I will marry when I want is a great play that was authored by Ngugi wa Mirii in collaboration with Ngugi wa Thiong’o. This setting was done in Africa in a country known as Kenya. It is about Kiguunda and his bettr half Wandeci who has been blessed with one daughter known as Gathoni who is quite beautifully and physically fit. The story concentrates on how the two couples and their protection of their only land from a group of people who wanted to purchase this land and build an insecticide factory on it.
The title deed of the land recurs several times as the play goes on thus appears to be a well protected file but in the real sense, it happens to be the most endangered item from the start of the play. It’s falling from the wall heights further the title deed insecurity which can be observed as their only “security”. When it falls in the presence Kiguunda and Kio, there is none who spares his/her time to pick it except Gicaamba. There is a lot of tension though both of them react in the same way to play cool on the incident. The falling down symbolizes the act that Kiguunda will tolerate of taking a loan and giving he title deed as his security. Kiguunda is always picking it up and for quite a number of times to try and understand something that he cant. He after a period of time takes a loan to allow him hold a church wedding and purchase some new clothes which they tend to idolize. This helps us realize that the title deed as well symbolizes idolatry. It represents greed and exploitation; it symbolizes ignorance if not wisely used as it is going to lead to poverty.
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The family struggles on surviving and meeting their daily bread. They share a poorly build house that has only one room with only a table and a bed as their only furniture. Their daughter slept on the floor which served as her bed and used the few rags that they had as her beddings. This reflected a picture of the poverty that existed in that family. It really had little means and was also very unfortunate when their limited possessions and belonging are considered. When the author becomes detailed in his description, he successfully gives the audience a perfect picture of the reality of Kenyans life, something that made him to be jailed for an year by the Kenya government. The play perfectly demonstrated how the poor could not enjoy the comforts that rich do.
The only thing that the family held as the main procession was the only piece of land. They had its title deed that they had hanged on a wall in their house. The land was a one and half acre but their protcive measures would make others think that would be a very big piece of land. He observed that one and a half acres of land and took greater piece land. The play presents the joy that Kiigunda holds over the few acres since it is his very own. Actually the story starts with the wife and the husband having a small debate regadind to the title deed that had fallen down. The wife had already noted how her husband had been gazing at the title deed. How his husband used to defend himself and how he reponsed regarding his greatest price about the land that they own shows clearly that the small piece of land is the major aspect of the play. It has a great value on how the play would develop soon. The land symbolizes the Kenyans country. Even even if the country is under developed and poor, they are a few individuals who carefully protects their homeland and refuses to give up. Citizen ship is extremely vital to these people because despite their poor living conditions, they at least own something.
The part of conflict in the play arises where Kiguunda receives a letter that offers to buy his land. The foreigner settlers are planning to put up a factory in the area tus are interested in buying the land. The factory was meant to manufacture insecticides and this raised a lot of issues since the freedom fighters who were supposed to be fighting for liberation are the ones initiating the encouragement of individuals to sell their land. In fact, they served as middlemen who negotiated for the purchase of land. The authors clearly points out how corruption has really affected the minds of Kenyan citizens. They took the side of the foreigners and not that of their country. The play clearly shows the cruelty of the foreigners who were after doing anything to make some earning. They would take the available chances and bribe men so as to turn against their kin so as to gain what they wanted. They also never cared about the negative effect of having the factory erected in the community.
There is disillusionment in I will marry when I want which is achieved in two forms, the first form being the big imagination as observed in Kiguunda. This is observed through the use of flashback as the play is performed It is also seen in the visions that he observe as the play ends when he was about to marry Wangeci in church. Kiguunda visionise the whole procedure before but the wedding was never done. The second disillusionment is observed in the routine. The employess are control by a bell’s sound that is used to instruct them on how to work.
To conclude the whole story, the play emphasizes on how neo-colonialism affected the Kenya people’s psyche. It is sad that to realise that despite the struggle for liberation by their ancestors, Kenyans were still affected by heartless and greed. The Mau mau freedom fighters shed a lot of blood and sweat in order to gain freedom for their country but the desires of the present citizen is eventually leading them to misleading and tricking their own countrymen (Mau Mau uprising: Bloody history of Kenya conflict", 2011). The mentality that theu had were heavily affected by the foreigners who completely brainwashed them. They did not hesitate to develop corruption in their minds and hearts.This caused them to ignore their patriotism and the love that they had for their fellowmen and the country at large. It is hurting to observe how economic gain can make people think that all is right when they misuse they have for their for their fellows in order to gain more. This is a practice that has been hindering the development of different nations.
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The play also effectively attacks how the religion influenced the people negatively. Christianity was being used as a vehicle that influenced the town dwellers to sell their lands as they give up their identity. Though the values taught by the Christians were well-meaning, it was used in a way to trick. It is not amusing to realise that something that would change a person be come a better creature was used to make him become poorer. Nevertheless, the constant struggle to attain what is theirs is still in the hearts of people. The author brings hope that all this will be awakened and freedom will hence be achieved. The play really gives us courage by taking such a national issue that is quite controversial.