Summary

Ngũgĩ no longer considers Alliance as a sanctuary where the outside world is unable to penetrate. He speaks fondly of Alliance’s school newspaper, the Saturday Evening Paper, that contains campus, local and international news. Chapter 33 highlights the changing face of Africa—especially the independence of countries such as Ghana, Libya, and Morocco from colonizers. Ngũgĩ compares current Kenyan politics to actors who take the stage. The conflicts between the actors impact how Ngũgĩ and all the students view their world.

Chapter 34 explains scouting at Alliance as a volunteer activity. Ngũgĩ joins in 1956 and enjoys the camping excursions and skills learned. He was among 50 boys selected to see Princess Margaret’s Kenya visit. However, his most memorable scouting experience is in Chapter 35 when he travels into the Kenyan landscape to Nyeri, the burial place of the Lord Baden-Powell, the...