Petals of Blood | Historical Context

Petals of Blood Historical Context

In Petals of Blood, Ngugi comments on the effects of colonial and post-colonial rule on the lives of the Kenyan people. The narrative begins with events in the early 1970s, twelve years after Kenya gained independence, or Uhuru, from the British colonial government, but the legacy of colonialism is still felt as a strong presence by the villagers in Ilmorog. In the novel key periods and events in Kenyan history are recalled, from the early days of British colonists to the Mau Mau Uprising to the social struggles following independence.

Beginnings of Colonialism

In 1887 a private British company attempted to start a trading business near the Kenyan coast, modeling itself after the British East India Company which had for years monopolized highly profitable European trade in India. While the Imperial British East Africa Company, as it was known, soon went bankrupt, the British government itself took over the territory in 1895,...
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