- King Kutula XV
- Governor Thorne
- Menninger
- Attendant II
- Sangoi
- Judah Melo
- Bengo
- Lacuna
- Chipande
- Melissa
- Goldstein
- The Imperialists
- Lulu
- Commander Meshack
- Malipoa
- Robert
King Kutula XV
Firm and Assertive
- He tells Thorne that he is silent about the uprising and that "your people will continue to die." (Pg. 13). He will not bow to imperialism
Wise
- He quotes many proverbs and narratives appropriately to pass important messages
Calm and Collected
- He responds with admirable calmness to Governor Thorne's outbursts of anger
Confident
- He is unafraid of the white man's threats. "Do you know I can clap you in for life?" He responds, ' ...elders don't bandy insults. "(p. 8)
Governor Thorne
Abusive
- He insults the attendant as a 'dithering idiot' implies that he is imprudent, refers to the colonial officer oversees as 'The fool'.
Short-tempered
- He handles the attendant roughly and is impatient with him, “don’t gecko-gawk at me!" He addresses King Kutula with insults thus "Damn all, King Kutula". (page 8).
Oppressive, Authoritarian and Selfish
- He feels disadvantaged after the whip is abolished because he uses it for his own convenience.
Dishonest
- Pretends to support Sangoi's education yet he wants to use it against the natives and benefit from dividing them as advised by Bishop Menninger.
Menninger
Sanctimonious
- Despite being a man of the cloth, he propagates oppression, imperialism, deceit and opportunism to the imperial majestythrough his advice and counsel. He completely disregards the virtuous and good news message that his religion preaches.
- He sees natives as rabbles without understanding and civilization.
- He intends to misguide Sangoi so that the Western education makes her a "...goddess of confusion and use her to manipulate the natives..." (p. 15).
Attendant II
Loyal
- He is extremely loyal to the king
Patient and Forebearing
- He is able to work under Thorne
Sangoi
Ambitious, Obedient, Trusting and Loyal
- She obeys and trusts her father with whom she spends a lot of time with.
Critical and Observant
- Melissa and her are keen to notice the lop-sided crown on Lacuna's head. They imply that he is not fit for leadership.
Level Headed
- She advocates peaceful protests and speaks against bloodshed.
Committed and Sincere
- She is willing to protest against her brother's leadership which she does not relate to. She is fighting for justice.
Authoritative
- She demonstrates this when Goldstein, Robert, Lacuna, Chipande and Malipoa take her orders. The white men are deported and the other three are locked up
Judah Melo
Virtuous and a Man of Integrity
- He refuses to kill his brother, Bengo even though 'the gestures won 't be in vain' (pg.23)
- Thus Lacuna promises to reward him if he kills the brother but Zen refuses to obey. He is a schemer for the sake of survival. He doesn't call his family after his self-exile but instead invests in bribing Mithambo with drinks to hire him as a machine operator and he gets it, gets a double pay and can afford to provide for his family.
Escapist
- He, "deliberately shuts his inner ear from hearing"(pg.33) the wife's pain. He fails to call or write to tell his family about his where about. He doesn't want to kill what is left in their sinking hearts.
Bengo
Patriotic
- He fights the government's dictatorial rule that oppresses the citizens. He is jailed for years and now that he is back, he vows to "take up the fight where I left off." (pg.22). He is
optimistic in that after being jailed for years, he returns ready to continue the fight hoping to liberate the people.
Realistic
- Because he admits to having brought trouble to his familyalbeit with the right motives. He gives Tamina some money.
Brave
- He is brave enough to oppose a Lacuna government and is almost killed for the same.
Supportive
- He rallies his support behind Sangoi, "the people's would-be-saviour," "we are all united, a woman shall lead us"(pg. 103)
Sober and Effective Leader
- He is able to calm down the elders when they begin expressing their differences.
Mature
- Bengo demonstrates maturity in leadership by restraining the crowd from any form of violence.Tamima
Resilient
- She sticks to her family and fends for her children despite the disappearance of her husband and loss of property. She works from before cock-crow to late evening. She fetches water 15 kilometers away.
Assertive
- She outrightly tells Bengo off for his role in scattering her family. She criticizes King Kutula's commemoration ceremony and the "invitation of her daughter to the ceremony that she terms as a “pagan festival." (pg.42)
Lacuna
Dictatorial
- He rules by an iron fist. He demands that Judah kills his brother Bengo, "rub my paining side with the red balm of loyalty" (pg. 23). He is murderous. He orders the killing of Bengo twice and fortunately for the latter, he cheats death.
Poor manager and foolish
- He inaugurates the dam leading to the drying of streams and brooks.
- He can neither account for the expenditure of the loan, which he embezzled with his cronies, nor the projects at hand
Stickler for Tradition and Superstition
- He performs the ritual as required by custom. He readily agrees to the advice and guidance that he is given by Malipoa, his traditional advisor.
Greedy and Selfish
- Together with his leaders, they grab every available chance to steal from the state. Lacuna and his cronies embezzle billions of shillings advanced as loans leaving white elephant projects and industries that have suffered dire mismanagement.
- Lacuna uses part of the loans to buy himself an aircraft and he abdicates the management of the money to his cronies who share itravenously.
- He demands for certain percentages for personal use from every loan advanced.
- Goldstein describes these cronies as " ... a greedy bunch of incompetents who can't see a dime without getting libidinous convulsions down their midriff?" (pg 76)
- He kills his father to inherit his position
- He wants to recover his swept accounts by imposing himself and stealing from the poor citizens.
- He declares martial law and makes drastic and erratic orders targeted at the people and meant to frustrate them. He detains Lulu for one more week to marry her and get the mandate of leadership from her
Nepotistic and Irresponsible
- He keeps no record of the borrowed monies spent on projects.
- He has employed political friends and clansmen with whom he has squandered money that is borrowed and has run down many a project.
- The machines are rotten, farming has failed yet he has stashed huge amounts of money in his foreign accounts and bought a personal aircraft with the loan, to stay above the people
Incompetent
- He can hardly account for a loan borrowed by the state. All projects to be funded by the loan are stalled and yet Lacuna has no sufficient information of the progress.
Disprespectful
- Lacuna is disrespectful of his wife, Melissa. He describes her with insolence in his attempt to lure Lulu and when Lulu turns down his proposal claiming that she respects Melissa, he says, "A demon! A tongue of living lightning, oversized matchstick of angry dynamite ...old war club, cobraheaded hand grenade..."(p. 94).
Seductive
- He attempts to seduce 19 year-old Lulu who is attracted to him and is unwilling to relate with him. "No! ... I will never" (pg93). "I'm your daughter many times over," (pg. 93). He tells her, "I look at your beauty and nobility...making me ...a beggar, a worshipper at the door of your heart."
Irrational and Impulsive
- He asks for the commander's uniform to assume total control under strict martial law. He declares a curfew and issues 'shoot on sight' orders for law breakers. His move is received with great resistance, opposition and rebellion by the people.
Carnal
- He orders Malipoa to bring Lulu along as he is set to marry her without her consent. She tells Lacuna, "...keep me here against my will ...you killed my father ...I will never be your wife (p. 121 ). His sole motivation of getting intimate with her is in order to get the mandate of leadership.
Dishonest and an Escapist
- He blames his tyranny on Malipoa and Chipande. He denies that his time is up and insists, "The people love me, I'm popular," (pg.131 )
Chipande
Greedy
- Evident through his request to Lacuna to give him the sole mandate to plant coffee. He also buys land from people at very low prices
Selfish
- He misadvises the government for his selfish gains.
Melissa
Critical and Observant
- Sangoi and her are keen to notice the lop-sided crown on Lacuna's head. They imply that he is not fit for leadership.
Goldstein
Opportunistic and Selfish
- He is only concerned about the profit he will make from doing business with Lacuna.
- He doesn't care whether the loan he advances Kutula will benefit the people or not
Manipulative and Deceptive
- He manipulates and deceives Lacuna to kill his father. Goldstein's plan is to have a compromising leader like Lacuna whom he can manipulate and control at will.
Merciless and Ruthless
- Him and Robert clear Lacuna's accounts in an effort to effect their consequences for unmet foreign conditions.
Investigative
- Him and Robert seem to have first-hand information about everything going on in Kutula. They know that Judah Melo is killed in an arranged murder in the factory. When Lacuna claims that his attempt to fulfill one of the conditions given produced disastrous results, to mean that Judah is killed by accident, Robert responds saying, "It was murder for poor Judah. " (pg. 108)
The Imperialists
Selfish and Opportunists
- They only care about making profits in the business deal between Kutula and the Empire. The business 'has no human face. ' Impossible conditions detrimental to the welfare of the people are laid down if the loan Kutula needs is to be advanced profits they stand to make.
Lulu
Steadfast/Assertive
- She is not ready to get into a relationship with Lacuna, a leader, who is as old as her father. "No! ... I will never" (pg93). "I'm your daughter many times over,"(pg93)
- All she wants is to go home to her parents despite Lacuna's attempt to treat her warmly and praise her beauty, and entice her with his throne and power. "I saw you...my eyes have
been all dazzle'(pg.93). "...making me young again but a beggar, a worshipper at the door of your heart."
Respectful
- She turns down Lacuna's proposal claiming that she respects him and his wife Melissa.
Bold and Candid
- She confronts Lacuna for killing her father, and for being undependable, selfish and an oppressive leader with a perfected art of keeping citizens in poverty. She vows never to marry him.
Commander Meshack
Dutiful and Repsonsive
- He reports promptly to Lacuna about the progress of the pursuit of the insurgents which he says was without casualties as it was a peaceful protest.
Obedient
- He is obedient as he follows Lacuna's orders to carry on the evacuation and to dismiss any sympathizers of the protesters. He is ordered to replace them with other people regardless of their education and obeys.
Malipoa
Realistic and Cautious
- He constantly warns Lacuna against overzealousness. "...do all these things...let all be done in wisdom if you are to stay secure." (pg. 92).
Robert
Merciless and Ruthless
- Him Goldstein clear Lacuna's accounts in an effort to effect their consequences for unmet foreign conditions.
Investigative
- Him and Goldstein seem to have first-hand information about everything going on in Kutula. They know that Judah Melo is killed in an arranged murder in the factory. When Lacuna claims that his attempt to fulfill one of the conditions given produced disastrous results, to mean that Judah is killed by accident, Robert responds saying, "It was murder for poor Judah. " (pg. 108)
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