On 28th October, we read Minutes of glory, a short story by Ngugi wa Thiong’o. The session was led by Rebecca Muhindi, a fourth-year law student at Kabarak University. We began the session by a word of prayer, followed by a round of reading where everyone read a paragraph or two and then finally, we delved into the discussion before handing over to the coordinator and concluding with a word of prayer.
Reading Session
Minutes of glory traces the life of Beatrice, a young woman from Nyeri. Being from a poor background and unable to secure secondary education, she leaves her village seeking better opportunities but finds no steady employment due to lack of qualifications. Desperate, she falls victim to a man who promises her work in Limuru but instead uses and abandons her. Alone and struggling, she begins working as a barmaid in roadside bars.
Working in bars, she felt invisible and demeaned. She harbored envy towards other women who effortlessly commanded male attention. More particularly, she envied Nyaguthii who despite her arrogant attitude remained irresistible to men. In her, Beatrice saw the woman she would like to become. Later on, she comes to learn that Nyaguthii, beneath her composed exterior, admires her.
Beatrice forms a quiet bond with a lorry driver who frequents the bar on weekends. Having been repeatedly dismissed by the so-called ‘big men’ whose circles he longed to enter, the lorry driver finds in Beatrice a rare refuge. She becomes his place of solace, an attentive listener to his endless tales of struggle, disappointment, and quiet resilience.
They both shared a background of poverty and a desire to rise above their social status. For a moment she believed she had found a fellow victim and that the lorry driver cared for her. He ultimately disregarded her, leaving her feeling betrayed and angry.
In a moment of desperation and defiance, Beatrice steals money from the man while he is asleep. She spends the stolen money on new clothes and shoes, reinventing her appearance and finally capturing the attention of the men whose admiration she had long craved. For a brief moment, she experiences her “minutes of glory”’ basking in the attention and respect she has long yearned for.
This victory is short-lived as the lorry driver returns to the bar with a police officer, leading to Beatrice’s arrest for theft. Her brief moment of glory fading quickly as she faces the consequences of her actions.
Discussion and Q&A
Following the reading, a discussion unfolded beginning with the exploration of identity. It was pointed out that Beatrice suffered from identity crisis. She longed for attention and male validation, despising other women who had a pool of men yet as she later finds out, those women particularly Nyaguthii who she despises most envies her and holds her to a higher standard.
Identity crisis was also evident in Beatrice’s preference for her christian name over her African one, Wanjiru. To her, “Beatrice” carried connotations of purity and beauty, reflecting an internalized colonial mindset that elevates English names above indigenous ones. A legacy of cultural alienation imposed by colonial rule.
Beauty also came up as a theme with participants discussing at length the standards of beauty on women in the society. In the story, the young women use skin lightening creams to transform themselves for male attraction. Beatrice on the other dreams to be the owner of all kinds of wigs. She despises her dark skin but she lacks the finances to purchase skin lighting creams. When she steals the money, she uses it to realise some of her wishes by buying good clothes and heels and in turn getting the attention of men.
The question then arose as to whether beauty standards are imposed on women by men with the article by Ali Mazrui, The black woman and the problem of gender: An African Perspective coming into play. Here, Ali Mazrui says that women disproportionately bear the expectation of enhancing their appearance due to the fact that they spend more time, energy and resources making themselves attractive. He then asks if this is a form of benign sexism (which he considers to be harmless sexism). He then says that if most African women would feel less happy without engaging in self-beautification through fashion, adornment, and grooming, then such practices could be considered benign, and at times even benevolent, particularly when paid for by men.
Class was also another point of discussion. It was pointed out that it was not just the women who yearned for the attention of the ‘big men’ but also the poor men. The story revealed how the ‘small’ tried to act big infront of the big and how the poor came to dine at the feet of the wealthy. The lorry driver is not accepted in the circle of the big men. This is because they view his achievement and success as somehow less because he lacks formal education.
Conclusion
In general, the forum observed that contemporary society reflects entrenched power dynamics, gender inequalities, colonial legacies, and complex identities.
The session ended with a word of thanks from Victoria Okeke, appreciating everyone for coming, listening attentively and contributing to the discussion.
