




































 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

 

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WOMEN AND NATION BUILDING: A STUDY OF NGUGI AND MUGO’S 

THE TRIAL OF DEDAN KIMATHI AND TESS ONWUEME’S TELL IT TO 

WOMEN 

 

Ifeoma Odinye 

Department of English language and literature 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka 

ifeomaodinye@gmail.com 

                                 

Abstract     

 

This study examines the role of women in nation building as seen in Ngugi 

and Mugo’s The Trial of Dedan Kimathi and Tess Onwueme’s Tell it to Women. 

It analyses the functions of literature in the society and women’s participation 

in nation building which is an important ingredient in achieving an equitable, 

peaceful and more prosperous society in a male constructed world. The role of 

women in nation building can no longer be overlooked in this contemporary 

African society; this is why many African writers try to remould and project 

the image of women in their works by presenting them as advocators for social 

change in a disintegrated and disorganized society. Ngugi , Mugo and 

Onwueme in their above mentioned plays present women as gents of social 

consciousness , mothers and advocators for change; these women are also 

represented as symbolic figures of nationalism and patriotism as they engage 

in the fight for a better and well ordered society. Therefore, these women are 

represented in the plays as reckoned forces of struggle for independence and 

social development. 

 

Key Words: Women, Literature, Nation Building 

 

Introduction 

 

Women are very ambitious and eager to rewrite history, reform societies and 

participate actively in politics. Many African nations have produced women 

professionals and intellectuals whose leadership qualities catapulted the 

nations to greater heights. These women have made their impact felt in issues 

of nation building and national development. They have participated actively 

from different angles of human endeavour such as wives, mothers, teachers, 

politicians, lawyers, traders, to mention but a few. 

 

The task of national development and nation building commences from the 



 

 

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home, which is the primary constituency for all women. Hence in discharging 

their duties as wives, mothers and home builders, women unconsciously lay 

the foundation of a solid nation. 

 

Emordi, Joy in her paper entitled Women Empowerment and Nation Building: 

The Role of Unity Colleges defines ‘Nation Building’ as a “legitimate political 

process to establish a system of governance and ability to maintain order , 

guarantee the fulfillment of international obligations and human right and 

deliver essential social services. It is the establishment of equitable, 

democratic and egalitarian society in which the rights of men and women are 

respected”(1). 

 

Emordi further states in her above mentioned article “that the woman is a 

citizen, a worker, a professional, a director, a nation builder, a mother and a 

home maker. A nation is a conglomeration of homes and the woman is fully 

involved from its cleaning to its full management. She should be fully 

involved and participate in key decision both in the home and in political 

structures. The role of women in the family which is the unit of society cannot 

be overemphasized. This also goes to the larger society in the nation” (2-3) . 

 

In this contemporary African society, women have been participating actively 

in nation building and have also in different capacities effectively contributed 

to the development of different sectors in society. In Nigeria, women like 

Okonjo Iwuala (Finance Minister), Obiageli Ezekwesili (Education minister), 

Dora Akunyili (Director, NAFDAC) and others have contributed their quota in 

building the nation (Nigeria). They have made efforts to revolutionize 

different sectors under their care. Many countries in Africa are encouraging 

women professionals who possess leadership potentials that can help in nation 

building. Some of these leadership contributions and efforts are documented 

by literary artists in order to expose varied experiences of women in society. 

Thus, these women are brought alive to their challenges making then resist all 

forms of subjugation. 

 

Literature and Nation Building 

 

The role of literature in constructing and inventing national identities cannot 

be overlooked because Literature does not grow or develop in a vacuum; it is 

given shape, direction and concern by social, political and economic forces in 

an existing society. Hence, it is an important tool in the process of building a 

nation and creating national identity. In an attempt to explore these identities, 



 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

 

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writers have exposed the various roles fictional characters play which are 

geared toward developing and constructing national identities. The concept of 

identity is one subjective element that has raised questions among 

contemporary writers. It gives an insight into how literature presents the roles 

or contributions of men and women in building the nation. Over the years, 

men’s roles and contributions in national development are well projected by 

fictional artists, while little has been said about women’s participation in 

building the nation. Contextualizing historically and culturally, feminist 

writers have explored the achievements and contributions of exceptional 

women characters who contributed immensely to the nation. These 

achievements have been marginalized and misrepresented in literary records 

which also triggered a debate on the roles and contributions of women in 

nation building. 

 

The literary discourse on women begun in a novel (Efuru, 1966) written by a 

female African writer, Flora Nwapa, the first black African writer in the 

English language. Her works (Efuru, One is Enough, Women are Different, Idu) 

portray women in a credible and realistic light. Women explored their 

potentials in her works not withstanding any form of opposition and attained 

their climax. Some writers have also presented their views on women’s roles 

but emphasized more on the collective efforts of men and women in reshaping 

the society which can lead to a more organized, peaceful and equitable society 

 

The place or position of the African women in society has aroused a lot of 

controversies in written African literature. Many feminist writers believe that 

African women’s potentials and contributions are not fully represented or 

documented; this explains why they try to represent these experiences in their 

fictional works for literary documentation and public awareness. This paper 

does not tilt towards agitation for women’s right or the equality of men and 

women; rather it suggests that men and women can work together for a better 

and well ordered society. 

 

Literature has been a vehicle for enforcing social change in any given literate 

society. Many contemporary writers present women as the heroines for social 

change as they try to create the dynamic and resourcefulness of women in 

their literary works. Hence women’s role in nation building can no longer be 

overlooked in the social circles of every society, and this gives the new 

generation of African writers a better chance of representing women as 

advocators for social change in a challenging world. Based on this view, 

Iheukwueze in “Triumph of the hero”: The Trial of Dedan Kimathi gives a 



 

 

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heroic view of female characters stating: 

 

I feel that we cannot talk of total liberation for Africa unless  

the women are also completely liberated…I am more concerned  

with a waste of women in a neo-colonial society. Their energy is  

completely wasted or imprisoned if you like, between the bed and 

the kitchen – we are the losers for imprisoning or confining 

our women in that position. Take it this way, since women form  

above half the population of their total abilities, you are in fact,  

not making use of the abilities of the population.(2) 

 

In some African societies, the issues of women’s role and development are still 

determined by men. Women are regarded as mere figures rather than assets in 

different levels of development or sectors of life. However, there is need to 

improve and change the image of women in society as this will help create a 

better and diversified society. In view of the above statement, Uchendu Patrick 

comments that: 

 

     Men cannot claim exclusive right to shape the future of our world.  

It is time for them to accept challenges and share with men in  

decision making process. It is high time they acknowledged that the  

denial of women’s right and opportunities, is the root of our  

developmental problems and social economic ills…(64) 

 

 

Women and Nation Building as seen in Ngugi and Mugo’s The Trials of 

Dedan Kimathi  

 

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Mugo Micere are among the major playwrights in 

Africa that created awareness on the importance of women’s participation in 

their plays/works.  

 

The play, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi is one of such plays that projected 

women as ‘strong willed’ individuals in the face of struggle and political 

upheaval. The play depicts the colonial struggle and historical events 

associated with the Mau-Mau struggle in Kenya. Ngugi notes that the play 

explores the struggle of the peasants, “Who for the last seven years stood 

opposed to foreign interference and oppression” (46). However, this struggle 

is perceived as historical efforts of men, women and young children in the 

Kenyan society. This simply shows that the fight for a better society in Kenya 



 

 

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was not left for men only, since women actively participated in the struggle. 

The Trial of Dedan Kimathi is written by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o with the 

collaboration of Mugo Micere Githae in 1976; their play is a response to 

colonialist writings about the Kenyan society and the Mau Mau movement 

which depicted the fight for political independence in the fifties. Ngugi and 

Mugo have built powerful and challenging views of the circumstances 

surrounding Dedan Kimathi in this play. Their mastery is seen in their ability 

to expose the role played by women in the struggle and determination for self 

liberation in postcolonial Kenya. This is an aspect neglected by many 

prominent African writers on the struggle for independence which has 

attracted feminist attention. In the Trial of Dedan Kimathi, the plot of the play 

shows the efforts of a nameless woman, who is the symbolic figure of 

nationalism and patriotism. The woman is a symbolic representation of all 

women and mothers in general. The nameless woman educates the boy and 

girl on the plight of their society as well as the evils of imperialism and 

colonization. She believes that selfless struggle cannot be based on sentiments, 

therefore, she urges Kimathi to be courageous; not to be weighed down by his 

family problems and challenges. As a good mother and mentor (elder), she 

rebukes the boy and the girl who represent the ignorant citizens of Kenya as 

they fight over gain. The woman teaches them the importance of love and 

unity and sends them on a great mission in the struggle. She gives them the 

gun wrapped with home-made bread for the liberation of kimathi during the 

trial. By doing this, she instills the spirit of nationalism into the boy and the 

girl as they embark on a mission to salvage the Mau Mau leader. This scene 

reveals the woman’s role as a reckoning force in effecting change in the 

colonial Kenya. She calmly tells the young boy and girl: 

 

 

 

      The day you understand why your father died. The day you  

ask yourself whether it was right for him to die so; the day you  

ask yourself “what can I do so that another shall not be made  

to die under such grisly circumstance?” that day, my son, you  

will become a man…(19) 

 

The woman is very active in the play and her role is very indispensable. Her 

activities add to the strength of the struggle towards independence and 

liberation/release of Dedan Kimathi. Thus, the woman is projected as a force 

of change in a changing society. This can be inferred from the woman’s 

statement: “In the struggle, you learn to adapt to change circumstances…; 



 

 

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there is not a place I have not visited, create risks but the task once started 

must be completed” (60). 

 

The woman emerges as an ordinary citizen in Kenyan society to become one 

of the reckoned forces of the struggle for independence. It is important to note 

that the woman’s roles as a mother, teacher and a strategist go a long way in 

buttressing the role of a woman in a disintegrated society. She showcases her 

self-will and courage when she disguised herself as an orange seller in order to 

smuggle a gun into Kimathi’s cell. 

The woman’s role as a strategist is not underestimated in the first movement 

when she is caught and interviewed by the White soldier. The great wits and 

intelligence exemplified by the woman during this interview and tensed 

situation show that women have a unique way of handling serious issues. The 

woman’s roles in the play are dynamic in nature; her role as a soldier is 

evident in the scene in the forest where she fought as a Mau-Mau guerilla 

fighters and she is also a ceasefire member of the counsel in the jungle. 

 

The woman’s role as a teacher is seen where she tries to educate the guerilla 

fighters on the modern concept of kinship. She also plays the role of a mother 

when she advised Kimathi to hold fast and be focused in the fight for 

independence. She states: 

        

Thinking about the past and the dear ones 

We left behind can weaken our resolve; 

You are a leader of a revolution, you must 

decide. But remember all others have left their 

wives, 

their children, their mothers behind.(77) 

 

 

The significance of the woman’s role as a teacher is very symbolic. It suggests 

that Kenya is ripe for nationalistic struggle and liberation. It is also important 

to note that the nameless woman represents every woman in Kenya who 

engages in the struggle for liberation. The woman’s wits and feminine nature 

enables her to penetrate all the white men’s security zones. She disguises 

herself as a fruit seller to make sure that she accomplishes her mission .This 

action makes her a good strategist in the struggle. Her fight doesn’t stop there; 

she totally committed herself to the struggle for independence. She directs the 

boy and the girl on their specific roles in the court room. She says: 

             



 

 

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I shall first go in dressed to kill, you will follow dressed 

as you are. I will speak to Kimathi with my eyes. 

When I cough you start shouting. In the confusion 

Dedan 

      will follow me.(61) 

 

The woman is full of courage, strength and intelligence. The woman, girl and 

the boy are willing to give their lives for the liberation of Dedan Kimathi. 

However, the woman’s role is very dynamic in nature; she represents the 

figure of a revolutionary mother in Kenya as well as leadership role of women 

in the society. We should also mark her role from an ordinary prostitute to a 

nationalist fighter. This nationalist energy, she transfers to the boy and girl as 

they attempt to liberate Kimathi from prison. 

 

 

 

Women and Nation Building as seen in Tess Onwueme’s Tell It to Women. 

 

 

Tess Onwueme’s play Tell it to Women, written in 1992 also deals with 

women’s recognition, solidarity and empowerment. The playwright’s play falls 

in the category of ideological consciousness. She emphasizes that for human 

beings to achieve peace and suppress human oppression, there must be a 

collective struggle .In view of the above statement, Otukunefo states that:  

                 

    …Her thematic fixation has not merely been conditioned  

by the fashionable stance of presenting female angle but  

  rather a more liberal approach of focusing attention on  

     typical issues in the contemporary Nigerian society.  

 This is perhaps her way of contending that the African  

 woman writer like her male counterparts is a member  

 of specific society whose experiences discriminates  

    between the sexes.(53) 

 

The play is an ideologically and politically powerful work. In this work, the 

reader travels back to a Nigerian village in post-colonial Africa which is an 

epic drama for women. The play explores the role of women within the 

Nigerian rural setting. It educates the audience about different aspects of 

traditionalism and modernism as well as how different cultures are viewed. It 

is important to note that the play presents women as agents of social 



 

 

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consciousness, mothers and advocators for change. The play explores the 

emergence of rural and urban women who came together to address their 

perceived oppression by a patriarchal social system. It reveals an attempt by 

women to unite and present a common front in improving their living 

conditions which brings to light the great discrepancies in a universal ideology. 

The writer’s primary aim is the empowerment of the female gender. The 

government through the proposal made by the nation’s First Lady to launch a 

“better-life program” tries to improve the quality of lives of the rural women 

who have suffered abandonment and marginalization both in domestic and 

public spheres for many years. The rural women believe that this project 

would bring change and development as well as improve their lives in the 

village.   

 

The play centers on Yemoja, the principal character of the play and two 

feminist western –educated scholars, Daisy and Ruth .These women are also 

seen as the antagonists in the play because their actions negate the culture of 

the Idu society. Daisy and Ruth are leaders of the “Better Life for Rural 

Women Campaign” which encourages women to believe in themselves. 

Yemoja is nominated as a mediator between the village and city women which 

broadened her view and understanding about her immediate society. This 

programme causes a great misunderstanding between husbands and wives; 

men and women and different personalities in the village.Yemoja’s husband 

and father revolt against her participation in the movement which she 

vehemently rejects by her strong determination. Also, in Daisy‘s home, her 

husband Okei disagrees with her passion for the feminist movement and they 

always quarrel about it.   

 The playwright through the character of Adaku emphasizes on the need for 

men and women to work together for the good of the society. In the play, 

Adaku, who is the leader of Umuada Council of Idu has the wisdom of a good 

mother. She advises that women should not try to replace the men in their 

roles nor men replace women; rather, they should compliment each other for 

the growth of the society. Adaku states: 

        

   …this thing about taking power from men and giving it to 

women 

    is where I have a problem. If you concentrate power in one  

part male or female , think of the problem that will cause… 

What becomes of the family…And now the family head must 

be 

turned upside down and men for and women…to live 



 

 

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    and a better life.(35-38) 

 

Adaku also expresses the women’s happiness for a positive and new change 

when she states“… At last we shall reap the fruits…. Something new and 

bright is here to bring light into our lives!” (28)However, these women look 

forward to a new phase in their lives where the government through its female 

representatives, will improve the standard of living in their community. 

Yemoja as an agent of social consciousness in the play is chosen by the rural 

women to be a middle person between the rural and urban women. She accepts 

the leadership role despite great opposition by the members of her family. But 

she maintains: 

 

       

Why must I be afraid to set out when I know that all 

there 

is in life is the journey? I am ready. Let me go! I love the  

family and want to remain an integral part of the 

circle…. 

If when I return, my father tells me there is no place  

for me in his homestead ;I shall understand, If I return,  

and my husband tells me there is no place for me  

on his bed. I shall understand. But for now let me 

go….(77-78) 

  

Yemoja resists her family’s disapproval of her new post and holds on to her 

decision. Her family tries to prevent her from gaining social recognition but 

her zeal for change and transformation carried her on. Tess Onwueme presents 

Yemoja as a rebel; she plays the role of a leader and at the same time revolts 

against all factors that do not promote their tradition. At the last movement of 

the play, Yemoja who sees herself in the city defeats her oppressors (the urban 

women) at the launching ceremony of the “Better Life Program”. She 

succeeds in creating awareness in the society, and also instills consciousness in 

her father, mother, husband and Bose, who is Daisy’s daughter. 

 

In the city, Yemoja distinguishes her personality as a promoter of the Idu 

tradition and cultural values rather than the western value. She leads the 

women well in the city and through her good leadership, the launching of the 

better life program emerges successful as they promote the native Idu new 

yam festival. Onwueme tries to show that the rural women are always 

relegated to the background by the civilized women, thus, the arrival of the 



 

 

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rural women in the city as seen in the play reshapes them from the ignorance 

of rural life to greater awareness. This is seen in Adaku’s statement: 

            

We too have our own wisdom, we have our own 

power 

               We have our magic. If they proclaim freedom, why 

must  

they not let me define for myself what that freedom 

means?  

  Why must we be forced to view the world with only 

their  

  eyes? Are we blind? (234-238) 

 

With the support of Yemoja and Adaku, the rural women revolted against the 

modern women as they changed the launching ceremony to the victory of the 

Idu women and the traditional values. The modern women are utterly 

disgraced. We should note that the modern figures are represented by Daisy 

and Ruth. Daisy, a Director of Women Affairs in government, and Ruth, a 

feminist scholar, are two urban women who become the rural women’s 

“mouthpieces” for the new project. They made promises of equal partnership 

between the rural and urban women as well as ensuring that there is no form 

of discrimination in the new project. According to them, these projects are 

made to encourage women to realize their potentials and self worth and 

also…break boundaries of confinements and compartmentalization of our 

potentialities in the oppressive, despotic and tyrannical hegemony of 

patriarchy imposed on women these many years… (30). Yemoja, one of the 

rural women, is chosen to represent the rural women in their political, 

economic and social welfare in the city. She accompanies Daisy and Ruth in 

order to learn and prepare the other rural women when they come to the city 

for the launching of the better life project .The attempt to bring equality 

among women and improve the life of the oppressed ones proved futile. 

Through the help of Yemoja and Adaku, the rural women are able to revolt 

against the urban women. 

  

According to them, ‘they cannot drown our steps with a marching song .Why 

must we abandon our own dance to march to another’s steps”. Bose, Daisy’s 

daughter is incorporated into the native ritual dance; Daisy and Ruth try to 

stop her but the rural women forced them to dance. This is very symbolic as 

it denotes the triumph of the rural women and their tradition over everything 

modern especially the urban women and their adopted western values. Daisy 



 

 

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and Ruth are two female characters that the playwright employed to 

symbolically represent the radical nature of women in the city as she tries to 

create gender imbalances in their social relationships with the rural women. 

These women are deceptive, inconsiderate, intolerant and arrogant with no 

respect for their Idu culture and customs .Yemoja later realizes that all 

women are not the same as exemplified in the characters of Daisy and Ruth. 

The negative attitude of these two women is contrary to the perception which 

acknowledges that ‘all women are the same’. It is very important to note that 

Onwueme presents her female characters as people who rise above cultural 

and family limitation as a means of realizing self. Yemoja who is termed 

rural in nature moves from her rural environment to the city where she 

devised her own strategy for survival. However, she later triumphed over the 

urban women as a result of her strong nature and quest for change. In the play, 

it is also important to note the roles of the women as a unit called the 

‘umuada’; the Umuada’ in the play simply acts as political rural group that 

checkmates wars, quarrels and also maintains peace in the Idu society. 

However, Onwueme in her play attempts to warn women against imitating 

western values, especially modern ones that affect positive traditional ways 

of life and human relationship as seen in the characters of Daisy and Ruth. 

 

Conclusion 

 

 In conclusion, this study has brought to light that both dramatists depict 

women’s role as complementary to that of men in society. They also present a 

situation where women’s roles contribute to social change and growth for 

sustainable development. The thematic thrust of the plays The Trial of Dedan 

Kimathi and Tell it to Women hinges on the issue of women’s active 

participation in nation building at different levels in society for change and 

peaceful co-existence.  Ngugi, Mugo and Onwueme through their 

presentations in their various plays justify that women like their male 

counterparts are great forces for social change. The roles and struggles in the 

above mentioned plays explore the heroic dimensions of these women to 

their societies at large. The dramatists are also of the opinion that women 

who are very rural, passive and docile can be pushed by circumstances 

around them to struggle for social justice and change. Finally, the 

playwrights view women as mothers, iconoclasts, strategists, soldiers and 

promoters of social consciousness and these qualities are well represented in 

their various plays.  

 

 



 

 

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Ngugi, Mugo and Onwueme did not just empower their female characters in 

their male dominated literary thoughts but explored their strength, talents, 

skills and potentials. It is therefore imperative for women’s participation and 

contributions in nation building to be documented in written literature as this 

would encourage women’s interest in contributing positively to national 

development. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References 

 

 

Amuta, Chidi. The Nigerian Women as a Dramatist: The Instance of Tess 

Onwueme in Nigerian Female Writers, Lagos, 1989. Print. 

 

…………….. Towards a Sociology of African Literature. Nigeria Zim Pan: 

African Publishers, 1986.Print. 

 

Emodi, Joy. Women Empowerment and Nation Building: The Role of Unity 

Colleges. (A lecture delivered on the 25th Anniversary of Federal 

Government Girls’ College , Bwari, Abuja, 23rd February, 2009).web. 

   

Ihekwuezu,Edith. “Triumph of the Hero”: The Trial of Dedan 

Kimathi.London: 

        Hienemann, 1976. Print. 

 

Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Mugo Micere Githea. The Trial of Dedan 

Kimathi.London: 

        Hienemann, 1976.Print. 

 

Ngugi wa Thiong’o .Home Coming .London: Hienemann, 1995.Print. 

 

Nwankwo, Chimalum. The Works of Ngugi Wa Thiong’o Towards the 

Kingdom of Women and Man.London Nigeria PLC, 1992.Print. 

 

Onwueme, Tess. Tell it to Women. Detriot:Wayne University Press,1992. Print. 

 



 

 

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Onyerionwu, Ezechi. 21st Century Nigerian Literature. Ibadan: Kraftbook, 

         2009.Print. 

 

Otokunefo,Henrieta and Nwode,Obiageli. Nigerian Female Writers. Lagos: 

         Malthouse Press Limited, 1989.Print. 

 

Uchendu, Patrick.The Role of Nigerian Women in Politics. Enugu: Fourth 

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