OP-ED: Centuries And Continents Bridged In Landmark Literature Study

By Jean Ninah Nakunda

In a quiet library at Uganda Christian University (UCU), a compelling narrative unfolded, one that wove together the fates of a 16th-century English statesman and a 20th-century Kenyan freedom fighter. A recent Master’s dissertation has brought these two figures into a profound and unprecedented dialogue, revealing the timeless power of conscience in the face of oppressive power.

The research, titled “A Comparative Study of The Trial of Dedan Kimathi by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Micere Mugo and A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt,” was conducted by Gift Katusiime. This research stands as a significant scholarly work offering a fresh lens through which to view historical resistance, martyrdom, and the universal struggle for integrity.

At first glance, Sir Thomas More and Dedan Kimathi seem worlds apart. More was the Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII, a man of letters and law executed in 1535 for refusing to endorse the king’s divorce and break with the Catholic Church. Kimathi was the revered military leader of Kenya’s Mau Mau rebellion against British colonial rule, captured, tried, and hanged in 1957 for his fight to reclaim ancestral lands and freedom.

Their stories might be separated by over four centuries and set in different continents but they are bound by a common thread of an unyielding commitment to their conscience that ultimately led to their executions.

Katusiime’s research masterfully identifies and analyzes this parallel. “The two plays have a similar thread; they are both tragic and tense, and the characters go through trials and die a tragic death for reasons that are beyond them,” she states in her research. “Hence, they are symbolic characters because they stand for a greater cause.”

It delves deep into the core of both plays, highlighting how the central conflict plays out in strikingly similar settings of the courtroom. Both More and Kimathi endure intense trials where they are pressured to withdraw their beliefs in exchange for their lives.

In A Man For All Seasons, Thomas More is begged by friends and foes alike to “be ruled” by the king. He is offered every opportunity to save himself by simply taking an oath he does not believe in. His response, as highlighted in the research, is to defend a small, inviolable “area… where I must rule myself.” For More, that area was his soul. Similarly, in The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, the British colonial administrator Shaw Henderson attempts to break Kimathi’s spirit, urging him to “plead guilty for life.” He frames the struggle as a “game” and life as a prize to be won by surrendering pride. Kimathi, like More, remains steadfast, understanding that his surrender would mean the defeat of the cause he represents—the liberation of his people.

Katusiime’s analysis reveals that both men “remain true to their consciences and beliefs,” becoming martyrs not by seeking death, but by refusing to compromise the principles that defined their very selves.

The study goes beyond a simple thematic comparison, employing Formalism and Sociological literary theories to analyze the characterization and stylistic choices of the playwrights. It finds that both Bolt and the African duo of Ngugi and Mugo present their protagonists as “static” or “flat” characters, but as a strength. Thomas More and Dedan Kimathi do not undergo a dramatic change however their power lies in their unwavering consistency. From beginning to end, they are seen as pillars of resilience. “They are men of great integrity, and act in a manner that they believe is right and just, even in the face of opposition,” Katusiime notes.

The most compelling aspect of Katusiime’s work is its assertion of the plays’ enduring relevance. The study concludes that the ideals explored, the tension between the individual and the state, the corruption of power, and the right to conscience, are as urgent today as they were in the 16th and 20th centuries.

“Today’s audience… is likely to be mindful of the ever-increasing power of the state, the corruption of democracy, and questions of legitimacy of conscience and the rights of the individual against the state,” she states. In an era where political pressure and moral compromise are daily headlines, the figures of More and Kimathi serve as powerful, if sobering, reminders of the cost of integrity.

This research is significant not only for its conclusions but for its originality. Katusiime identified a clear gap in literary criticism. While many scholars had examined the plays separately, no substantial work had been done to compare them directly. “Whereas there have been many separate scholarly studies on A Man for All Seasons and The Trial of Dedan Kimathi separately, as yet there is no known study that seeks to address the comparableness of these two plays,” the author states in the dissertation’s problem statement. By bridging this gap, the study creates a new interdisciplinary conversation between African and European historical drama.

“I was left with a question of how far I can risk my life for my beliefs after the research” Katusiime narrates. In the end, this leaves us with a poignant reflection that the price of a man like Thomas More or Dedan Kimathi is not measured in treasure or titles, but in the unshakeable love for their faith and their people. This is a price they were willing to pay with their lives, and a lesson that echoes from Tudor England to colonial Kenya and into our modern world today.