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The Barber
Njoroge’s half-brother, and one of Njeri’s sons. Slightly older than Njoroge, Kamau is apprenticed to the village carpenter, Nganga, whom he dislikes because he thinks Nganga isn’t teaching him enough. Nonetheless, Kamau believes in the value of learning a craft, which he upholds will enable him to support Njoroge’s education. And although Njoroge himself constantly tries to convince Kamau to attend school, Kamau remains committed to the notion that becoming a craftsman will help his family in the long run. Indeed, this does come to pass, since it is Kamau who eventually pays for Njoroge’s education after Ngotho is fired from his job working for Mr. Howlands. Later, Kamau is captured and detained by the white settlers because they think he killed Jacobo, though Boro is the one who committed the murder. Despite the fact that Boro ends up confessing to the crime, though, the white settlers do not release Kamau.
Kamau Quotes in Weep Not, Child
The Weep Not, Child quotes below are all either spoken by Kamau or refer to Kamau. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
“Blackness is not all that makes a man,” Kamau said bitterly. “There are some people, be they black or white, who don’t want others to rise above them. They want to be the source of all knowledge and share it piecemeal to others less endowed. That is what’s wrong with all these carpenters and men who have a certain knowledge. It is the same with rich people. A rich man does not want others to get rich because he wants to be the only man with wealth.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Kamau Quotes in Weep Not, Child
The Weep Not, Child quotes below are all either spoken by Kamau or refer to Kamau. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
“Blackness is not all that makes a man,” Kamau said bitterly. “There are some people, be they black or white, who don’t want others to rise above them. They want to be the source of all knowledge and share it piecemeal to others less endowed. That is what’s wrong with all these carpenters and men who have a certain knowledge. It is the same with rich people. A rich man does not want others to get rich because he wants to be the only man with wealth.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
