The First Grader Page #3

and start working.

Listen, my friend.

It doesn't have to be like this.

Renounce your oath

and you can go home.

Renounce the oath!

Again.

People, my people.

I'm hearing rumblings

that an old man

has actually gone back to school.

An old man going back to school!

Unbelievable.

Excellent work.

Come, Kamau.

Let's see what you have done.

Your one's very good.

Very good, very good.

Your fives again, Kamau.

Did we not go over this? Yes.

So why have you written them

the wrong way again?

Hm?

You have to write them again, Kamau.

- Sawa?

- Yes, Miss.

Maruge?

Excellent.

You are good with your numbers,

Maruge.

Excellent work.

Very good. I'm very happy with you.

Come, Francis.

Let's take a look at what you have done.

Oh, I like that.

Your work is always very neat.

You're a very clever boy.

OK. Excellent.

Because you have done so well,

you're going to get a star.

Ow! You're hurting me!

Ow!

Maruge!

You do not hit him!

Honestly, ladies tell me

Kikuyus have mad blood,

but their back story's another one.

Kikuyus work like stallions.

They're very...

Maruge, stop it! Maruge!

- Stop it!

- Hey!

Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here?

I couldn't believe my ears

when I got a phone call from the press

telling me about an old man

in one of my primary schools!

Who is he? Why is he

in school uniform?

His name is Maruge.

Mzee.

He wanted to come to school,

so I let him.

What do you mean?

This is a primary school.

Sir, the government said

everybody has the right to go to school.

Just because our politicians are stupid

doesn't mean we have to be as well!

He can't stay here.

Adults must go to the adult school.

Now, see to it that he leaves here now.

Sir, he fought the British.

- He was imprisoned in the camps.

- Oh, Mau Mau, huh?

Typical Kikuyu.

I should have known.

Excuse me?

I thought tribalism was over.

This has nothing to do with tribalism.

It's about doing

what's right for the school.

An old man like him does not belong

in a classroom full of children.

Now, we'll continue this conversation

in the office.

Maruge...

He's a bloody Kalenjin.

You too, Maruge?

You know, after independence,

we all became Kenyans.

The Kalenjins were loyalists!

So were my family loyal to the British!

So was everybody

if they wanted to stay alive!

And don't look at me like that.

The British never gave people a choice.

You were either for them

or you were against them,

and if you were against them,

they killed you.

I had children.

Two children!

I had a family!

The British killed them.

We chose.

The Kikuyus chose.

And we paid.

We paid!

Come to class. Come to class,

come to class, come to class.

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