Characters and Characterization - Fathers of Nations

Karanja Kimani A.K.A Professor Kimani

Ngobile Melusi A.K.A. Comrade Melusi
Chineke Chiamaka A.K.A Pastor Chiamaka
Seif Tahir A.K.A. Engineer Tahir
Abiola Afolabi A.K.A. Dr Afolabi A.K.A ‘The Guide’
Fiona McKenzie
Newborn Walomu
Asiya Omondi
Tunisia nicknamed ‘Tuni’
Ian McKenzie
Elspeth McKenzie
Rahmah Mahmoud
President Simba Ibarosa
President Wasiwasi Wesiga
Thaddues Longway
CHARACTER AND CHARACTERISATION
Character of Dr. Abiola Afolabi
A forty-five-year-old professor at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.
Dr Afolabi studied at Harvard University in the USA. Dr Afolabi has also authored a book titled
Failure of States.
Also staying at The Seamount Hotel. Will act as an advisor to the heads of state during the
Gambian summit to be held at The Pinnacle Hotel.
He graduated from Harvard University in the United States, is currently teaching at the
University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and is the author of Failure of Nations, according to journalist
Fiona McKenzie.
He had earlier presented himself as the guide to the four men. His role in the summit was to be
an advisorto the head of state.
It is important to note that Dr. Afolabi is 'The Guide".
Proud/pompous
He expects total obedience from Professor Kimani despite never giving his name. He literally
demands,‘Obey, Professor Kimani, obey” (pg. 3).
He commands Pastor Chiamaka to obey him and not argue with him. Moreover, he demands and
warns the pastor never to talk back to the Guide ever again (pg.18).
When asked why he came to the summit, he proudly says he never came to the summit—he was
invited by the president. (Pg 9)
After a comprehensive introduction by Ms. McKenzie, Dr. Abiola averted his eyes to enjoy the
fame he had created. (Pg 6)
He dresses well and does not appear as typical professors do.

In pg.9 he emphasises the fact that he did not come to the summit but rather was invited by
presidents. Emphasis is placed on the word presidents.

Authoritative/Domineering
He gives orders to Prof. Kimani to the extent of expecting a protest from him. HC even demands
that Kimani obey him: "obey professor... obey" (Pg 3).

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He also gives the same orders and demands to be obeyed when he calls Pastor Chiamaka. Don't
argue, obey. (Pg 18)

Secretive
Afolabi is such a self-preserving person. When asked who he is, he just says he is a guide; he
never wants to reveal his identity (p. 4).
He even gets angry when Pastor Chiamaka insists on who he is (Pg. 17).
When he meets Pamela’s father (Pg. 67), he swears he would never disclose the scene to his wife
Pamela (Pg. 70).
Afolabi is very much aware of the fact that his family is organizing for him to have another wife
since his wife hasn't given birth. He never discloses it to his wife, Pamela. (Pg 80)

Sociable/Affable
Despite Ms. McKenzie’s ambush in Pg. 4, Dr Afolabi is friendly and talks easily with her good-
naturedly.

Persuasive
At his first meeting with Prof. Kimani, he successfully convinces him to join Path Alpha.
To convince him, he repeatedly refers to Prof. Kimani’s history—something he is proud
of. ..from your history again...

Hot tempered / temperamental / short tempered

Ms McKenzie says that his book was pessimistic and he goes off becoming rude and belittling
Ms McKenzie (pg. 8-9).
He called her a third-rate reporter(pg.9). He gets especially angry when Ms McKenzie abruptly
cuts him off as he is about to explain the similarities between his book is similar and Way
Omega (pg.10).
The author uses phrases such as, ‘.... suppressing hot anger’ and ‘... he almost shouted’ to express
how angry the doctor was at Ms McKenzie.
He snaps, ‘Later!’ at Professor Kimani when he asks the guide who he is (pg.3). When asked his
name by Pastor Chiamaka he gets suddenly angry and shouts at him (pg.17).
He gets furious at Ms. McKenzie (Pg. 9) when she informs him that her boss wants her in his
office in the middle of the interview; he gets annoyed to the point that, when asked if he is ok, he
almost shouts.
When Prof. Kimani answers his phone but takes too long to respond, the person who conceals his
identity and is referred to as the guide (later revealed to be Dr. Abiola) becomes very irritated
very quickly.(Pg 2)
Tired of so many questions from Pastor Chiamaka (Pg. 17), he shouts at the pastor, ordering him
to shut his mouth.

Wise/ Intelligent
He has two documents: Way Omega and Path Alpha.
He understands what each proposes. In the summit, he is given the role of ensuring that Way
Omega carries the day. but he sees Path Alpha as the only solution in Africa.
He devises a way of introducing Path Alpha into the summit—a rival ideology to Way Omega.

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He says, "While Way Omega gives you a bird in the bush... Path Alpha presses the same bird
into your hands" (Pg. 154).
He uses the proverb "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush."
When he calls Prof. Kimani, Kimani calls him a "cocky educated Nigerian" (Pg. 4) simply
because of the way he pronounces every stressed syllable and his impeccable grammar (Pg. 3).

Egoistic
He looks down upon Fiona McKenzie (Pg. 9). Ms McKenzie says that his book was pessimistic
and he goes off becoming rude and belittling Ms McKenzie (pg. 8-9).
He thinks that Fiona is just a journalist who doesn’t know much about books.
This is when Ms. McKenzie terms him a pessimist in his book, "Failure of Nations."
What do you know about books in any way? (Pg9) While bragging about his superiority and how
special he is, he also says that he never came to the meeting; instead, he was invited. Firm He
orders the man carrying McKenzie carelessly by her waist to put her down.
When the man asks him whether he is a man enough to repeat what he has said, he says, "Yes,
yes, I told you to put her down."

Rude
He hangs up the phone instead of answering Professor Kimani’s inquiry on his name (pg.4). He
snaps at
Pastor Chiamaka to shut his mouth as they are talking and arguing on the phone (pg.17).

Character of Pastor Chineke Chiamaka

He was a pastor of the Church Inside Africa in Lagos, Nigeria. Chiamaka aged 50 is a male
Nigerian clergyman. Pastor Chiamaka’s church is the Church Inside Africa (C.I.A) located in
Lagos. He is the third of the foursome to sign in and he gets a room on the sixth floor in the west
wing. He was barred from preaching after criticizing the government, claiming that it should take
action rather than just give advice.

Physical attributes
Big and flabby/fat.

Inquisitive/ Curious
He really wants to know who the secret guide is.
When told to shut up by the caller, he still insists. (Pg 17)

Courageous/Firm/Bold

He critiques the government boldly and without fear in front of his congregation. The
congregants never respond because of the consequences, but this never deters him from speaking
his mind. According to her, the government is supposed to take action, not advise itself. Pastor
Chiamaka was arrested and barred from preaching for the same reason.(Pgs. 14, 115)

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Persuasive
His sermons are persuasive. (Pg 110).
His sermon on Sunday was witty and persuasive. (Pg 114)

Short-tempered, emotional, or irritable

When the guide tells him that he has seen him at the bar Pastor Chiamaka gets annoyed.
He tells him candidly that he has begun getting on his nerves. (Pg. 19)
Do you know what, Mr. whoever you are? You are beginning to get on my nerves... When asked
what kind of business he had in the bar, he felt a lump of anger rise up in his throat (Pg. 19). This
shows that he is bitter about the question the guide asked.

Opportunistic
When the guide lowers his temper after the two have had an argument, Chiamaka uses the
opportunity to ask him on the record more about who he is. "…Look! "You and I are supposed to
be walking together, on the same mission," Pastor Chiamaka responds, "then why won’t you tell
me your real name?" (Pg. 1–8)

Keen /Observant
When asked to identify the items in the briefcase he has received at the Seamount Hotel’s west
wing, he correctly identifies them and is able to identify the phone he is using!

Character of Professor Karanja Kimani

Kimani is a Kenyan man of age 60 years. He is a Professor in the Institute of Development
Studies at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Professor Kimani is the first to sign into the Seamount hotel and is given a room on the fourth
floor in the East Wing.
He studied at the University of Oxford. Directly after his studies at Oxford, UON hired his as a
senior lecturer as they wanted him to work for them that badly.
He was instrumental in changing the University of Nairobi motto to ‘Relevance to the Society.’
He’s also the ex-husband of Asiya Omondi as well as the father of Tuni.

Physical Attributes
Old and is bald up to the crown of his head

Deductive
Professor Kimani is able to determine that ‘The Guide’ is an educated Nigerian man after noting
how he seemingly injects anger into every syllable and on account of the man’s impeccable
grammar (pg. 3-4). A conclusion which is ultimately proved to be correct.

Intelligent/Well-educated/learned
He is a professor.
He studied at the University of Oxford. He is a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi.
Went to the university of Oxford (pg.21). Was offered a job as a senior lecturer at the University
of Nairobi straight out of the University of Oxford (pg.21).

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Loving
He loved his wife, Asiya Omondi. When Asiya wants them to separate so that she gets married
to Newborn Walomu, Prof. Kimani never agrees to it.
He tries his best to convince Asiya, but it falls on deaf ears. He loves his daughter, Tuni.
He’s really traumatized when she passes on; even after the burial, he mourns Tuni earnestly.

Determined/Persistent
He pushed his agendas regardless of what others thought. Professor Kimani saw these agendas as
his‘wars.’ Only a month into his position as a senior lecturer at UON, he pushed for the
university to strive for relevance to the society rather than simply excellence of its work and six
months later he won as the university changed its motto to ‘‘Relevance to the Society’ (pg.21).
He pushed for UON to be an agent of change not a mere spectator of it regardless of others 9his
collegues) viewing this idea as too radical and simple-minded (pg.21).

Abusive
He abuses Newborn Walomu as a fat baboon—a greedy fat baboon.
This is when he goes to ask him why he stole his wife.

Pragmatic
A pragmatic individual is one who thinks of or deals with issues logically, in accordance with the
actual circumstances at hand, as opposed to according to predetermined theories, concepts, or
rules. He thinks practically, logically about issues of govenment and life.
For example, with his conversation with Tuni as they are eating ice-cream.
He logically relates the global economic recession to it bringing change to Africa in terms of
adoption of foreign development strategies (pg.22-23).

Short-tempered or hot tempered

Angry that Walomu stole his wife, he decides to go and attack him.

Idealistic
He is very idealistic.
An idealist is a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals,
etc. a visionary or impractical person.
A person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are.
Though professor Kimani has idealistic ideas and thoughts he nevertheless does not hide from
the reality of what is happening in the world around him.
He strives for change such as the changes he made as a university professor when he was still
young.

Pessimistic
An individual who is pessimistic tends to have a propensity for assuming the worst or viewing
situations negatively.
Through out the book Professor Kimani is very pessimistic about the state of governance in
Africa. Majory he cites the corruption perpetuated by politicians and that is pervasive in all areas
of society, impunity and poverty.

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Caustic
Caustic in this sense means harshly critical.
He is harshly critical of the government and anyone he doesnt like.

Character of Comrade Ngobile Melusi

Melusi is a 70-year-old Zimbabwe national who is apparently not-employed because he
registered at The Seamount Hotel under employment section as Not Applicable.
Comrade Melusi was the second to arrive at The Seamount and he was allocated a room on the
fifth floor on the south wing.
He’s a comrade and citizen of Zimbabwe. He’s also a politician and the husband of Ziliza, who
lost her life to tribal clashes.

Physical attributes
Old and has a bushy moustache

Curious
When he discovers that he is diabetic, he reads pamphlets about it with an interest similar to that
with which first-time car owners read manuals (Pg. 83).
He wants to know more about diabetes and how to manage it. This attitude pays off; he is now an
authority on diabetes. (Pg 83)

Firm
He insisted that he must get in with his needle, and indeed he succeeds.
He never succumbs to the officer’s demands, so, sir, I will let you in with your medicine after all;
please proceed. (Pg 85)

Keen
He observes that they were the only customers, yet it was 1:30 pm, noting that the economy had
crashed.

Loving
He loved his wife, Ziliza, dearly. When narrating how he lost her, he cries... Comrade Melusi
begins to glisten with the onset of tears. (Pg 90)
He's lying in bed, daydreaming about Ziliza.
He reaches out for his wallet, then pulls out her photograph... just to bring out the memories.
The caller tells Comrade Melusi to come urgently to a meeting in an hour, yet Comrade Melusi
returns to his wife’s photo.
This shows how Comrade Melusi loved his wife.

Character of Engineer Seif Tahir

He is cnginccr, a former employee of the ministry of defense in Libya.
Tahir is a 40 plus years old Libyan engineer formerly employed by the Tripoli’s Ministry of
defence.
Engineer Tahir is the last of the foursome to check into the hotel and is allocates a room on the
third floor of the North wing.
He joins the "Fist of Allah" right after returning from overseas. It was later dismantled.

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Chauvinistic
He feels humiliated when Rahmah Mahmoud says no to his advances. (pg 121)

Vengeful
He retaliates for his advances being rejected by Rahmah Mahmoud. He slaps her, claiming that
she shed her veil in public—a violation of the Libyan culture.

Regretful
He deeply regrets that Rahmah lost her ey.
He loses peace because of the court verdict, the "I Lammurabi verdict"—"an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth" (Pg. 122)—and the author claims he is more restless now than he has ever
been. (Pg 122)

Newborn Walomu: Character and Role

He has formerly been a junior colleague of Prof. Kimani at the University of Nairobi.
He is an MP—a rich MP with four cars. He "stole" Prof. Kimani‘s wife, Asiya.

Corrupt
When he leaves teaching, he swims in money and amasses a lot of wealth, which attracts
Kimani’s wife to him. (Pg 30)

Immoral/ Promiscuous
Walomu has three wives, and Asiya will be his fourth, yet he has many other women whom he
engages in sexual activity with—those he calls "killed but not eaten" (Pg. 36).
He goes on to say that a true bull dies with his grass in his mouth. (Pg 37)

Fiona McKenzie
Adopted parents are Ian and Elspeth McKenzie; Scottish missionaries who were in Banjul. Her
birth parents died when Fiona was less than a year old and that was when she was adopted. Ms.
McKenzie is 35 years of age and works for The Gambian News as a reporter though as she is in
the middle of an interview with Dr Afolabi she is abruptly called into the office and sent off on
loan to the Voice of America (VOA).

Commanding/Authoritative
When she first meets Dr Afolabi, she commands him to follow her and shows him where to sit
and expects her command to be obeyed (pg. 5).
Dr Afolabi follows her command despite not knowing who she is or why she wants him to
follow and sit with her.

Humorous
She jokingly tells Dr. Abiola to go take a photo because he is young for his forty-five years. "Go
have your picture taken right now, Dr. Afolabi, You won’t always look this good. "I am joking,
go." (Pg6)

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Appreciative/Courteous
She thanks Dr. Afolabi for agreeing to have an interview with her. "First and foremost, I want to
thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview."

Abusive
When her boss calls her, she tells Dr. Afolabi, "The silly boss wants me." (Pg 10)

Temperamental
McKenzie was spitting words with bile left in her mouth from an earlier exchange (Pg 134).
She could no longer hide her anger. (Pg 135)

Critical
She questions Dr Afolabi’s support of Way Omega demanding to know if his support of the
document is due to the contents within or the prestige of its authors (pg.8).
She points out that Dr Afolabi’s book is in stark contrast to Way Omega with regard to the future
of Africa.

Persistent
She continuously continues to affirm and question Dr Afolabi on the pessimistic nature of his
book despite the fact that Dr Afolabi opposes the view that his book is pessimistic about the
future of Africa (pg. 8-9).

Rude
In her initial meeting with Dr Afolabi, she incessantly asks him the same question and demands
an answer despite Dr Afolabi’s taking offence in her line of questioning (pg. 8-9).
Also, Dr Afolabi outrightly accuses her of being rude (pg.9)
Despite having accosted Dr Afolabi she leaves abruptly cutting him short which angers the good
doctor (pg.10).
She calls her boss ‘silly boss’ (pg.10).

Tunisia nicknamed ‘Tuni’

Daughter to Professor Kimani and his wife Asiya.

She was named Tuni as it was believed that Tunisia was her country of conception (pg.22).
Dies in a freak road accident.

Characterization
Intelligent
She understands her father well (pg.22-24).
For example, she is able to follow her father’s complex conversation about the state of jobs and
incomes
despite being very young.

Observant
She observes that her father is not enjoying his ice-cream despite him not saying a word about it
(pg.23).

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Stubborn
Inquisitive
Firm/ Determined/ Resolute
Bold

Asiya Omondi
Previously wife to Prof. Kimani and mother to Tuni, she divorced Prof. Kimani because of his
financial
status; she’s now wife to Newborn Walomu.

Materialistic
She chooses to marry Newborn Walomu at the age of sixty because he is wealthy and owns four
cars.
He leaves Prof. Kimani because he is poor, having only one car, which is again faulty. (Pg 33)
Even when Prof. Kimani says that money doesn’t guarantee happiness, she says, "Never having
had it,
how would you know that it doesn't?"

Rahmah Mahmoud

Temporary
When Seif Tahir slaps her, she becomes emotional and strikes Seifin in the left eye, slitting it
open. (Pg122)

Violent
She slits Seif’s eye after a slight provocation from Seife. President Didier Banguiora

Candid
After considering what the first two speakers had said, he decided to support Path Alpha.
He says candidly that there is no need to adopt Way Omega because it was once adopted.

President Simba Ibarosa

Firm

He has never spoken up to make friends or make amends; he is free to express his feelings and
opinions.

President Wasiwasi Wesiga

Schemer
He anticipated many coups and nipped them in the bud before they got off the ground.
At the summation, he reminds the chair of the "trick" when he realizes that the situation is
getting out of hand (Pg. 65). 12.

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Thaddues Longway
Informed
It is his first meeting with Dr. Afolabi, but he knows that he is the man serving as an adviser to
the heads of state at the summit (Pg. 73).
He is also aware of Way Omega and Path Alpha, and he tells Dr. Afolabi that Way Omega and
Path Alpha differ like day and night in that Way Omega is top-driven and lacks the will of
implementation.
Path Alpha is bottom-led, and it has will.

Persuasive
When Dr. Afolabi is adamant about being the guide for Path Alpha travelers, Tad Longway
informs him that there is no problem since he’s the advisor to the summit.
He tells him to look at what Way Omega is recommending for adoption and what Path Alpha is
proposing as an alternative. He tells him that he is open-minded. (Pg 74)

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