They Poured Fire On Us From The Yellow Sky Analysis

Zane Mauser
Evolution of African Politics Africa has seen its fair share of controversy politically. This is apparent from the readings we discussed in class: They Poured Fire on us from the Sky, A Grain of Wheat, and Half of a Yellow Sun. In each of these books, the author or authors tie in ways politics or government itself impacted the continent of Africa. The countries I chose to compare with these books are two that experienced dramatic change, whether that be from rebellion from nationals, a new religion trying to make its presence known, or corruption within the political system itself. Through the 20th and 21st centuries Egypt and Angola experienced these changes and much more. They Poured Fire on us from the Sky is set in Sudan
What makes this period of time so crucial in Nigeria’s history is that this is the time period of war between Nigerians and the Biafrans. The Biafrans were a group of people under Nigerian rule, who wanted to break free and gain their independence. This group was made up people of the Igbo tribe which was the dominating tribe of the time. The tribe that ran the Nigerian government were the Hausa people. The main conflict between these two groups was the fact that neither one would take blame for the riots and civil war. This war was a win-lose situation for the Biafran people. They may have eventually won their independence from Nigeria but not before a dramatic loss during the war. The people that lost their lives were honored when the Biafra flag was unveiled. “Red was the blood of the siblings massacred in the North, black was for mourning them, green was for the prosperity Biafra would have, and finally the half of the yellow sun stood for the glorious future.”(Adichie, pg. 352) This book is another example of how disagreements within the government can turn into violence and uprising within a
Along came Jomo Kenyatta, a man who was seeking followers to fight back against the white man and take back the land that was rightfully theirs. He wanted to focus on resisting policies that the white man put on the African people as well as having Kenya governed by its own people. During this time a group called the Mau Mau made their presence known by forming a rebellion against the United Kingdom as well as British Kenya. This was a violent group with a guerilla warfare approach. Kenyatta never claimed to be associated with the Mau Mau but in one of his speeches at a Kenya Africa Union encouraged the people to stand up and fight. In his speech he says “We are here under the KAU flag to find which road leads us from darkness to democracy.”(Youseff) The book itself focuses more on a man named Mugo. Mugo was, in a sense, the voice of the rebellion due to his ability to get a crowd going. However, the people later find out that he is a murderer. This is another instance of a group of African people, led by one individual, standing up to the white man that tried to implement their own policies during