The divide between Nyamugari and the people of his community boils down to not understanding the each other, or rather, one side is unwilling to listen. In Baho! by Roland Rugero, explores the theme of language as a barrier. It’s no longer something that is used to communicate freely and efficiently, but to shore up a reputation that’s on the brink of crumbling. It is illustrated in the men’s “caring” attitude, in that it wasn’t the girl’s emotions and feelings that were put into consideration, but her value as an object/property and her value would have dropped drastically if she had been raped. It sends a message of flowery words hiding the true intent of the patriarchy in this community.
Recent events have come to light in Hollywood’s seedy underbelly, the unwanted and terrifying sexual advances of men are now being exposed for the disgusting acts they are. It was often the women’s fault, that they were “asking for it” or they “shouldn’t have been wearing those clothes, they’re so provocative,” when in reality they were just there to have fun with friends, not be groped by strangers. Though its funny (not at all), to see how these men aren’t even sincere in these apologies, like Al Franken who had many accusations levied against him said:
“I’m going to try to learn from my mistakes,” he told reporters here. “In doing so, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting. I want to be someone who adds something to this conversation.” (Fandos, The New York Times)
But if they were sincere in their apologies, wouldn’t he not be in such a compromising position in the first place? It doesn’t seem that it was the case, like with Charlie Rose as he said:
In a statement, Rose said he didn’t think all the allegations leveled against him by eight women were accurate but felt he “was pursuing shared feelings” and now has “a profound new respect for women and their lives.” (Klein, The Washington Post)
It comes across as self-serving and manipulative, just obliging the public what they want to hear, but not really giving any real substance. It makes you think how really, the events of Baho! only show the inherent failure as a society to show that we are progressive, that the things we value are nothing more than objects, rather than the people they should be thought of as. Have we actually grown as a race or have we regressed back to cavemen?
Literary Genres in Translation 