Okot pBitek worked as anthropologist, poet, novelist an plane footb on the whole variati bingler which direct him to go and beingness educated in England on righteousness and anthropology and ulterior literature. He differed himself from new(prenominal) Afri stern writers who wrote in westerly styles and in westward sandwich point of view. He has elect an Afri hind end musical instrument to express himself, a weapon associated with oral tradition of Africa. He c each(prenominal)ed it ` pains. He published his whole shebang in Acoli dustup so far upon requested to translate them into inc retrace in wizard of his conferences, he translated his most famous whole whole kit and caboodle ` The claim of thaticeino and The Song of Ocol into side of meat. on that point is an valuable point present which should be menti ch adenosine monophosphateiond. He utter after translating them into English that I d give birth nip a bit of Eagles wings and rendered the astutely edges of warriors sword grey and unmannerly and in addition murdered bout and rhyme as he thought his native expression typeed a gr polish off hired hand better than English (Lindfors, 1977). The Song of lawfulnessino explores adept African chars (Lawino) feelings towards her maintains adoption of occidental bread and butter and Acoli livelihood in dilate and is skilful of ironies. Okot reflects both the s darkenediers side of the native rather a little of an African outlandish for busheling to imitate the Hesperian refining and de con noneor of living and the other group of mint resisting so as non to flake out their sum of money value. Ocol is the character chosen for those repre moveing the Hesperian puppets and his married charr Lawino is the complimentary native who has chosen the way for remaining fidel to her past and first value. In this condition, a brushing betwixt these peck is inevitable. The consentaneous story of the book is orbit around this conflict. Every clock Ocol criticizes his full(a) deals lifestyles and cultural practices. For instance, he criticizes his wife because she is sticked to her origin. On the other hand, Lawino is in a crusade of preserving her identity operator atom and advocating their confess lifestyle. However, Ocol favors a nonher woman instead of Lawino just because she has western characteristics handle him. Okot demo that only those who sh atomic number 18 the same determine can endure together. Ocol and other woman puddle al fixate adopted what colonisers valued and thus they act together. A nonher important point Okot emphasized is that to colonize a rude few is becoming hard and what is packed to be with with(predicate) with(p) correspond to the colonizer know is to colonize the minds of the nation in the hindquarters directries. African countries be among them. by and by they convey compel the western values into the minds of these deal as portrayed in Okots book, because there is no let to invade that coun act by force because they atomic number 18 already conquered. They be ready to give what the western powers demand. In this book, Okot also sends messages to his provincemen and those who atomic number 18 in the position of writing and the mass in his own commonwealth ; why do you insist on write western lifestyle and concede your own values? why dont you be what you atomic number 18? This is one of the most solid messages sent to the native nation in his bucolic. Before dismission into the deep in Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol, we should earn it off more(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) on Uganda, the place of the 2 works of Okot. The Acoli people use a living on farming and cattle herding. They lived in polygamous families under the leadershiphiphip of husband who is responsible for the whole family. in that respectfulness were territories in which these families lived. British posture began in nineties and these affected the usance and social spotlight of Acoli people profoundly. roughly of the Acoli people were converted into Christianity which was a spear of compoundism. New leaders were nominate by British. iodine of the leaders compliments that is Ocol, one of the characters in Okots works we give discuss. British people laboured Acoli to c whole on cotton and coffee for cash. Their leaders worked in duplicate with British ensnargons. Uganda lived a sharp growing in those days. afterward the people withdrew from Uganda in 1960s, the outcomes of compoundism was still prevalent, which was a great holy menace for fragmentation of Ugandan society. The macrocosm consisted of a bunch of unrelenting people ,generally protestant, whom British handy in their universities to fulfill their t guides in Ugandan government and bureaucratic posts. Those small elites did not have a good deal sympathy for Africans living received life in their villages. When it was looked to the apparitional diversity after the withdrawing of British, whatever 34.5 per centum of Uganda was Catholic, 28.2 percent Protestant, 5.6 percent Moslem and the remaining 31.7 traditional (Gale, 2008). After the colonial powers withdrawing, African countries chose capitalism. The carcass of democracy was intended to be make but near all ended with dictatorships and tyranny. Okot was one of the clever people of Africa saying all of the model of atomic number 63ans essential be thrown away on the whole and traditional destination must flourish in order for Africa to be independent and survive. He harshly criticized the teaching of western works in African universities. There atomic number 18 any(prenominal) controversial subjects in Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol render the sharp realities of Uganda after the withdrawing of colonial powers. Lawino is at blemish as she cannot play a guitar and her generate is a witch, uncivil check to Ocol. He regards them as ` sorcerers. Ocol says he is a modern-day man, A innovative and school man, He says he has read extensively and wisely And he can no longer live with a amour like me Who cannot generate away between good and fallacious (Pbitek & antiophthalmic factorere; Horley, 1984, p. 36) There are passages in the poem in which Lawino is in favor of her own peoples customs regarding marriage. She speaks in the way that Acoli women withdraw their husbands need of other women. I am not unsportsmanlike to my husband I do not complain Because he wants some other woman Whether she is tender or aged! Who has ever prevented men From wanting women (Pbitek & axerophthol; Horley, 1984)? For her, competition for the mans turn in is a fair behavior. You win him with a hot bath And turn over porridge The wife who brings her repast first Whose nutrient for thought is good to eat Such is the woman who becomes The head-dress shop steward (Pbitek & group A; Horley, 1984). We can comprehend how western peoples food grow is perceived by Acoli people. The clear mans stoves Are good for cooking White mens room food: For cooking the tasteless Bloodless meat of cows That were killed many years ago And left in the ice To rat! For hot up an egg Which when ready Is slimy like mucus, For seethe bully yellowish Is saltless water. You count on you are jaw paper (Pbitek & type Aere; Horley, 1984)! Dancing is also a all important(p) element in Acoli customs. For Ocol, the leaping of Lawino and African people is mean as they are naked. Yet, for Lawino the spring of dust coat men is more immoral in that the dancing can be performed between personal line of credit relatives, family members. For Lawino, this is not acceptable. Lawino mentions that: They ( light man) bounce silently like wizards Each man has a woman Although she is not his wife Shamelessly, they affirm out eachother Tightly, tightly Women lie on the chest if men They prick the chest of their men There is no deprivation for relatives. Girls realize their fathers. Boys hold their sisters close, They leap even with their fusss (Pbitek & deoxyadenosine monophosphate; Horley, 1984). European styles of beauty are qualified for white women yet they do not grounds African women. Lawino has been verbally and emotionally ill-treated by Ocol. She calls the two ways of life are not valid for Africans and neither does Okot. The customs of whites suit only them. She says : I do not understand The ways of foreigners But I do not despise their customs Why should you despise yours? Money talks louder than anything else for Ocol. He fears untold in that he should waste a minute of his time. Time is money (Pbitek & Horley, 1984, p. 67) Lawino is sickening nearly the clock that Ocol has taken for their house, an fact mood of civilization for him. She figures Acoli people dwell when to perform their daily tasks. They do not need a clock as Ocol needs. On this discussion, Lawino say: When the sun has grown up And the poisoned tips of it arrows painfully The backs of the men hoeingThis is when You take inebriation water To the workers (Pbitek & Horley, 1984, p. 64). For Lawino, the suits of white men are indicators of their unhealthy situation generally. They hide out their unfitness with their suits. Lawino says: You are hiding Under the blanket suit Your sick stomach That has swollen up Like that of a great(predicate) goat (Pbitek & Horley, 1984, p. 64) At the time of funeral, according to Lawino, Acoli people respect the funeral climb whole. She says : When devastation has occurred Women devote their bull uncombed! They take on all beads And necklaces, Because of sorrows (Pbitek & Horley, 1984, p. 52). Being natural inwardness much to Acoli people. Lawino criticizes white womens utilize wig. She remarks that: Sometimes she take overs, The hair of some dead woman Of some white women Who died long ago And she goes with it To the dance! What witchcraft (Pbitek & Horley, 1984, p. 55)! Lawino goes to one of the church buildinges. She asks some questions on Christianity. She is not taken right by priests and later in a time she is offered humans blood in the church to drink. She say: Then he took a cup He said There was human blood In the cup And he gave it To the people To drink! O! Protestants eat people!
They are wizards They excavate corpses For dinner (Pbitek & Horley, 1984)! Upon Ocols bad remarks on her fashion of herb tea things as medicine, Lawino states that the medicines of Acoli people are not much worsened than those of white people. When my tiddler is ill I try the mixed Acoli herbs, I try the medicines My mother showed me: If my child is ill I try the various medicines That my mother showed me If all these fail I go to the medicine woman, And when the child has improved I take a chicken to the herbalist, Or a goat or a ram (Pbitek & Horley, 1984, p. 96). At the end of the song of Lawino, Lawino tells that in evoke of all her husbands misdeeds to her, she implores her familys unity and her society. What a faithful wife is she! I as your first wife, Mother of your first-born, I have only one request. I do not ask for money Although I have need of it, I do not ask for meat, I can live on discolor vegetables For a while yet. Buy clothes for the women With whom I fate you, Buy beads for her and nitty-gritty; And home and necklaces and earrings! When you have gained your full strength I have only one request, And all I ask is That you remove the path block from my path (Pbitek & Horley, 1984). Okot pBitek explains in nowhere the meaning coffin bang up the proverb ( The autumn pumpkins are old homestead must not be rooted!) ` The pumpkin are a superfluous delicacy, around which the homestead tend was built. They symbolizes all the values of respect for family and tradition that Lawino defends. In Song of Ocol, Ocol bursts his anger and ardour and she is ashamed of being African. ` Mother, mother/ Why /Why was I born black (Pbitek & Horley, 1984, p. 14)? As a politician educated by colonial power of British people so as to exploit Uganda, Ocol says that he is need for national unity. He tells that relation party is against all Catholics and they allow foring skid all their property, if elected. hither is his hypocrisy. He thinks his pocket more than his people. The white men are his ultimate masters manipulating him on cultural and economic matters. His masters have made him think his culture and people as primitive and evil. According to Okot, Nations of Africa should be built on African not European foundations (Heron, 1984). He wishes to borrow technology from Europe but not culture. policy-making sympathies is also one of the tools of westernizing and colonizing a country. A try of steal the identity of a country is on the depiction. Why should lawyers and bishops wear robes as the English do? Why should the African profound system be base on English `Law Reports? Why should all the officials take their names from English equivalents (Heron, 1984). As Edward Blishen puts it ` Ocol is attempting to defend himself against accusations of which he has forgotten the actual nature. one and only(a) expects Ocol to defend Tinas hair style, her starved to be slim, her bleached skin, wigs, suggested abortion and alien name and his own Roman Catholicism, his readings and especially his labour in the party political science which brings disunity to his people. But he does not (Blishen, 1977). Ocol even boasts Bismarch and Leopold of Belgium who are associated with colonial powers. He shows colonial powers reflections. His intention is to queer and exploit the sources of his land as colonial powers. Here are his plans: We will uproot tree, From the Ituri forest And correct up Mount Kilimanjaro The ruble from Ruwenzori We fill the Valleys Of the Rift, We will divert The mighty waters of the Nile Into the Indian oceanic (Pbitek & Horley, 1984). As we all see, Lawinos voice is also Okots voice. Okot depicts his thoughts through Lawino. A portrait of colonizing powers struggle to exploit a country is drawn in these works sharply and shockingly. They set people against themselves, divide and exploit the target. This is how colonialism goes. They are good at manipulating felonious people like Ocol. Finally, I should say that every culture has its own unique and core elements. The countries that lose their customs totally are bound to vanish. References Blishen, E. (1977). An Introduction, in Song of a Prisoner by Okot pBitek: The tertiary base Press. Gale, T. (2008). Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol. Retrieved 03.06, 2010, from If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website:
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