“The River Between” : the Impact of Colonialism on Society

The concept of division within the community has been prevailed for a long time. Ibelief that division plays an integral role in bringing negative changes and ideologies. Often,within the contemporary communities, leaders apply the notion of divide and conquer to havean easy time ruling. In The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, division stands out as amajor effect that colonialism had on the natives. In Ngugi’s novel, the title is a symbol of thedivision as river Honia in the novel acts as a boundary or rather a division between the tworidges.

In the novel, the narrator asserts that "The two ridges lay side by side, hidden in thedarkness. And the Honia River went on flowing between them" (152). This narrative denotesthat the two ridges were set apart by the river, a symbol of division fostered by colonialism. The author provides an outstanding account of the negative effects of British colonists and howthey led to conflicting ideologies in the communities in which the novel is set. This essayprovides an analysis how British colonists conflicted the natives bringing divisions to acommunity that was once peaceful. Some of the aspects analyzed comprise of how Britishgovernance system divided the natives, the division brought by Christianity and efforts madeby the communities to attain independence from colonist’s exploitation. The title of the book, The River Between is an allegory that represents division as aresult of colonization, particularly in Kenya at the period when the British brought with them Surname 2Christianity. The Christianity religion is partially accepted by some individuals within thesetting of the novel while a majority of the society held on their traditional norms. The narratordescribes Joshua’s house as "tin-roofed rectangular building standing quite distinctly by itselfon the ridge. ” (28). This particular point of view demonstrates how the collaborators separatedthemselves from the rest of the community due to differing ideologies thus denoting a divisionamong the natives.

Also, the roof of the house is depicted to be decaying, an imagery denotingthe gradual process of colonization and division within the communities due to colonization. Decaying is also a metaphoric term showcasing how colonization was ruining the culture of thenatives and thus dividing them from their beliefs and customs. I therefore belief that division isthe main effect that colonialism had on the colonized communities as it is evident in the entirenovel from the introduced governance, religion and even among the locals. The author presents the Kikuyu society as people who have been divided and tornbetween two completely different worlds. On one side, they perceive that it is theirresponsibility to remain loyal to their customs and traditions while on the other side, there aremissionaries who are trying so hard to change their beliefs on the notion that their practices areprimitive and not good in diverse ways. As a result, there are mixed reactions in regard tocolonialism which denotes division in their feelings towards colonialism. Waiyaki was inbetween these two divisions and that is why he “would not have liked to be seen by Kabonyistanding with Joshua's daughter. He resented this and wondered if he too was becoming a slaveto the tribe" (Ngugi 81). Joshua was a Christian while Waiyaki’s father resisted the new religionand that is why he did not want to be found seen with the daughter of a Christian. A majorreason as to why Christianity presented a challenge to the Kikuyu tradition is because thesociety considered their tradition to be a more significant factor other than just succeeding the Surname 3ways and deeds of their ancestors.

According to their ideology, the tradition was of maintainingtheir identity. Ngugi shows the hitches and hindrances that come up when individuals on bothsides disagree seeing the other group as traitors. The natives stuck to their roots resisting toadopt the new ways that have been introduced believing that their ideologies are superior. The mode of governance introduced by the British colonists is another factor that leadto division in the land. Upon arrival, the British attained their power in the society throughestablishment of government posts which later initiated tax collection. When people in TheRiver Between start feeling the weight of exploitation from the British colony, they decide tofind a way of liberating themselves. However, there is a division in the technique employed inthe effort to liberate the Blackman from the Whiteman. One group decides to use war as ameans of liberation while another group opts to use the education introduced by the British tofind their independence. For example, Waiyaki’s father is not pleased by the mode ofgovernance introduced by the Whiteman and advice his son “Learn all the wisdom and all thesecrets of the white man. But do not follow his vices. " (20). According to him, the best way toattain liberation for Kameno and Makuyu, the two villages is by his son learning the introducedwestern education and then using it as a tool to fight them. However, this is not the case at theend as Waiyaki realizes that it is not only through education that independence will be attained. However, people of Kameno and Makuyu ought to achieve self-respect which can only berealized via political action possible by all the varied tribes united. On the other hand, peoplelike Kabonyi who are staunch to their traditional ideologies believe that their traditionalteachings are superior and they do not need to learn the ways of the colonialists in order todefeat them.

At the meeting when Waiyaki is summoned, Kabonyi questions the enthusiasmthat Waiyaki has for education by asking him “Or do you think the education of our tribe, the Surname 4education, and wisdom which you all received, is in any way below that of the whiteman?”(95). this is a vivid indication that Kabonyi who is an icon of the traditional ideologiesbelieves that they can use their own tactics to restore their land and attain independence. In conclusion, The River Between portrays how colonialism brought division to theAfrican communities. I believe that for a community to thrive, members ought to be unitedalways. However, the lack of unity in Ngugi’s community is what makes them exploited. Fromthe novel, division is evident in different aspects such as religion, ways of doing things,governance and restoration of independence. The author has used juxtaposition among thedifferent characters within the novel to depict division brought by colonialism. In myexperience, I have witnessed instances whereby leaders divide people in order to make it easyfor them to rule. I believe that the same case is what happens in Kameno and Makuyu. It is thusimportant for citizens to remain united at all times in order to shun away bad leadership thatdivides them.