BETRAYAL IN THE CITY - THEMES

Revenge             

After the death of Adika, his family members seek revenge against those who were responsible for his death. When he was at his son’s grave, Doga tells his dead son to follow his murderers to the bitter end. He tells him to follow them up the hills and down the valleys. During adika’s funeral service, Jusper becomes wild and starts to sing songs of vengeance. The authorities take him away because they thought that he had become dangerous to the peace loving people. While still at his son’s grave, Doga argues with Mulili and he tells Mulili that he may die the way Adika died. Jere who was also at the grave informs Adika’s parents that jusper sought the revenge of his dead brother and he had killed Chagaga in the process. Jere and Mulili tell them that after killing Chagaga, Jusper confessed it during a public rally which led to his arrest.

While they were still in Adika’s grave, Jere and Mulili starts to argue because of the way Mulili had treated the old couple. Jere felt that Mulili had shown no sympathy towards the two old couple and had also abused them. Jere and Mulili’s argument gets intense and Jere tries to shoot Mulili but he dives off stage. Mulili is shocked and he tells him that he shall pay for it. In the next scene, the play begins with Jere being thrown in a prison cell. This can be seen as revenge from Mulili whom he had issues with.

While he was in Regina’s house, Jusper tells Regina that he will never have rest until he gets revenge for those who had killed his parents’. Regina is not happy with jusper’s resolve of getting revenge. At the end of the play, jusper’s wishes come true when during the rehearsal of the play in Boss’s palace he shoots and kills Mulili who was responsible for the death of Doga and Nina.

In act two of the play, kabito vows to take revenge on Mulili for taking away the milk supply tender from him. He tells Nicodemo that if Mulili does not get him first he will get him. Later when Mulili joins them in the committee he tells the other committee members that he will take revenge on the person who had tried to take the tender away from him. He tells them that as soon as he knows the person who tried to take the tender away from him, he will regret the day he was born. As the meeting progresses, Mulili and Kabito get into a vicious argument over the arrangement of the entertainment program. During the one hour break that they get to let off steam, Mulili rushes to boss’s palace and when he gets there he tells Boss a lot of falsehoods against Kabito. Mulili manages to convince Boss that Kabito is an enemy of him and of his government. On hearing the lies that Mulili was telling him concerning Kabito, Boss orders Mulili to take two guards and go and silence Kabito. Mulili’s action is seen as revenge against Kabito for arguing with him and belittling him.

               

Enmity

After the death of Adika, enmity was created between Doga’s family and the sub-chief’s family. This enmity led Jusper to take revenge and kill Chagaga who was responsible for the death of Adika. After Chagaga’s death, Jusper is arrested and when he is released he finds out that his parents have been killed. He swears to take revenge on those who had killed his parents and during the play’s rehearsal he kills Mulili. This he does because maybe he had the knowledge that Mulili was the one who was responsible for his parents’ death.

Jere and Mulili also become enemies after Mulili abuses and show no sympathy towards Doga and Nina. Jere had hoped that Mulili would accept Doga and Nina’s request to carry on with their traditional ceremony. Mulili refuses because his future depended on how he kept law and order. He tells Jere that he has been promised a farm and grade cattle’s if he maintained law and order. Afterwards, Jere and Mulili get into a verbal argument forcing Jere to shoot at Mulili but Mulili escapes by jumping off stage. After his arrest for disobeying the authorities, Jere creates enmity with the prison Askari by his constant sarcastic speech that belittled the Askari. Kabito and Mulili also become enemies after Kabito learnt that the milk supply tender to the university had been given to Mulili who had used boss’s influence to grab the tender. The enmity between Kabito and Mulili ends tragically after Mulili fills Boss with wrong information about Kabito.

                               

Death and Murder                         

The play opens up with two old couple, Nina and Doga, at the grave of their son Adika. Adika was killed by sub-chief’s brother who was called Chagaga. During Adika’s funeral service, Adika’s brother, Jusper, became wild and started singing songs of vengeance. His revenge mission led him to kill Chagaga and after killing and throwing his body in a river, he went and confessed in a public rally that he had killed Chagaga. His confession angered the crowd who started stoning him and later took to their heels thinking that they had killed him.

In prison, the Askari confesses to Jere that he once killed someone in the cell that Jere was in. Jere is not perturbed by this confession because he thinks the prison Askari was telling him just to scare him.

Throughout the play, Mulili is seen as the face of death through his actions and speech. Through the instructions and command of Boss, Mulili kills Kabito in cold blood. He kills him and makes it look like a fatal accident. He kills him because earlier in the play, he got into a heated argument on the way the celebration that was to be performed to the visiting head of state was to be performed. Both Tumbo and Nicodemo know that Mulili was the one who had killed Kabito but they don’t show it because of the fear that they had towards Mulili. Tumbo tells Nicodemo that Mulili’s desire to eliminate other people had become infectious. At the end of the play, Jusper who had taken part in the rehearsal uses that opportunity to take revenge on Mulili by shooting and killing him.

Illiteracy

In the play Mulili is a symbol of illiteracy. His conversation with other characters is difficult to understand because he speaks in broken English. Throughout the play his conversation with other characters shows how illiterate he was. Because of his illiteracy he constantly finds himself in conflict with other characters because they fail to understand him and vice versa. Jusper exposes how illiterate Tumbo was. After taunting Tumbo for a while Tumbo admits to Jusper and Regina that he never went to the university because he had sold his scholarship to help his poor family. He tries to comfort himself when he tells Jusper that education does not matter anymore these days.

Traditions          

After the death of Adika, certain aspects of traditions and beliefs appear in the play. Though Doga and Nina appear to be Christians, it is not difficult to notice that they were also traditional. When they were at Adika’s gravesite, they filled the crack on the grave with soil. By doing this they believed that they will disguise the evil that lived among them. They also wanted the traditional ceremony to go on because they did not want the spirits of their dead son to turn wild with anger on account of a ceremony unperformed. Doga and Nina were also determined to perform their traditional rites so that they are not accused that they had ignored their tradition and for people not to boycott their son’s shaving ceremony.

It is evident that in Kafira there were different tribes that had different beliefs. Nina dares Jere and Mulili from taking her son’s grave or she would be forced to strip and show them her naked bones. Jere, who seems to come from the same tribe as Nina begs Nina not to strip because that meant that she had cursed them. Because Mulili does not know their ways and does not belong to their tribe dares Nina to strip. Doga’s tribe also practiced circumcision. After Doga learning that Jere was Kaleka’s son through the shape of his head, he tells him that he shared the same circumcision knife with his father.

               

Conspiracy                         

After the death and burial of Adika, the plot to remove Boss as the leader of Kafira began. While in prison, Mosese, Jere and Jusper conspire to overthrow Boss’s government. While there an opportunity presented itself and this came in the form of a play. Before Jusper was released from prison, he was allowed to meet with Mosese and this may be where the decision to overthrow Boss was reached. Mosese and Jusper’s acceptance to take part in the play was suspect. Mosese accepts to take part in the play by acting on stage while Jusper accepts to take part in the play by writing the play.  During the rehearsal of the play, it became obvious that the missing props and the actor who was supposed to act as the chief of staff are all part of the scheme to make the plot a success. Boss’s decision to act as the chief of staff and the decision to use original guns instead of the wooden guns was a boost to the schemers. Jusper convinced Boss that the props that were to be used for the play were vital for the play’s prologue. Boss then ordered his guards to give their guns to Jere and Mosese. After Jere and Mosese are given the guns, Jusper became overexcited knowing that the conspiracy to oust Boss from power has been achieved. Boss then realized that the play that was to be acted in front of the visiting head of state was indeed a conspiracy to overthrow him from power but it was too late since the schemers of the plot had achieved their mission.

Fall from Grace

Several characters undergo change from their previous high positions in the society to lower positions. The first person to undergo this change was Mosese who previously was a university lecturer but later a prisoner. The reason why he got jailed was because he spoke critically about the politicians who had tried to convert Adika’s funeral service into a political rally. After his speech at the service a plot was hatched whereby one kilogramme of opium was found in his car which led to his arrest. Jere who was a soldier finds himself as a prisoner after disobeying orders and allowing Doga and Nina to carry on with their traditional ceremony. Jusper also falls from grace after his fellow university students sack him as the organising secretary to the students union. The reason why he was sacked was because he had agreed to take part in the play by writing the script that was to be acted. His decision to write the play let made the other students view him as a traitor and betrayer of their cause. Boss also falls from grace to grass after a civilian coup takes place in Kafira in the form of a play.

               

Confessions

After killing Chagaga and throwing his body in the river, Jusper goes back to his brother’s grave and find his parents there. He tells his parents that he has committed murder and he asks them if he can go and confess. Without knowing what he was talking about, Doga and Nina give him the go ahead to go and confess. Nina thought that Jusper was talking about Doga while Doga thought that Jusper was talking about Adika.  They also thought that his illness had crept back to him and that was why he was talking the way he did. After leaving his parents in Adika’s grave, Jusper goes to a public rally and confesses to killing Chagaga. At first people ran away from him as if he suffered from some horrible infectious disease. After a while they started stoning him and when he fell down, the people took to their heels thinking he was dead.

While in prison, Askari confessed to Jere that he once killed a man in the cell where Jere was. Tumbo also confessed to Jusper and Regina that he never went to university. He tells them that the reason he failed to go to the university was because his family was so poor that he decided to sell his scholarship. At the end of the play Mulili confesses to those who were present during the rehearsal of the play of how Boss has used his position to eliminate others and to plunder the economy of Kafira. His confession does not go well with Boss who sees that as the ultimate betrayal. Though he confesses about Boss’s sins, he fails to confess about his own and that does not spare him from the wrath of Jusper who goes ahead and kills him

Civil Disobedience         

Civil disobedience is the refusal by a particular group of people who are opposed to laws of an organisation or a government. In Kafira, the university students were rioting against the development plans of their government. While in jail Mosese flashes back on how blows were exchanged in the planning committee over whether the changing of names should be item number one or three in the development plans. Mosese’s recount of events that happened in the past reveals that the cause of civil disobedience was brought about by Boss’s policies which were unpopular.

According to Mulili, Adika wished for his death when he incited his fellow students into rioting. He says that since the students criticized government policies they were retard progress. While at Adika’s grave, Jusper’s conversation to the audience shows that there was some form of civil unrest in Kafira. He calls out his dead brother to join the struggle.  After the death of Adika, the university students still continued to riot and on them they wore red gowns to symbolise their struggle. The students march up and down because apart from Boss’s development plans that they were opposed to, they also wanted a photograph of Adika printed in the local newspapers with the word “THANKS” above it. Tumbo was also opposed to the rioting university students. He calls the rioting students the red guards. He tells Jusper that marching up and down the streets chanting a dead student’s name will never improve things in Kafira. Regina also shares the same sentiments with Tumbo since she says that no good will come out of the students struggle. She tells Jusper that it was right for the beggars to abuse them. Boss who is opposed to the riots by the university students wonders who made the students spokesmen of truth and justice. He tells jusper that when he goes back to the university, he should tell the student leaders that it was his duty to decide on the magnitude of Kafira’s africanization programme. Through Boss we also learn that the students also wanted to demonstrate against the visit by the head of state.

Betrayal

As the title of the book suggests, this is the main theme of the play. Certain characters in the play feel betrayed or betray those who were close to them and those who work with them. In the opening of the play Doga and Nina felt betrayed by their son jusper when he abandoned his brother’s grave and it got desecrated by unknown people. They also felt betrayed because they thought that the person who meddled with Adika’s grave was one of their own.

Jere betrayed the government he was working for and takes the side of his people. He undergoes an epiphany and supports Doga and Nina in their quest to perform a traditional ceremony for their dead son. As a soldier sent to restore peace and order, he turns and betrays Mulili by trying to shoot him when Mulili refused to allow Doga and Nina to carry on with their ceremony.  His betrayal may also be the reason why he got jailed in the first place. When he got arrested, he tells Mosese that when he was sent to his sub location to restore peace he took only two days to change his mind. Earlier before he was arrested, he tells Mulili that when he looked at Nina’s eyes he saw the futility of calling themselves the citizens of Kafira. His statement was a conviction that as the peacekeepers of Kafira, they had betrayed the citizens of Kafira by siding with the oppressive regime of Boss.

Jere and Mulili also betrayed their government when they helped a prisoner by the name of Mustafa to escape. Though Jere was not part of the plan, as a soldier and citizen of Kafira it was his duty to alert the authorities about Mustafa’s escape and Mulili’s involvement.

While in prison, Mosese felt that her sister Regina had betrayed him since she wanted to go and plead for his release. Mosese also felt that he would be betraying his principles if he clowned on stage for the visitor as part of the entertainment. He calls it ‘bending low’ while Jere who was with him in the prison cell felt like it was sacrificing one’s dignity for the good of the other prisoners.

Tumbo felt that he had betrayed Regina after arranging a meeting between her and Boss. In that meeting Boss had tried to take Regina by force but Regina escaped by jumping out of a ten foot high window. Though Tumbo recommended Regina to meet Boss was in good faith, Jusper tells Tumbo that Regina will not forgive him. The meeting had been arranged so that Regina could plead with Boss to release his brother from prison. Boss’s wife, Mercedes, also felt betrayed by her husband when he tried to take Regina by force.

The citizens and the students of Kafira University felt betrayed by their leader, Boss, who was dictatorial. He introduces several development plans which were critically opposed especially by the university students who were constantly holding demonstrations to denounce his leadership style. His decision to bring in more expatriates in Kafira is also seen as a betrayal to the citizens of Kafira. The university students also felt betrayed by Jusper when he accepted to write a play as part of the entertainment of the visiting head of state. Because of his decision to write the play, he is sacked as the organising secretary of the students union. The university students sacked him because they felt he was going round the bend again, calling him a traitor and betrayer of their cause. Tumbo is also betrayed by Jusper when he realizes that the play Jusper wrote was part of a conspiracy to overthrow Boss’s government. Initially Tumbo had thought that the play would be about the achievements made by boss’s government but it turned out to be a platform by which the government is overthrown.

In act two of the play, Kabito felt betrayed by the university officials when they gave his milk supply tender to Mulili. Mulili gets the tender through his cousin who called the university catering manager and ordered him to give the tender to Mulili. The committee members who were organising the entertainment diary of the visiting head of state felt betrayed by Mulili when he conspired with Boss to kill Kabito. He killed Kabito because they didn’t share the same views and opinions on the way the entertainment of the visiting head of state would be carried out.

During the rehearsal of the play that was to be acted for the visiting head of state, Boss was surprised to find out that the play was a conspiracy to overthrow his government. During that moment Mulili gave the go ahead for Boss to be killed because of the ills that he had done to the citizens of Kafira. When boss heard what Mulili was saying he asks to be shot so that he could be spared from Mulili’s betrayal.                  

Madness

Madness is the instability of a person’s behaviour and thinking. In the play, the main character, Jusper, becomes insane after the death of his brother.  His parents call it an illness that keeps on creeping back to him. When Jusper heard about the death of his brother, he became mentally disturbed and he was never the same again. During his brother’s funeral service he became wild and started singing songs of vengeance which led him to being taken away on account of being a danger to the society.  When he was talking to the audience (aside) he tells the audience that people say he was mad, his mother thought that he was out of his mind and his father calls him crazy. His behaviour after his brother’s death clearly shows that he was insane. After killing Chagaga, he says how fun it was and he asks his parents if he should go and confess. His mother tells him to go ahead and confess and when he arrives at the public rally, he confesses to those who were at the rally that he had killed Chagaga. When Doga learnt that Jusper had confessed to killing Chagaga, he tells Jere and Mulili that jusper was not mad and they lack a name for his illness.

After Jusper’s arrest he was taken to a mental hospital where he went through a rehabilitation programme. After his release he goes to Regina’s house with a red gown which Regina says that it made him look more dangerous but jusper thinks that she meant it made him look madder than he really was. During their conversation Jusper tells Regina how he plans to get revenge against those who killed his family and Regina asks to remember that Mosese told him to pretend that nothing has happened. Jusper counters by telling Regina that Mosese was wrong since madmen do not pretend.

At the final rehearsal of the play at Boss’s palace, Jusper again becomes mad moments before Boss realized that the whole play was a conspiracy to overthrow his government.  Jusper’s madness brings the play to a resolution and suspense is achieved by the author of the novel since it’s unclear if Jusper’s madness was real or he was feigning it to achieve his revenge mission.

Mosese can be said to be also suffering from some form of mental illness. When he was in prison sharing his prison cell with Jere, Mosese experiences episodes of nightmares and sleep walking. His speech during the time he was having nightmares leads Jere to conclude that Mosese was insane.

               

Misuse of Power            

In the play it is evident that the people who are in power or in leadership positions have used their positions to get what they want and to influence certain decisions. As the leader of Kafira, Boss uses his position to impose draconian laws to his citizens. Those who do not agree with him are either jailed or get killed as was with the case of Jere and Kabito respectively. The changing of names was one of Boss’s development plans which were strongly opposed especially by the university students. It is clear that there was some form of civil disobedience brought about by Boss’s development plans. As a dictator Boss opposed the printing and publishing of literatures that exposed the truth about what was happening in Kafira. In act two of the play, Boss tells Jusper that when he goes back to university he should tell the university students that it was his duty to decide on the magnitude of Kafira’s africanisation programme. He also tells Tumbo that no one who shouts at him ever get what they wanted. From his speech and what other characters say about him, it was clear that he did not tolerate the opinions of other people.

Kafira was also a lawless country where human life was not valued. With the murder of Adika, Doga, Nina and Kabito, it was clear that there was run away lawlessness. Failure to arrest the perpetrators of the heinous acts is a clear indication that the respect of law and order had reached low levels. Apart from dictatorship and lawlessness, Kafira also suffered from nepotism/cronyism, corruption and injustices.

Boss uses his position as the leader of Kafira to reward his cousin Mulili. He promises him a big farm and grade cattle’s if he carries out his wishes and Mulili does so with a lot of enthusiasm and vigour. As Boss’s cousin, Mulili benefits more than any other person in the play. The university milk supply tender is given to him. At first, Kabito had won the tender but Mulili later on approaches Boss who calls and orders the university catering manager to give the tender to Mulili. Boss also uses his position to include Mulili in the entertainment committee that was tasked with planning the entertainment diary of the visiting head of state.

Tumbo, Kabito and Nicodemo also use their positions as government officials to enrich themselves. In act one of the play, Tumbo tells Jusper that there are opportunities but they don’t come on a plate. He tells Jusper why he wants to ruin his chances by pretending to talk for others. He tells him to fight for himself first and when his presence is felt, he can risk shouting for others. As a government official, it is very suspicious for a person like Tumbo to own several blocks of houses and to drive an automatic jaguar. When he learns that Jusper is a play writer he offers him a job so that they could eat together. He gives Jusper the job of writing the play so that it does not go through a competitive process. He instantly announces Jusper as the winner of the competition and tells him that out of the six hundred pound that was to finance the competition, one third of it was to be given to him and Regina and the rest was to be used to put the records straight.

Nicodemo and Kabito use the committee meetings to make money from it. Conversation between the two characters shows how greedy they were. Through Mulili we learn how corrupt Boss was. Mulili discloses to the people present during the rehearsal of the play that boss had hidden millions in foreign countries.

Kafira was also a country that lacked justice. In act one of the play, we learn that Chagaga who was the brother of the sub-chief uses his position to kill Adika. Instead of him being arrested and tried, he defends himself by saying that he did it in self-defence. We learn later through Doga that a stranger who hardly knew Adika had been arrested instead of Chagaga. When Jusper confessed to killing Chagaga, he was beaten by a mob which left him half dead. After being in prison for three months, which is unusual for a murder suspect, he is released from prison only to find that his parents have been murdered. Doga and Nina also faced injustice when they were prevented from holding the shaving ceremony of their son. Their subsequent murder was also an injustice to the two of them. Though Mulili was involved in their murder, no action was taken against him.

Mosese also faced injustice after speaking out his mind during Adika’s funeral service. He spoke his mind when a handful of politicians turned the funeral service into a political rally. After that incident he got arrested for being in possession of an illegal drug which was planted in his car by a man called Nicodemus. His sister Regina also faced injustice when she got beat up by the authorities so that they could force her to give false evidence against Mosese. The beating led to her losing hearing in one of her ears.

Fear vs. Courage             

There is a sense of fear and courage throughout the play as revealed by the conversations between characters and actions taken by some of the characters. In act one of the play, Nina shows fear after the death of her son Adika. While she was in Adika’s gravesite, her fears shows when together with her husband find Adika’s grave empty because Jusper who was supposed to look after it was nowhere to be seen. From the conversation between Nina and Doga we learn that the previous night they had left Jusper to guard his late brother’s grave but at dawn the next day he had deserted the gravesite. Jusper’s absence makes Nina to fear for his life since he was the only remaining child. Nina’s fears are reciprocated by her husband’s courage who tries to assure her that Jusper was alright wherever he was. Nina also showed fear that she had towards the sub-chief who was the brother of Chagaga. Nina feared that if they did not report the ceremony to the sub-chief it may cause problems between them and the authorities. Doga who was not afraid of the sub-chief dismisses Nina by telling her that the ceremony would go on as planned.

The arrival of jusper to the scene sends fear to his parents and they both hide behind the bushes. Later, they emerge from the bushes and hold a conversation with their son. In their conversations, Nina shows preservations against his son attending the traditional ceremony because she feared that if he attended the traditional ceremony he might go wild. After jusper exits the scene, Jere and mulili’s entry into the scene exposes the fear that Mulili had towards his cousin boss. Though Jere shows courage by showing willingness to allow Doga and Nina perform their traditional ceremony, Mulili fears that allowing them will result in him not getting the parcel of land and the grade cattle that he had been promised. Because of Jere’s decision to allow Doga and Nina to go on with their ceremony, he is arrested and sent to prison. Inside the prison he shares the same cell with Mosese who had been arrested after showing courage to speak his mind against the politicians who had tried to turn adika’s funeral service into a political rally. While still in prison, Jere showed courage when he was having a conversation with the prison warder. He speaks out his mind even after the prison warder threatened him with violence. In his conversation with Mosese we learn that Jere had a change of heart when he came face to face with reality when he was sent to his own sub-location to restore peace and order. He tells Mosese that it only took him two days to change his perception about Kafira. His change of heart is seen as a sign of courage because he went against the wishes of the authorities.

In scene three of act one, Regina and tumbo show the fear that they had towards the situation in Kafira and the leadership of Kafira. Regina also fears for the life of jusper and she tries to persuade him from taking revenge against those who murdered his parents. She tells jusper to simply go placid amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. Regina also feared that jusper wearing the red academic gown was a source of trouble. She also feared the continued confinement of his brother in prison. It is for this reason that she sought the help of tumbo to help her make arrangements so that she could see boss and plead for the release of his brother Mosese. When tumbo enters Regina’s house he informs her that he has secured a meeting between her and boss but Regina fears to see boss personally because she had a gut feeling that something would go wrong. Her fears come true later in the play when she goes to boss’s palace who tried to take her by force. During the earlier conversation between tumbo and Regina, tumbo tells Regina his fears towards boss when he tells her that boss should not be made angry.

During the rehearsal of the play that was to be acted for the visiting head of state, tumbo becomes nervous and fearful because boss was in an unpredictable mood that he nearly slapped him when he had told him that they didn’t have all the props. Tumbo also warns jusper that when boss loses his temper, he can hardly tell a human being from a rat.

In act two of the play we learn about how certain characters in the play show courage and fear towards the play’s antagonists. In scene one of the act, kabito shows courage when he takes on Mulili and questions him during the committee meeting. Though all those in the committee agree that to go against Mulili is to dig your own grave, kabito shows a lot of courage when he confronts him during the committee meetings. His courage was also his undoing when later during the break; Mulili conspires to have him killed by giving false accusations about kabito to boss who orders for his killing. Nicodemo also shares his fears with the other committee members when he tells them that the pardoning of the prisoners would be a personal tragedy for him.

Throughout the play, the protagonist i.e. jusper, has been exposed as a courageous character who shows no fear. In act one of the play he took a risk and killed Chagaga who was a former officer and who was responsible for the death of adika. After killing him he takes a courageous step by confessing to the deed in front of a group of people who stone him to death. As a ploy to get revenge for the killing of his parents, he agrees to take part in the play that was to be acted in front of the visiting head of state by writing the play. During the final rehearsal of the play, he courageously shoots and kills Mulili who was a feared character in the play.

Anger and Bitterness

Certain characters in the play become bitter because of the injustices that have been done to them by other characters and the country’s leadership. In the opening act of the play, Doga and Nina reveal their bitterness to the readers because the person who was responsible for their son’s death still roamed free. They were also bitter because the traditional ceremony that they wanted to perform to rid themselves of their son’s ghost was cancelled in the interest of peace. When Jere learns of the injustices and bitterness of the two old couple, he is also overcomed with bitterness and anger. He also got angry because of the way they were being treated by Mulili.

The death of adika also changes the mental state of jusper who becomes angry and bitter. His bitterness leads him to go and take revenge against Chagaga who was the killer of adika. After taking revenge against Chagaga by killing him, he throws his body in the river and goes and confesses his sin in front of a group of people who get angry at him and start stoning him. After his arrest and release from prison, jusper is again bitter because he learnt that his parents had been murdered in exchange for his freedom. This revelation angers him and he vows to take revenge against those who were responsible for killing his entire family. His decision to take revenge angers Regina who reminds him that he had promised Mosese to be a good boy yet he was speaking of revenge. Regina was also bitter with jusper during Tumbo’s visit. During the conversation between the three i.e. jusper, Regina and tumbo, jusper shows no respect towards tumbo which angers Regina. To prevent tumbo from getting angry with jusper, Regina tells tumbo that he believed that jusper was drunk.

While in prison, Mosese was bitter because of the way in which he was arrested. In his conversation with Jere, he tells him how he spoke against the politicians who had tried to turn adika’s funeral service into a political rally. Because of that a kilogram of opium was planted in his car which led to his arrest. Because of the bitterness that he had, he lost hope in religion and he also did not want to take part in the play which was a pathway for his release from prison. Mosese also showed anger and bitterness towards Jere when he tried to sympathise with him when he was telling him how his sister was beaten up and forced to give evidence against him. He also became bitter towards his sister when he learnt that she wanted to go and plead for his release.

In act two of the play, kabito shows how bitter he was towards Mulili after his contract of supplying milk to the university was cancelled and given to Mulili. Because of the anger and bitterness that kabito had towards Mulili, he gets into a serious argument with him during the committee meeting. Mulili also got bitter with kabito and because he could not control his anger he falsely accuses him to boss who gets angry and orders for the killing of kabito. After Kabito’s death, the rest of the committee members get bitter with Mulili but they fear him because of his relationship with boss and his bloodthirsty nature.

During the final rehearsal of the play that was to be acted in front of the visiting head of state, tumbo becomes nervous because he feared that boss would be bitter and angry when he learns that the paly that will be performed was written by jusper, the brother of the dead university student. When boss arrived at the set he got angry and bitter when he discovers that jusper studied at the university. This realization angers him because the university students had been protesting about his leadership.

               

Arguments and disagreements

The theme of arguments and disagreements is a central theme in the play because most of the characters in the play come into conflict with each other. In the opening act of the play, Doga and Nina get into disagreement after Nina feared getting close to his son’s grave. When Nina suggests to Doga that they send word to the sub-chief about what had happened on their son’s grave, Doga disagrees with her because the sub-chief was the brother of the person who had killed their son. Argument between the two intensifies when Nina continues to insist that they send word to the sub-chief to prevent the villagers from boycotting their son’s ceremony. The entry of Jere and Mulili in the scene leads to another round of arguments and disagreements when the two inform the two old couple that the shaving ceremony will not take place. During the arguments and disagreements between the two old couple and the two soldiers, Mulili abuses the old couple by calling them stubborn and primitive. Mulili disrespect towards Doga and Nina sets him on a collision path with Jere who was sympathetic towards the two old couple. In their arguments Jere tries to reason with Mulili to allow the two old couple to carry on with their traditional ceremony even if it was against the law. Mulili rejects Jere’s suggestions and his refusal intensifies the argument between the two soldiers. In the course of their argument Jere gets angry and tries to shoot Mulili who saves himself by diving off stage.

After his arrest for disobeying orders, Jere is sent to prison and while there he gets into disagreements with both askari and Mosese. Argument between Jere and askari begun when Jere called askari his friend which angered the askari. Askari also believed that Jere was a lunatic who needed to be rehabilitated. This is evidenced when after leaving the cell where Jere and Mosese were locked up; he rushes back to the cell to see what was taking place after hearing a commotion coming from Jere and Mosese’s cell. The commotion had been caused by the argument between the two inmates after Jere had tried to sympathise with Mosese regarding Regina who had been beaten and forced to give evidence against Mosese. When askari arrived in the cell he accuses Jere of causing trouble and he threatens him with violence the next time he causes trouble.

There was also disagreement between jusper and Regina. Regina argued with jusper because jusper felt that Regina also thought that he was mad, a fact which Regina does not deny. Regina was also opposed to jusper’s quest for revenge. She reminded him of the promise he gave to Mosese while he was in prison with him. She was also opposed to jusper wearing the red academic gown because it made him look more dangerous. To jusper the red gown represented the struggle that they were facing as citizens of Kafira. The entry of tumbo in Regina’s house brings in another conflict between jusper and tumbo. Tumbo questions jusper about his relationship with Regina and he angers jusper when he tells him that marching up and down the streets chanting a dead students name will never improve things in Kafira. This statement angers jusper even though tumbo was not aware of the fact that the dead student was jusper’s brother. Throughout the scene, jusper tries emphatically to argue with tumbo by showing him disrespect and being satiric towards him.

Act two of the play opens up with kabito telling Nicodemo how his milk supply tender to the university had been taken away by Mulili. The arrival of tumbo on the scene sets another round of arguments and disagreements between Nicodemo, Kabito and Tumbo. Tumbo disagrees with the two on their terms of service as committee members who were tasked with the entertainment diary of the visiting head of state. The arrival of Mulili to the committee meeting sets up the climax of the play caused by the heated argument and disagreement between him and kabito. Kabito was angry with Mulili because Mulili had used boss’s influence to take away the milk supply tender from him. The two characters also argue and disagree on how the entertainment of the visiting head of state should be conducted. The difference of opinions between these two reach fever pitch and tumbo is forced to break the meeting so that they could cool off.

In the play within a play, Mosese who acts as a lieutenant disagrees with Jere who acts as a captain. Their disagreement revolves around the size of guns that they both had. Mosese argues that a .32 automatic was shorter than a .28. Because they both do not agree on who was right, they take their argument to be resolved by boss who acted as the chief of staff. The end and resolution of the play also see the disagreement between jusper and Mosese on whether they can kill Mulili. Jusper wins the argument when he shoots and kills Mulili disregarding the protests from Mosese.

               

Atheism vs. Religion

Atheism is the belief of the non-existence of God. In the play Mosese shows his disbelief in a supernatural being when he questions Jere about his beliefs. He tells Jere that he does not believe in certain biblical verses which made no sense. He also questions Jere on the number of people who have set their eyes on the kingdom (heaven) and its colour. Jere identifies himself as a believer. He tells Mosese that he taught religious knowledge before he joined the army. Because of his religious beliefs, when he got arrested he carried a bible with him to prison so that it might restore his faith in humanity. Because he wanted to live the life of those who had lived before him, he and his fellow inmates acted the story of Jesus and Pilate so that he could have first-hand experience and link their situation with their current situation.

In act one of the play, Doga and Nina show their religious side when they were at adika’s grave. They show this when they kneel in front of their son’s grave and sing a religious song and later praying.      

               

Persuasion

In the play ‘Betrayal in the City,’ several characters have been persuaded to perform or to do something that in normal circumstances they would have not done. Apart from doing things that they do not want to do other characters have also been persuaded to believe in things that they do not ascribe to. In act one of the plays Nina tried to persuade her husband to report what had been done to adika’s grave to the sub-chief. Doga resisted Nina’s persuasion because the sub-chief was the brother of adika’s killer. Nina also persuaded her son jusper to go and put on a clean shirt and confess his sins. While Doga and Nina were still in adika’s grave, Jere and Mulili arrived at the scene where they were and the two of them tried to persuade the two old couple not to continue with their traditional ceremony for the sake of peace. Jere who was more persuasive between the two undergoes an epiphany and changes his mind in trying to persuade the two couple from holding their traditional ceremony. Mulili who was adamant that the ceremony should not take place is persuaded again by Jere but if proves difficult for him to change his mind leading to a confrontation between the two soldiers.

After allowing the ceremony to take place, Jere gets arrested and he is sent to prison where he meets and befriends Mosese who had been arrested for speaking against the politicians who had tried to turn adika’s funeral service into a political rally. While in prison Jere learns that the prison askari had tried to persuade Mosese to take part in a play which would have determined if he would be set free. Askari persuades Mosese not to listen to Jere because he would poison his mind but ironically Jere also joins the bandwagon to try and convince Mosese to take part in the play because boss had promised the release of six hundred prisoners if the play is successful. Later on, we learn through other characters that Mosese had changed his beliefs and principles and had decided to take part in the play.

In scene three of act one of the play, Mosese’s sister, Regina, tried to persuade jusper against taking revenge on those who murdered his entire family. Her persuasions fall on deaf ears since jusper had shown determination to get equal with the killers of his family. Regina who is a symbol of hopelessness sees no reason why jusper should get revenge because according to her it was a waste of time and energy. Tumbo who makes his first appearance in Regina’s house also tries to persuade jusper not to go against boss’s government. He uses threats to try and persuade jusper even though he believes in jusper’s cause.

After jusper leaves the scene to go out and buy some drinks, tumbo learns from Regina that jusper writes plays and it was a coincidence that he needed a play which was to be acted for the visiting head of state. When jusper gets back, tumbo persuades him to take part in the play because there was good money in it. Even before jusper had started writing the play tumbo tells him that he has already won the play writing competition and one third of the prize money is to be given to him and Regina.

While still in Regina’s house, tumbo persuades Regina to go and see boss personally so that her brother Mosese would be released from prison. Though Regina was adamant because of the fear she had on boss and the feeling that something bad would happen whilst in boss’s palace, she goes ahead and visits boss who we later learn that he tried to take her by force.

Act two of the play opens up with kabito and Mulili trying to persuade other committee members into accepting their proposals. Because the two were on opposite sides on issues to deal with how the entertainment of the visitor would be handled, the head of the committee who was tumbo supported mulili’s proposals since he knew what Mulili could do if he was opposed. At the end of the meeting mulili’s proposals carried the day not because of his persuasion skills but because of the fear that other committee members had on him.

In the last scene of the play, jusper is stripped of his position as the organising secretary of the university students union and he is determined to persuade them that it was not by isolation that problems are solved. He tells tumbo that he had no intention of persuading the students union to let him continue with his post.

Boredom            

In the play Jere and Jusper go through a period of boredom. After his arrest, Jere finds himself bored and together with his cellmate they decide to act the story of Jesus and Pilate. Jere acted Pilate and his cell mate acted Jesus. He tells Mosese how he wanted to be Christ but his fellow inmate would not hear of it since he also wanted to act as Christ. On the other hand, to kill boredom after being sacked as the organising secretary of the university students union, jusper spends his time writing controversial plays which could not be published in Kafira. 

Rebellion

Because of his poor leadership and dictatorship, boss faced rebellion from the citizens of Kafira especially from the university students. His development plans were also a source of rebellion and the rebellion is further cemented after the death of adika. The rebellion brings about demonstration by the university students who were opposed to the leadership of Kafira. Both Mosese and Jere were also imprisoned because they rebelled against Kafira’s leadership. Jere disobeyed his orders not to allow Doga and Nina traditional ceremony from taking place and Mosese was arrested for speaking the truth while in adika’s funeral service. While in prison Jere rebelled against the prison authorities bringing him into conflict with askari.

                               

Imprisonment  

In the play, Jere, Mosese and jusper are imprisoned for going against the laws and the leadership of Kafira. Jusper is imprisoned for murdering Chagaga but he is later released after undergoing rehabilitation at the prison cells. Jere is imprisoned for going against the orders he was given while Mosese was imprisoned after being found in possession of a kilogram of opium in his car. Both Mosese and Jere are offered amnesty by the state on condition that they take part in the play that was to be staged for the visiting head of state. Jusper is also offered amnesty after his recovery and perhaps because his parents were killed. During the conversation between Jere and Mulili we learn of another prisoner called Mustafa who had escaped from prison through the help of Mulili.

The leadership of Kafira used imprisonment as a form of punishment to those who were against its policies. This is a clear indication of misuse of power by the leadership of Kafira that was hell-bent on using force its citizens adhere to the laws and rules imposed on them by the dictatorial regime of boss.  

                  

Grief

Doga and Nina were left in sadness after the death of their son adika. When they were at adika’s gravesite they lament and weep for the loss of their son. Through Doga we learn that for hours Nina had been shaking with grief and for days she had been wailing over the body of his son. Doga and Nina’s grief was increased further when they learnt that they have been prevented from holding a traditional ceremony for their dead son.

After hearing the death of his brother, jusper was filled with grief which led to him becoming mad. Jusper is further grieved after his release from prison and finds out that his parents had been killed in exchange for his release. The entertainment committee that was planning the entertainment schedule of the visiting head of state was grieved after they learnt about the death of kabito. Though Mulili appears grieved, his emotions were ironical because he was the one who planned and executed Kabito’s death.

Threats

Certain characters in the play issue threats to their adversaries and some of the threats are carried out by those issuing the threats. Mulili, the play’s antagonist, threatens Jere because Jere had tried to shoot him but he managed to jump off stage. He tells Jere that he shall pay for trying to shoot him. After Jere’s arrest for not following the orders that he was given by his superiors, the askari who was guarding him in prison constantly issues threats against him reminding him that he was a prisoner. After the death of his parents, jusper issues threats of revenge against those who were responsible for his parents’ death. His threats come to pass during the rehearsal of the play when he shoots and kills Mulili who had killed his parents. Jusper was also threatened by tumbo when he wanted not to get involved with the writing of the play. Tumbo’s threats forces jusper to write a play which was contrary to what tumbo wanted. The play was to highlight boss’s development plans but jusper wrote a play about a captain and a lieutenant who were arguing about the size of their guns.

During the committee meeting that was to prepare the diary for the visiting head of state, kabito was angry because the milk supply tender had been taken away from him and was given to Mulili. While talking with Nicodemo he issues threats against Mulili when he tells Nicodemo that if Mulili doesn’t get him first he would get him. At the meeting Mulili also threatened kabito indirectly when he said that the person who stole the milk tender from him would see fire. Both Mulili and kabito also threatened each other for having different opinions on how the entertainment of the visiting head of state will be conducted. The difference in opinions forces Mulili to go to boss and spread falsehoods against kabito. Though boss knew that kabito was a loyal servant, he falls into mulili’s trap and orders for Kabito’s killing.       

Arrogance          

An arrogant person is one who behaves in a proud and unpleasant manner, showing lack of respect or thought for other people. Because of his close association with boss, Mulili was proud and unpleasant towards other characters in the play. When he was at adika’s gravesite he shows no sympathy and respect towards Doga and Nina. He abuses Jere for showing sympathy to Doga and Nina and because of his excessive pride he calls himself a man of action and refers to Jere as “chicken heart.” During the committee meeting that was planning the diary for the visiting head of state, his arrogance and pride makes him to get into heated argument with kabito because he only wanted his opinions to be implemented. The other committee members feared him because they knew what he could do to them when he gets angry. Because of that reason tumbo tells Nicodemo that kabito should have known better not to get on the way of Mulili.

               

Greed  

In the play Mulili is driven by greed and that was the reason he was opposed to Doga and Nina having their traditional ceremony. Boss had promised him a large farm and grade cattle’s if he followed his orders. Tumbo is also motivated by greed when he announces that the play writing competition had been won by jusper, even though no such competition had been held. From the money set aside for the play writing competition, he gives jusper and Regina one third of the six hundred pounds and the rest he uses to put the records straight. The three government officials i.e. kabito, Nicodemo and tumbo who were tasked with the preparation for the visiting head of state used the committee meetings to enrich themselves. They were mostly concerned about the amount of money they were going to earn by sitting in the committee meetings. Kabito and Nicodemo remind tumbo that the amount of money that he will get will be the same amount that they also get. The leader of Kafira was also greedy for material things. Through mulili’s speech, we learn that he had stashed millions of shillings in foreign countries and in the process ruined the economy of Kafira.                             

               

False Accusations

In the play Mosese and kabito are blackmailed by those in authority which leads to their downfall. Mosese who was a lecturer until his speech at adika’s funeral service is blackmailed when he talks critically against the politicians who were at the funeral service. He is charged and arrested for being in possession of an illegal drug that was found in his car. Kabito is also blackmailed by Mulili when they could not agree on how the entertainment of the visiting head of state would take place. After their disagreement Mulili goes to boss and tell lies about kabito. On hearing the lies being peddled by Mulili against kabito, boss orders for Kabito’s death because according to him he thinks he knew too much.

Sexual Harassment          

Boss sexually harassed Regina when she went to his palace to plead for the release of his brother Mosese. Regina had to escape by jumping out of a ten foot high window.

Misfortunes

The play has revealed how certain characters have been unfortunate or have faced misfortunes in their lives. In the opening of the play, Doga, Nina and jusper were unfortunate after learning about the death of adika who was their blood relative. Since jusper could not handle the misfortune that had befallen them he suffers a nervous breakdown forcing him to seek revenge against Chagaga who was the killer of adika. As a result of his action, he brings misfortunes to both his parents and to the sub-chief since Chagaga was his brother. After killing and confessing, jusper gets arrested and while he was in prison he learn about the death of his parents who were killed by Mulili on orders from Mulili. At the climax of the play one of the committee members i.e. kabito, suffers tragedy at the hands of Mulili for disagreeing with him on how the entertainment of the visiting head of state should be conducted. Mulili was also unfortunate during the rehearsal of the play because jusper killed him in revenge of his dead parents who were killed by Mulili with orders from the boss.

Other themes

Oppression                       

Power

Truth                                    

Hypocrisy                           

Disillusionment                              

Misfortunes

Virtues vs. Vices             

Self-Sacrifice                    

Risk Taking                                        

Despair

Overcoming Adversity 

Selfishness                          

Cruelty

Themes development

Theme development is the way an author of a literary work reveals his/her themes. In the play “BETRAYAL IN THE CITY” themes have been revealed in the following ways:

1.       Through dialogue between characters – Themes such as illiteracy, revenge, bitterness and betrayal have been revealed through dialogue between different characters. For example the theme of revenge is revealed by jusper when he tells Regina that he will never rest until he got revenge on those who murdered his family, even if it meant doing it alone. P33

2.       Through monologue of a single character – The theme of madness is revealed by both jusper and Mosese through their monologue. In act one of the play jusper talks to himself while he was at his late brother’s gravesite.  In his speech he laments how his parents and the people of Kafira thought that he was mad. Jere also exposes Mosese’s madness when Mosese had nightmares where he was talking alone as if he was addressing someone. His speech during his nightmares makes Jere to conclude that Mosese was mad.

3.       Through the actions of the characters – The killing of adika, Chagaga, Doga, Nina, kabito and Mulili helps to develop the themes of death and murder. Mulili and Chagaga’s death also help to develop the theme of revenge and bitterness. Demonstrations held by the university students help to explore the theme of civil disobedience in Kafira and dictatorship by the leaders of Kafira.

4.       Through the title of the play – The title of the play “BETRAYAL IN THE CITY” helps to develop the theme of betrayal as revealed by the actions and speech of some of the play’s characters. Certain characters in the play feel betrayed by those they trusted and also by their government. For example, Mosese felt betrayed by her sister Regina who wanted to go to boss and plead for his release. Tumbo felt that he had betrayed Regina after arranging a meeting between her and boss. In that meeting boss had tried to take Regina by force but luckily Regina escaped by jumping out of a ten foot high window. Jere also betrays the government that he was working with by ignoring his superiors’ orders and taking the side of his people. He undergoes an epiphany and supports Doga and Nina in their quest to perform a traditional ceremony for their dead son.

5.       Through the relationship between characters – The relationship between jusper, Doga and Nina helps to develop the theme of family. The theme of enmity is revealed by the relationship of characters such as Mulili and kabito, Jere and Mulili, Doga and sub-chief etc.

6.       Through the setting of the play – The country of Kafira and the time period in which the play is based upon, reveals some of the cultural practices that a select population of the citizens of Kafira practiced and believed in. though Doga and Nina are Christians, they reveal their traditional beliefs and practices when they wanted to perform a shaving ceremony for their son. The setting of the play also helps to reveal themes such as dictatorship, civil disobedience, illiteracy, misuse of power etc.

7.       Through conflicts taking place in the play – conflicts such as man vs. society have helped to develop themes such as disagreements, murder, bitterness etc. for example,  the conflict between jusper and the society reveals the violent attacks jusper go through after confessing for the murder of Chagaga. The theme of arguments and disagreements has been developed by the conflicts between Mulili and kabito, Jere and askari etc.

8.       Through the tone of the play – Most of the characters in the play were bitter because of the injustices that they faced under the leadership of boss. Because of the injustices, the tone of the play is intense creating an atmosphere of bitterness throughout the play. The theme of bitterness therefore can be said to be revealed through the tone and mood of the play.

9.       Through the characters psychological state – Themes such as madness have been revealed by jusper and Mosese’s state of mind.

10.   Through the culture and traditions practiced by the people of Kafira – In the play the theme of traditions is revealed by the culture and traditions of Doga and Nina who wanted to perform a traditional ceremony for their dead son so as to get rid of their dead son’s ghosts.

11.   Through events taking place in the play – Events such as students demonstrations, palace coup etc. have helped develop themes such as civil disobedience, injustices, conspiracy etc.

12.   Through the symbols in the play – Symbol’s such as jusper’s red academic gown have helped to reveal themes such as rebellion and struggle against boss’s oppressive regime.

13.   Through the character traits of some of the characters – The theme of greed have been developed by the character traits of some of the characters in the play. For example the author of the play has developed Mulili, kabito and Nicodemo as greedy characters who use their power and authority to gain wealth through unorthodox means.

14.   Through the use of different literary devices – literary devices such as propaganda, backstory, poetic justice have helped to develop themes such as arguments, resentment, injustices etc.