Summary
Matigari, a "middle-aged, tall, and well-built" man, emerges in the wilderness and carefully buries his weapons beneath a fig tree. Pleased to give up violence, he girds himself with "a belt of peace" and returns to his house to rebuild his "home on top of the hill." Contemplating the true meaning of home, Matigari walks through rugged terrain to visit his family members and community.
Matigari passes a Mercedes-Benz whose radio plays a news broadcast called "The Voice of Truth." From this broadcast, Matigari learns that the leader of his unnamed nation, "His Excellency Ole Excellence," has banned gatherings of "more than five people" and the "Opposition Party," and has recently used British soldiers to help to quell a "mutiny" of soldiers demanding better wages.
Marigari continues toward town, deciding against asking the police for help locating "his people." He is shocked and appalled by the exploitative industrialization of his village, as many people were killed or maimed building railroads and factories that continue to suck up natural resources. He visits the factory, as "any patriot looking for his people ought to start where people worked."
Matigari approaches the "Anglo-American Leather and Plastic Works" factory, guarded and enclosed like a prison. He considers speaking to a guard but decides to follow a group of children who chase after a tractor headed to a garbage dump. The children "pay a fee" to enter the landfill, where they "fight it out with dogs, vultures, rats" for scraps of food and supplies. When two children fight over a "bundle of shoelaces," Matigari intervenes and follows the children.
The boys explain how they are engaged in a cycle of violence; to prevent their "gains" from being stolen, they "pelt stones" at others and, to protect themselves from being beaten, they pay the garbage men. When Matigari questions why the boys don't report the sanitation workers to the police, the children explain that the police and sanitation workers are in league together.
The boy leads Matigari to his "village," a neighborhood comprised of the shells of cars parked in a scrap yard. Confused, Matigari approaches the children's "houses" and is attacked by a "bully boy" throwing stones. Matigari reaches for his weapon before remembering his commitment to peace and that the children before him are "his children." Cars driven by "European, Asian, and African occupants" stop to watch the fight, during which Matigari is seriously injured.
A worker named Ngarũro wa Kĩrĩro brings Matigari and the child Mũriũki to a restaurant to shelter from the sun and hide from the child bullies. On the way, Matigari explains how he and his former "master," Settler Williams, spent years "hunting one another down" in the wilderness. According to Matigari, Settler Williams enjoyed the house Matigari built and the food he harvested. Meanwhile, Matigari was forced to sleep outside and eat scraps. Realizing the inherent cruelty of "a world in which the tailor wears rags, the tiller eats wild berries, the builder begs for shelter," Matigari demands Settler Williams's house, threatening him with a gun. One of Settler Williams's servants, John Boy, saves Settler Williams's life, prompting an ongoing chase between Settler Williams and Matigari.
Matigari then explains that Settler Williams finally died the day before, and Matigari decided to return home and "bring [his] family together." They arrive at the Matatha Hotel, Bar and Restaurant, which sells various British and African foods. Ngarũro leaves to attend a worker's strike, and Matigari asks him to spread the news that "Williams is dead; John Boy is dead," though the factory is owned by Robert Williams and his assistant, John Boy Junior.
Analysis
Matigari opens with a message to the reader/listener, emphasizing that the story is timeless and not bound to a specific place. By addressing readers and listeners, the author indicates that the tale can be told orally as well, paying homage to Gĩkũyũ oral literature and giving illiterate people access to the story's post-colonial ideas. Phrased like a blessing, the text states that the tale can "take place in the country of your choice," inviting all living under oppression to empower and rearm themselves to overthrow unjust systems.
Matigari buries his weapons, demonstrating his commitment to peace and nonviolence. However, rather than destroying his weapons, Matigari carefully wraps his AK47 in a protective plastic sheet, cleans his sword, and inventories his bullets. This careful attention to his weapons demonstrates that Matigari suspects the conflict with colonizers is not over and foreshadows future violent conflicts.
The story is an allegory of the lingering effects of colonialism and capitalism. After devoting his life to destroying Settler Williams, Matigari returns to a world of "industrial peace" where "his people" are economically exploited by foreign businesses. Though no longer officially under Western control, Matigari's people are still oppressed by colonial powers. The text explains this reality using satirical naming conventions. For example, Ngarũro wa Kĩrĩro and Mũriũki work for the "Anglo-American Leather and Plastic Works," and the businesses in their community, like "British-American Tobacco," "Barclays Bank," "American Life Insurance," and the "New Sheraton Hotel" are all foreign-owned enterprises.
Naming conventions also hold symbolic significance. As Matigari states, "a name can have more than one claimant," and characters throughout the text signify archetypes. For example, the name "Matigari ma Nijrũũngi" means "the patriots who survived the bullets." As his name refers to multiple people, Matigari is a stand-in for the heroic individuals who fight for justice. Conversely, Matigari fights off "Settler Williams." Here, "Settler" refers to Williams's role as a colonizer, and "Williams," a common Anglo-Saxon name, indicates the colonist's Western origins. Matigari discovers that the factory dominating his community is owned by a man named Robert Williams. Thus, the two Williams represent the cyclical force of colonial oppression.
Similarly, Robert Williams's friend and business partner is named John Boy Junior. His father, John Boy, was Settler Williams's servant. John Boy's name is also symbolically significant. The term "boy" has been used historically by racists to denigrate and humiliate men of color, particularly Black men. John Boy's last name indicates that, though he is wealthy and socially privileged, he is still considered a second-class citizen in his country.
The opening chapters introduce the theme of neocolonialism. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's Fanonist Marxist philosophy is explored through the social structure of Matigari's home country. As Matigari explains, the people who grow crops have nothing to eat, and the builders cannot secure housing, as the fruits of their labor benefit colonizers like "Settler Williams." Though Matigari's world is post-colonial, the government still serves the interests of the former colonizers, even calling on the British military to suppress workers' strikes.
Matigari frequently references his "house," a metaphor for the independent country he wants to build. Matigari built a house where Settler Williams resided until Matigari claimed ownership of the structure. From Matigari's perspective, the house symbolizes independence and prosperity, but "home" is created by a thriving community. Matigari's house is also set "on a hill," alluding to the Biblical city "set on a hill," a community that serves as a shining example of peace,
Poverty is exposed as the foundation of the exploitative neo-colonial system in Matigari's country. When he returns from the mountain, the first thing that strikes Matigari is the poverty ordinary people experience despite living under a "people's" government. While foreign business owners reap high profits, the poorest children must pay an entrance fee to rummage through the dump. What keeps the system going is the constant threat of violence, a holdover from colonization. Decolonization in Matigari's country occurred in name only.
