"A Meeting in the Dark," tells the story of a scholarly young man, John, who has completed his studies in Kenya and is leaving for university in Uganda. Before leaving, John finds out he got a local girl, Wamuhu, pregnant, dashing his hopes of a bright future. John is torn between his responsibility to Wamuhu and his desire to continue his education. When he and Wamuhu converge for the titular meeting to discuss how they will handle the pregnancy, the situation spirals out of control and ends with John murdering Wamuhu.
The text, like much of Ngũgĩ 's writings, touches on the themes of colonization and self versus community. John's family has embraced Christianity and British...