Michael Obi, who was appointed the head teacher of an unprogressive secondary at the age of twenty-six, had an ambition to transform Ndume School. Among the plans of Obi were to demand high standards of teaching, to ensure that the students pass, and show the society how a school should be run. “Dead Men's Path” is set in a community in which the members value their traditional culture, and are not ready to adopt the modern ways that Obi insists.
According the culture of the society, the footpath that linked the village to the shrine had a spiritual significance. The societal members believed that the path acted as a link between the unborn, the villagers, and the dead ancestors. According to Obi, who was an educated man, the dead people did not require footpaths (Githiora 56). After Obi discovered a woman using the footpath, he ordered the closure of the footpath. The footpath was fenced off using barbed wire. The fencing of the sacred footpath was one of the factors that promoted hatred between the societal members and Obi. Obi was concerned about the beauty of the path, and not the traditions of the people. “Dead Men's Path” has been set in a community who has their way of worship, through the ancestors. Obi’s case is different because he struggles to introduce Christianity after he was appointed the head teacher. The tension in the community led to the destruction of one of the buildings and the flower beds. The villagers wanted to appease the ancestors because they had been insulted by Obi’s fencing (Githiora 69).
“Dead Men's Path” explains the struggle between modernism and traditionalism. Michael Obi intends to implement changes that will make the traditional culture of the society pave way for the modern culture. However, the society members who are rooted to their culture resist the changes by Obi. The destructive aspect of the story is caused by the differences between Obi and the society as he tries to alienate the ways and traditions of the people.
Works Cited
Githiora, Chege J.. The ten shillings and other stories: an anthology of short stories from all over Africa. Nairobi: Macmillan Kenya, 2007. Print.
