Francis Davis Imbuga: the story of his life

Abstract

This research study focused on the life of Francis Davis Imbuga. Francis Imbuga is a renowned playwright, gifted actor and a seasoned director who has contributed immensely in the establishment and understanding of African drama, especially through his published plays and novels that have been read far and wide. His is a story of a journey by a young naïve, little known village boy coming from a humble background, but like a soldier progressing steadily as he endures the harsh realities of life in the rural, colonial and post-colonial Kenya, all the way to a destination of greatness and still maintaining the humility of the vivid past. Imbuga‟s unique style of telling the truth laughingly as reflected in most of his works of art, describes a man who has a way with words that leaves one laughing and crying at the same time. Imbuga will never fail to deliver when it comes to leaving a mark in a reader‟s life, so is his personality and character which are equally compelling. Unfortunately the literati community appears to have forgotten about him soon after his death, such that nothing has been organized in Imbuga‟s honour. Chapter one introduces the biographical subject and biography as a genre of Literature. It explains the genesis of biography and its place in literature. The chapter also contains the statement of the problem, objectives, hypotheses, justification, literature review, theoretical framework, methodology and scope and limitation. The chapters that follow narrate the life of Francis Imbuga. This narrative was created after a research carried out on the facts surrounding Imbuga‟s life, tracing the genesis and development of him as a theatre artist. The writing was guided by biographical theory and the theory of narratology. The purpose of writing the story is to monument a Kenyan who has played a significant role in contributing to the welfare of the society especially in African Drama and to display to the reader lifelong lessons.