The Crisis of Consciousness: Petals of Blood

Petals of Blood offers a painful condemnation of Kenyan ruling elites who exploit the country's workers and peasants, and also offers vigorous and unrelenting criticism of neocolonialist institutions, such as Christianity, politicians, schools, businesses, banks, landlords, highways, industries and private firms. Being a political novel, it satirizes the terrible face of neocolonial elite. Ngugi unfolds a human landscape that is both beautiful as well as terrifying, as tribal and village life are manipulated in the name of progress by the cynical bureaucrats who came to power as heroes of liberation. The novel also demonstrates the importance of collective action to empower ordinary masses to resist oppression, like Illmorog's delegation to Nairobi, strikes at Theng'eta Brewing Company and student struggles at the Elite Siriana School. Undoubtedly Petals of Blood is an important contribution to the world literature, the admirers of the work perceive it as an ambitious canvas that presents with artistic integrity Ngugi's stance of social and political philosophy, and finds it to be a realistic portrayal of the postcolonial experience in Kenya.