Ng’ang’a Mbugua’s 'Different Colours'

A Metaphor of Environmental Activism and Deconstruction of Patriarchy

Abstract

Literature can be used effectively to promote national cohesion and integration. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how Ng’ang’a Mbugua’s Different Colours is a metaphor for environmental conservation and creation of cohesion amongst the characters in the fictional Banana County. The research problem handled is the dearth on studies that apply ecocriticism and feminism theoretical lenses to interrogate how patriarchy in Different Coloursimpedes environmental conservation and cohesion creation. The methodology used is an interpretivist reading of the text buttressed by secondary sources. The data collected was subjected to open coding with the thrust of the coding notes being an identification of characters with patriarchal power and action connected to environmental degradation or conservation and the consequent creation or destruction of societal cohesion. The key findings of the study are that the characters in Banana County are initially unaware of the significance of their environment, especially their waterfall, but later, through the effort of Miguel, the lead male protagonist, they finally realize the need for collectivity in diversity when it comes to environmental conservation. The paper concludes that in this allegorical novel, Miguel projects the message that “in a spectrum of diversity, Banana County can be one” in conserving the environment. The study recommends that more research needs to be made on how fictional texts are a microcosm of the larger society, the latter which might be reeling under the onslaught of social antagonism and lack of cohesion, wrought by patriarchal ascendancy and neglect of the environment.