The battle of narratives: Why 2022 has basics of a thriller

“So I wish you first a sense of theatre; only those who love illusion/And know it will go far: Otherwise we spend our lives in a confusion/Of what we say and do with who we really are,” so wrote the great poet W. H. Auden.

Auden’s words aptly capture our present-day politicians, especially in their sense of theatre. Mr Raila Odinga’s sense of theatre was on display on December 10, 2021. The crowds, the splendour and dazzle of it all were on a gargantuan scale when the former prime minister drew a line in the sand. Sometimes outgunned but never outfought, Mr Odinga made his case for the presidency in what was dubbed as “Azimio la Umoja” or Declaration of Unity.

Outwardly, everything looked remarkable in the stadium; unfettered cool masking the hardscrabble effort and the cold-blooded political strategy required to reach the intended goal.

The other side, led by the Deputy President William Ruto, is no less theatrical. The battle is set. There will be a full-blown showdown when everyday courtesies and civilities will give way to daily street brawls around who is best fit to be president. There is going to be what the Germans call Materialschlacht, the battle of material, the battle of attrition, the weight of one side’s political firepower pitted against the other. It will go downhill from there.

If the upcoming Kenyan elections were a literary narrative, it would probably be a gripping thriller with spellbinding characters. And it’s going to be a battle of narratives: the bottom-up economic approach against the rural economic transformation blueprint or some other narrative. 

Good narrative

And it gets even better — some of the elements of a good narrative are conflict and contrast — the Kenya presidential election contest will have enough of that.

So far, the main protagonists seem to be Mr Odinga and Dr Ruto though others may join later. Mr Odinga and Dr Ruto are fiery, swashbuckling and not afraid to pick fights; they go for each other in ways their supporters must find irredeemably cool. Whenever they clash, it’s like an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. None concedes an inch of ground.

That’s what makes the upcoming elections a thriller “characterised and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation, anxiety and tension”.

The tension is what will make the showdown between Mr Odinga and Dr Ruto transfixing. They will be trading barbs from opposite sides. It will be an eye for an eye; every broadside will be answered with a sterner broadside. As a critic wrote, in a thriller (in our case Kenyan politics), “Tension is something that happens between two or more characters when they are at cross-purposes — that is, when they want the same thing, or things which are mutually exclusive. Tension first arises when one or both characters realises the other’s intentions (and that they pose a threat to their own goals). Then that tension ramps up when either character makes a bid to achieve their goal”. 

In this case, Mr Odinga knows that for him to win, Dr Ruto has to lose and vice versa. Their supporters know this very well and if the contest were a thriller, this sense of “dread” is what makes for a good story — one of the elements of a thriller.

Good thriller

Another element of a good thriller is an action-packed opening chapter that sets the pace for the rest of the book. Dr Ruto has been at it; leading an insurgent campaign to topple what he considers the status quo that is ranged against the interests of the ordinary citizens he calls hustlers.

Mr Odinga has also been campaigning to deconstruct Dr Ruto’s hustler narrative but it was on December 10 during the Azimio la Umoja when Mr Odinga officially got into the ring. This is going to be a tense and compelling ride; the protagonists have already laid bare what they want and what is at stake. They have shaped this narrative in a way that warns of dire consequences should the other side win.

Another characteristic of a thriller is a likeable protagonist. It is said that the reader should warm up to the main character easily and should identify with him or her. Readers of thrillers must feel a connection or sympathy with the hero or heroine or they will not care what happens to the protagonist or antagonist. In the upcoming elections, there will most likely be two main dueling characters who will be competing for the hearts and minds of Kenyans — these two will probably have millions of supporters. 

In thrillers, each chapter should end with a cliffhanger to leave the reader wanting more. This could be some stunning information or unforeseen twist that makes the reader want to continue reading the book. As in all elections, the 2022 general election will have its share of shocking revelations and confessions, and this will leave the electorate transfixed. Kenyans should buckle up their seatbelts; it’s going to be a thrilling rollercoaster ride. However, we should let the eagle perch and the hawk to perch as we celebrate our diversity.

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