RKS African Literature: GLORIOUS SLAVERY: KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

This means that the churches, the schools, the poetry, the songs, the cinema, the beer halls, the clubs, the newspapers will act as brain-washing poisons whose purpose will be to convince the worker that in this world there is nothing as glorious as slavery to the Kimeendeeri class, so that each worker will look forward to the day he dies when his body will become fertilizer to make the farm more productive. The intellectual and spiritual and cultural brainwashing poisons will make the workers believe, literally to obey the Kimeendeeri class is to obey God and that to anger or oppose their overloads is to anger and oppose God.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

RKS African Literature: BRUTE FORCE: Controlling the Workers of KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

But to be on the safe side, Kimeendeeri will build prisons and law courts and will hire armed forces, so that anyone who opposes Shamba’s system of laws or wishes to leave the confines of the farm will be punished by being jailed or detained in pits of total darkness or shot and thrown to the hyenas in Ngnog Hills.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

Photo R. Kennedy Stephen

RKS African Literature: LIQUOR: Controlling the Workers of KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

Kimeendeeri will also build breweries and clubs for hard liquor and other alcoholic drinks, like chang’aa and lager so that alcohol will make idiots out of those who have not already been crazed by Christian and Muslim ritual.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

RKS African Literature: CONTROL OF MEDIA: Manipulating the Workers of KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

Kimeedeeri will also publish newspapers, whose role will be to denigrate those opposed to the system of drinking human blood and eating human flesh, and to celebrate the charitable hand-outs of Kimeedeeri and his friends.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

RKS African Literature: RELIGION: Controlling the Workers of KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

On the farm he’ll build churches or mosques, depending on the religious inclinations of the workers. He will employ priests. Every Sunday the workers will read sermons that will instruct them that the system of milking human sweat, human blood and human brains-the system of the robbery of human labour power and human skills is ordained by God and that it has something to do with the eventual salvation of their souls. It is written in the Holy Scriptures. Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are they that think no ill of man for they shall see God.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

Photo R. Kennedy Stephen

RKS African Literature: EDUCATION: Controlling the Workers of KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

Kimeendeeri will also build schools which the workers’ children will be taught that the system of drinking human blood and eating human flesh has always held sway since the world was created and will always hold sway until the end of the world and there is nothing that the people can do to put an end to the system. The children will be allowed to read only those books that glorify the system of drinking blood and eating human flesh. They will not be allowed to ask questions about the conditions of their lives or those of their parents, or that might raise doubts about the sanctity and necessity of drinking human bloods and eating human flesh. They will sing only those songs and hymns and read only the literature that will glorify the system of drinking human blood and eating human flesh.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

2026 GREEK TRAVEL ADVENTURE: Short Attention Span Version:17September2026: Athens: Will I Feel the Spirit and Will I Cry at Check Check-Out!

Early this morning our buddies T and I from France arrived at the hotel. I phoned T around 09:00 and plans were to meet in a few minutes at the hotel’s rooftop café for breakfast. We had planned a 8 day tour of Greece with T and I and Anthology of Athens was to be our starting point.

We met T and I in Spain years ago pulled by tantalizing aromas of the same restaurant In Hondariba by a chef who knew how to prepare some mind numbing caught that morning halibut. We have met in Lyon and New York and now in Greece.

We caught up over breakfast overlooking Athens.

The breakfast buffet is scant and some of the fruit has oxidized. The intent is the buffet will keep you occupied before you order the a la carte breakfast of most interesting selection prepared perfectly save lack of runniness of the eggs in Eggs Benedict. Superb coffee.

We decided to tackle the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.  

While waiting for T and I to arrive in the lobby I had a brief chat with Eleni the passionate hotel manager so very proud of the hotel! She explained that many guests feel the energy and spirit of the Temple of Zeus across the street. Some are so taken in with the hotel family they shed tears upon departure. Will I feel the spirit? Will I cry upon departure so triste at losing my newfound family?

 If there is anything across the way I am chagrined about it certainly is not the Temple of Zeus it is the garbage bin leaking vile smelling liquid onto the pavement to the left of the hotel entrance. As for LOCATION LOCATION Anthology of Athens can’t be beat but that garbage bin is infringing upon my LOCATION LOCATION!

Photo: R. Kennedy Stephen

RKS African Literature: KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

Kimeendeeri intends to fence off the farm with barbed wire, just like the wire that was used to fence off detention camps during the state of Emergency in colonial Kenya. He plans to pen in the workers in there like animals. He will then fit electrically operated machines to their bodies for milking their sweat or the energy that produces the sweat their blood and brains. The three commodities will then be exported to foreign countries to feed industries there. For every gallon of sweat or blood or brains Kimeendeeri will get a commission at a fixed rate.

He will construct pipelines. The blood will be poured into them and machine will pump it up to importing foreign countries, just like petroleum oil! The company handling the trade will be called KENYON-SAXON EXPORTERS: HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

RKS African Literature: Learn from the Whites and You’ll Never Go Wrong (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

My son, listen to your father’s words of love. I know you have book learning. But the wise man is he who has been taught by someone who has seen it all before and has learned from the experience. A career of theft and robbery is the only one for anybody calls himself an adult. Learn from the whites, and you’ll never go wrong. The white man believes that there’s no business to beat that of theft and robbery. I’ll talk frankly. The white man came to this country holding the Bible in his left hand and a gun in his right. He stole the people’s fertile lands. He stole the people’s cattle and goats under the cover of fines and taxes.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982

RKS African Literature: Ratchet Down Your Greed and Brutality or Face the Threat of Chinese Communism! (Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o)

What, me, accept being ruled by the party of workers and peasants? Me, accept being ruled by a party dedicated to eradicating the system of theft and robbery on Earth? Me, go back to working with my hands? Eat only what has been produced by my sweat alone, without having access to the products of other people’s sweat?

On the contrary, I would say that it is your plan for the grabbing of the soil and all the air in the universe that’s the dangerous one, and the one that could spread the disease of Chinese-style communism more quickly…. Better meanness that is covert: better a system of theft that is disguised by lies. Or why do you think that our imperialist friends brought us the Bible? Do you think they were being foolish when they urged the workers and peasants to close their eyes in prayer and told them that earthly things were in vain?

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, “Devil on the Cross”, 1982