Petals of Blood

There are three epigraphs in this section of the text. The first is again from William Blake, from his poem “The Everlasting Gospel,” while the other two are from Song of Solomon in the Bible.

Munira is kept in jail for eight days and continues writing his story for Inspector Godfrey. He is given a newspaper by the police officer guarding him, through which he learns of Chui, Mzigo, and Kimeria’s deaths. The three men sought to buy out the shares of ownership of Theng’eta Breweries that belonged to foreigners. This leads to questions about whether their deaths were politically motivated to keep the brewery in foreign hands.

As Karega continues teaching, he contemplates their journey to the city, the charity they received, and what it means. With a firm belief in “solidarity and unity of blackness” (236), he struggles with the idea that his village, which produces crops and its own food, would be impeded by drought and forced to rely on the wealth of those in the city to survive. He reflects on the irony that those who do not produce their own food or work the land still have all of the wealth.