Summary

The village center in Kamĩrĩĩthũ answered the question about the substance of national theatre, which it showed to be the people and not the place. Ngũgĩ describes their theatre as an open air theatre consisting of a small, mud-walled barrack and a grass stage, so that actors could flow uninhibited into the space around the stage. Before explaining his newest play, Ngũgĩ gives a broad overview of three other plays he wrote in English: “The Black Hermit,” “This Time Tomorrow,” and “The Trial of Dedan Kimathi.” However, he notes several contradictions, such as the fact that the characters would speak in English until the moments when they would sing.

At Kamĩrĩĩthũ, Ngũgĩ recalls that he decided to write his next play, "Ngaahika Ndeenda" (I will marry when I want), in...