Introduction
Mustafa had his mother as the only relative in his life. However he was a very bright student who took very little time to grasp whatever he was taught. He started going to school just after being established by the colonizers for the village youth. He was admired by his teachers but he never cared about that. He took only three years to exhaust academic resources available in the country. He later went to study abroad in Cairo to attend secondary education. He learned music and literature in Cairo but never enjoyed anything. He later moved to England and was appointed a lecturer in economics at a London University when he was only twenty four years of age. He was the first Sudanese student to study in Cairo and England. Mustafa was not only a very notorious student but also a hardworking student. While this young Sudanese was in Europe, he tried to inflict his retaliation on colonialism. He did this by making use of the enthrallment he possessed for a number of women whom he interacted with. After spending several years in England, he faced a dramatic debacle. He killed Jean Morris after discovering that she was unfaithful to him. He must have also been the person behind Ann Hammond’s suicide. He later returned to Sudan and chose to start a new life in a small village in Sudan at the bend of Nile River. He then resorted to tilling some piece of land which he had bought in order to bring up his family.
The author of the book, beer in the snooker club has a character that resembles those ones of his main character. The text is mainly concerned about the lives of a small group of Egyptian friends who belong to the international left wing of the time. Ram is a brilliant observer of the swirls and undercurrents of privileged society. Ram’s un-sanctimonious vision is a self critical. Ram is contented to live his life by idling away in drinking and gambling with his large financially generous group of friends. Ram is the only son to his youthful but widowed mother. Ram is well dressed, stylish but without employment. Ram wanted to return to London but didn’t have enough money and so decided to borrow from his aunt who ignores him. He wanted to return to London where he lived a happier life and felt more useful. Ram is highly intelligent and a man of conscience. Ram is funded by a friend Edna back to Britain to broaden their horizons. Ram became dejected while in Britain after his visa had elapsed. He went to work in a factory in Germany. Ram had another relationship with Didi and initiated a sexual relationship with her. Edna had been married to a Jewish.
Both of them were from the northern part of Africa
They both spent good part of their lives in Europe.
Both of them had multiple relationships with women while in Europe.
Both of them had an Arabic setting but an English translation had to be sought.
Ways in which the British/European Experience for Mustafa and Ram cemented their status as outcasts in their respective post colonial cultures of Sudan and Egypt.
Mustafa being a clever and a hardworking student, managed to secure for himself a chance to go and study in Europe. During his study in Europe, he encountered several challenges and his behavior changed completely. He had an enthrallment for a number of women that he seduced. He managed to seduce several women while in Britain. However, when he realized that one of the women he seduced was unfaithful to him, he decided to kill her. This is an act that is not common in the African setting. This makes one to be regarded as a complete outcast in the society and cannot be accepted in the society whatsoever.
Ram on the other hand spent a good part of his life in Europe. During his stay in Europe, he managed to do some casual jobs which paid well and he could sustain himself. When he returned to Egypt, there was no job readily available and he remained idle for quite some time. During this time, he wasted away his life drinking and depending on his companions to pay for his bills. This act is also not accepted in an African society where it is mandatory for a person to work in order to get all that he may need. Ram also seeks to return to Europe but does not have enough money. After being helped out by Edna to go back to Britain, he meets Didi a former friend and a journalist. He finds out that his cousin is making some advances towards Didi in an attempt to marry her but he cares not and goes ahead to seduce Didi so that he can marry her. This act is also not accepted in the African society as people are expected to maintain family respect and not involve a relative’s spouse into a relationship. This one also makes Ram to be seen as an outcast in the society.
Both characters in the book have a tendency of prioritizing women. They tend to give a lot of attention to the women. Mustafa involves Jean into a relationship and later kills her; Ram also on the other side involves Edna into a relationship and then later Didi. These acts are not accepted in the societies that the setting of the stories is done.
The two characters in the texts return back home without a job. They stay jobless and penniless. Ram decides to waste his time gambling while Mustafa decides to till some piece of land. The characters have a miserable life while back at home. No one seems to recognize that they were at some point in Europe and that they had some good source of income which could sustain them and make them independent.
Conclusion
The two texts have their main characters coming from two northern African countries. The two actors go to Europe for different reasons and they later return to their countries. They return with a completely different characters after being alienated. Their adopted characters and their past encounter while in Europe are not accepted in the society and makes them be regarded as complete outcasts in their societies.
References
Waguih, Ghali. The African Library: Beer in the Snooker Club New Amsterdam Books, 1964.
Tayeb, Salih. Season. Rodopi Publishers, 2004
