Devil on the Cross: How it relates to Kenya today
... that are still issues today in Kenyan culture. When Wangari, Wariinga, Maturi, and Mwaura are on their way to Illmorog, there stories and conversations reveal many of the problems that Kenyans faced at the time. When Wangari is telling the others the story about him trying to find a job, it reveals two problems. One is the problem of underemployment and the other is the problem of discrimination towards black men in trying to find jobs. This may not have been his main point in trying to tell his story, but by reading in between the lines, one can make a conclusion that trying to be employed as a black man under Kenya’s poor conditions could have been a trying and very difficult process. Today, Kenya is trying to make positive steps in trying to restore the poverty and economic struggle that has been plaguing them in the past. The Kibaki government wants to create 500,000 jobs a year, to move people out of poverty. This will result in less crime, less of a burden on the state, and an increase in the tax revenue, which we can spend on helping Kenya's poor. (EMPLOYMENT) This movement will help create more jobs for the people of Kenya, and will help people such as the character, Wangari, to find jobs easier. According to Muturi, he thought that the children of his generation were “fated to stay out in the sun, thirsty, hungry, naked…”, and even though his predictions of the future had some truth to it (Kenya still not providing enough jobs compared to population), at least the government is trying to swing the movement towards a positive direction. One of the other issues that is suggested is how the rich control the poor country of Kenya. Kenya had and still has one the worst if not the worst income disparity in the world. In “Devil on the Cross,” there is a song that Waringa and Muturi sing on page 50 that suggests how the rich control and contribute to the poverty of the poor. “Many houses, and acres of land, and mounds of stolen money cannot bring peace to a person, because they have been taken from the poor” (sung). This line in the song indicates the feelings of the people that live in poorer conditions. According t...