  The tailor goes naked,

  And the tiller goes to sleep on an empty stomach?

  ‘Tell me! Where are the truth and justice in all this? Where in this world can one find justice?’

  By now the priest was getting a little impatient with the man’s questions and long stories. The fear that had earlier overcome him, because of the rumours of Christ’s Second Coming, was now all but gone. There was no way Jesus would have come back to ask such foolish questions and to tell political fables. He yawned. Then, looking at his watch, he said:

  ‘You know, the sun never stops to let the king go by, I have a ceremony to perform elsewhere. You’ve asked me two questions, and I will endeavour to answer them.

  ‘It is true that this world is upside-down. That is precisely why God sent His only son to come here and set it to rights with His eternal love. Go tell Guthera—isn’t that what you called the woman? Tell her this: When people grieve over their sins they must know that they will never find peace unless they go to the Cross! When a sinner leaves his sins behind, and returns to the Lord, he is good and is full of forgiveness. You should worry less about the sins you committed before you knew the Lord, but more about those you have committed from the moment you realised that you are a sinner, Christ is the only one who can right a world which is upside-down. He is the only one who can set right souls which have gone astray . . .

  ‘On matters of politics — like the question of finding the truth and justice on earth — I will answer you the way Jesus answered the Pharisees who had gone to test him and confuse him with questions about earthly rule although they knew very well that his kingdom was in heaven whose capital city was the New Jerusalem. Jesus told them: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s. So today I also say to you: If you want to know of heavenly truth and justice, you should turn to the Lord God of heaven, who is the same Jesus Christ who was once crucified on the Cross for the sake of you and me. But as far as earthly truth and justice are concerned, you should go to those who rule here on earth . . .

  ‘I’ll give you some advice, though. We are very lucky in this country because his Excellency Ole Excellence loves and believes in Christianity. He is also a very enlightened man. He has a ministry which deals with the issues of truth and justice. The Minister for Truth and Justice (he too, like the President, never misses a church service) is coming to pay a visit to the residents of this area. As you know, he often tours various places, telling people how best to abide peaceably by the law.

  For example, he will address the people this evening at the council’s social hall, with regard to the never-ending strikes that take place at the factory here. Please go to the Minister for Truth and Justice and ask him: Where can one find truth and justice on this earth?’

  17

  The meeting called by the Minister for Truth and Justice was well attended, because people had been told that he was going to resolve the dispute between the workers and the factory owners. The Provincial Commissioner had also toured a number of villages in the region, telling people about the minister’s visit. A lot of dignitaries were present. There were representatives from ministries from the ruling party, from the country councils, from the churches and from the factory. The workers and their sympathisers were there en masse.

  The country had a good international image in the West because of its rule of ‘truth and justice’. The meeting had therefore drawn observers from the ruling political parties of the Western countries. They sat in the front-row seats, so that they could properly see how the workers in a Third World country could be silenced with instant truth and justice!

  The riot-control police and a unit of the army were present, and they stood in battle formation outside the social h
all. Inside the hall were more armed policemen. They stood leaning against the wall, their eyes fixed on the crowd.

  The minister wore a dark suit with grey stripes. The party tie of red and green stripes was tucked well inside his waistcoat so that only the top part of it was visible. The tie had the emblem of the ruling party — a picture of a parrot — and the letters KKK, the initials of the party. A red carnation hung from the tapel of the jacket, and a white handkerchief peeped out of the breast pocket. John Boy and Robert Williams sat on his right-hand side, and the church minister, the Provincial Commissioner and the Member of Parliament for the area sat on his left. District commissioners and district officers sat on either side of these guests. In the rows immediately behind the minister there sat some white, brown and black men, dressed injudicial robes. Next to them were three others. One was the editor of the newspaper the Daily Parrotry. Another was Professor of the History of Parrotology, and the third a university lecturer who had a B.Ed., an MA and a Ph.D. in the philosophy of Parrotology. The three held a hymn-book, Songs of a Parrol which had been composed by a group of specialists in the voices of parrots.

  Behind them all stood the Commissioner of Police. At one corner there sat a hooded informer, completely covered in a t one-shaped white cloth with only three slits; for the eyes, and for his mouth.

  The same dull atmosphere which had prevailed in the country the whole day also filled the hall. It was neither hot nor cold. The murmuring of those assembled indicated neither happiness nor sadness. The electric light was weak, giving a kind of twilight. Nothing was clear.

  Everyone waited.

  The priest opened the meeting with a prayer: ‘Our Lord in heaven, give guidance to your servant, the Minister for Truth and justice, so that he can correctly interpret your will. O Lord, still the hearts of the employers, and those of the workers, so that they may all be satisfied with the decisions arrived at through truth and justice.’

  After the prayer, the Provincial Commissioner introduced the minister to ‘your subjects’. The minister then stood up and began his speech.

  ‘I shall not beat about the bush. I shall speak the plain truth and injustice. I am the soul of this government. I am the soul of this nation. I am the light in the dark tunnel. I am the torch of development. Why do I say this? Because, without the rule of law — truth and justice - there is no government, no nation, no civilisation. The rule of law is the true measure of civilisation. I should know. I was brought up in the law. I abide by the law, and the law abides in me. I have been taught the law, and I staunchly believe in it. I am the guardian of the law today. I make the law, and I ensure that it is kept. My father was the first person in this country to advocate loyalism to the Crown at the beginning of the century. Some might wonder: Loyalty to whose law? The colonial law? Let me tell you: Law is law. Those who realised this from the beginning are the only people of any worth in this country today. Yes, we loyalists are the ones in power today. Long live loyalism! Let me explain. Look at John Boy here. He and I went to school together. Isn’t that so, Johnny Boy? We first went to Fort Hare in South Africa. We were also in Britain together. Do you remember our digs in Islington? We nicknamed you, “Bookworm” because you were always cramming. Do you remember? He-he-he!’

  ‘But you know your friends were sons of Kabakas and Cerere Khamas — sons of chiefs and kings,’John Boy now answered, grinning from ear to ear. ‘We nicknamed you “Style”, “Mr Style” because you did everything in style. Do you remember that funny little Goan lawyer who used to silence everyone with arguments about Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin? Do you remember how you once silenced him when you told him — ’

  ‘I am an African Anglophile and proud of it! the minister and John Boy said in chorus as though performing some theatrical act on stage. They both laughed.

  ‘Yes, this Boy you see here - his father was killed by terrorists for obeying and abiding by the "law. Look how far his son has gone today. Is he scavenging for rubbish in garbage yards? You’d all agree with me that it is clear that he is not! Look at me. I have a seven-storeyed house here. I have three swim- pools . . . yes, three . . . one for the children, one for the guests and one for me and my wife! I have also got saunas modelled on those in Finland! The house is decorated with marble, from Italy. Imported Italian marble! I have what the English lords call a family coat of arms, in other words, the emblem of the house. My coat of arms is a picture of a coffee bush, guarded over by two whips. Below this is the family mollo: Destroy Terrorists. Look at anybody who is worth anything, be lie from this tribe or that; they are all those who have been abiding by the law ever since the colonial times. What about the children of those who took axes and home-made guns, claiming that they were going to fight against the rule of law? Where are they today? Where is the independence that we fought for? That is what they are still shouting at the bottom of the ladder.

  ‘In fact, it is we who abided by the law who prevented the country from being destroyed. If you look at the situation dispassionately, without the kind of distortion you find with some of those fiction writers, you can see that it is those who obeyed the colonial law who brought about independence. Wasn’t it only the other day that all the university professors and specialists in Parrotology had a history conference? What do they teach us? That, according to their research, those who joined hands with colonialists in protecting the law — loyalists — are really the ones who made the colonialists give us independence on a platter. I have ordered all those loyalist professors and all holders of Ph.Ds in Parrotology to be promoted and given permanent professorships. For these professors are different from those who are always raising a hue and cry about revolution, revolutionary politics, revolutionary socialism and other foreign ideologies. No! These permanent professors are the ones who know how to obey and abide by the law, how to serve the law. You agree with me, Professor, don’t you?’

  The Permanent Professor in the History of Parrotology shot up at once. So did the Ph.D. in Parrotology and the Editor of the Daily Parrotry. They sang three stanzas from. Songs of a Parrot and then sat down, clinging to the hymn-book as though their Lives depended on it.

  The minister was very pleased with the rendering of the song, saying that, if they continued in that way, they might be on the following year’s honours list and that they would receive decorations such as GKM (The President’s Ears) or MMT (Eyes of the State).

  ‘I hope that you have heard the truth for yourselves,5 he continued. ‘If it were not for us loyalists, what independence would you be enjoying today? Tell me, what independence? Of the graveyards? You should count yourselves lucky that the government is led by a man who is merciful and a Christian. Just imagine, the other day some people at the barracks took to arms in order to mutiny. Army mutiny Did they want a coup or what? They won’t even give us a chance to ensure that the fires of independence continue burning steadily! Why did they not mutiny during the colonial rule? And these students here - demonstrating outside Western embassies simply because these governments are helping South Africa! Why can’t these students follow the footsteps of the permanent professors in Parrotology? How can we dictate to other countries what they should do with their own money? Even His Excellency Ole Excellence has gone a bit too far with his beliefs in this democracy! Imagine if this were one of those countries which does not believe in the rule of law; or imagine what would have happened if the government of this country had fallen into the hands of those who had taken up axes to fight the law? Yes . . . if the government had been taken by terrorists ... In other words, if this were a gangs ter government, what do you think would have happened to those university students?

  ‘Listen! Let me drop another hint. The government knows that those subversive elements were not alone. The brains behind these people’s actions have discovered another way of bringing confusion in the country. Uvumi — rumour-mongering.

  There is now a terrible rumour going round these villages that Christ has come back. I have just one question tha
t I would like to put to you: How can Jesus Christ return without first revealing himself to his disciples? Here on this platform we have a church minister. Minister, please tell everyone here now whether or not Jesus has come back. Has Jesus Christ come back?'

  The priest stood up, clinging to his Bible. He first looked arround him, for he still was not so sure about the rumours before addressing the crowd with the following words.