Narrating (in)visibility in Thomas Letangule’s Trailblazer

Abstract

This study interrogates how Thomas Letangule narrates his story as a Kenyan public servant from a marginalized background. I analyze the autobiographical strategies that he employs in narrating the self, the Ilchamus community and Kenya as a country. Further, my study seeks to examine the autobiographical elements manifest in Letangule’s autobiography, Trailblazer. The study objectives are: to examine the elements of the autobiography as manifest in Letangule’s life narrative, to interrogate the autobiographical strategies and language choices the autobiographer employs to construct himself and his community and to analyze the personal, communal and national issues that Letangule discusses in his autobiography. The study is guided by the theory of autobiography and the theory of narratology. The study is divided into five chapters. Chapter One constitutes the background of the study. Chapter Two interrogates the nature and functions of the autobiography and sets the foundation for the study while Chapter Three offers a discussion on the elements of the autobiography as manifest in Trailblazer. Chapter Four analyses the strategies of narrating the self, the community and the nation employed by Letangule to narrate his story. Chapter Five provides the findings, conclusions and recommendations for further research on the field of Kenyan autobiographies. The study concludes that Letangule tells his story in the form of a battle narrative as a way of constructing his identity as a warrior and the defender of the rights of his Ilchamus community. The study adds to the body of knowledge on life writings in Kenya by interrogating the narrative strategies employed by the marginalized to narrate their stories. The study recommends further research on Kenyan autobiographies through a comparative study of the life narratives of individuals from marginalized backgrounds and from non-marginalized backgrounds. Further studies can also be undertaken by comparing the narrative strategies employed by men and women from marginalized backgrounds.