Francis Imbuga is undisputably the leading figure in Kenyan theater. As a playwright, actor, and play competition adjudicator, he has been a pacesetter for creative artists, especially for rising playwrights. Imbuga's nine published plays are widely performed, and his work has been discussed in international seminars; several of his books--Betrayal in the City (1976), The Successor (1979), Man of Kafira (1984), and Aminata (1988)--have been required reading at both schools and colleges in East and Central Africa. In his plays Imbuga marries the burning issues of the day with the beauty of his Luhya oral literature background. As heir to the first generation of African writers, he emphasizes the order and dignity of the precolonial African world. His villain is the European newcomer, even though some of his ideas can be positively assimilated.

Francis Imbuga was born in humble circumstance in Wenyange Village, West Maragoli, western Kenya, on 2 February 1947. His...