Tajeer is presented as a subject of ridicule, thanks to his role in the play A HOLE INTHE SKY. As a dynamic character, the audience is left with ambivalent feelings after watching the play. His ill-health doesn't generate pity since to many members of the audience, it comes as a payback for his evil deeds meted out to the poor villagers. It is his change of character towards the end of the play which makes the audience sympathise with him.
By sending his men to evict Kibichi's family, Tajeer emerges as an inconsiderate character. He completely turns a deaf ear to the plea of the villagers as they request to be left alone in their ancestral land. Tajeer's greed blinds him to see the desperation that is likely to be experienced by the villagers if they are removed from their native land. For example, he erects a building directly on the stream thus blocking it completely. The villagers who reside downstream fail to obtain water as the stream is the only source of water in the vicinity. He also belittles glaring instances of environmental degradation and labels them as "accidents." His insatiable desire for wealth motivates him to trample upon the villager's freedoms and liberties. In his mind, profit generation reigns supreme and is ranked higher than the welfare of his fellow human beings.
Cutting corners is Tajeer's modus operandi. This kind of behaviour compels the audience to classifiy him as an unscrupulous business man. He demonstrates his dishonesty vividly when he indicates that he will send the National Environmental Management Agency "the things they want to hear." This shows that he is a cunning character who is bent on obtaining profits through hook or crook. During one of the business meetings with his partners, he suggests that they should use deceitful language in their correspondences with the government authorities so that they get the land for their jatropha plantation. Tajeer is an opportunist. He capitalises on the incompetence and corruption of the government officials.
Tajeer is a gormandiser. His gluttony accentuates his comic behaviour. He eats huge amounts of food and declares that food is "the only real joy in life". The dramatist portrays him as a caricature as he is shown consuming enormous amounts of food yet he deludes himself into thinking that he eats little food. To support himself, he says "breakfasting on the side of a goat, lunching on one leg of beef and dining on a single chicken surely is not overeating." Kikongwe politely excuses himself upon seeing a trolley loaded with various dishes being wheeled into the room thinking that the food is for everyone in the house. Hatibu explains that all the food is for Tajeer. His colossal body size reflects his gargantuan appetite and greed. Thus Tajeer's grotesque lifestyle adds to his caricatural attribute.
As a foil to his son Hatibu who is meek and calm, Tajeer is a belligerant and violent character. He employs violence as a mechanism for solving conflicts. When he is approached by Kijani and Kitavi, his ego is thoroughly injured. He feels that has been belittled severely during the conversation and he quickly looks for an object to hit Kibichi's children. This shows that he is insecure. He also displays his insecurity during a meeting with his partners when Hatibu indicates that they had had and encounter with the Kibichi family. Because he is a secretive person, Tajeer gets angry with Hatibu for revealing his conflict with the Kibichi family to the foreign investors.
By disrespecting the villagers, Tajeer comes across to the audience as a haughty and contemptuous character. He refers to the members of Kibichi's family as "bush rats" and "good-for- nothings." Although his aim is to embarrass Kibichi's family, Tajeer's disparaging register says more about his lack of manners than it diminishes Kibichi's family. He is seen as a character without the ability to control his temper, thus making him a social misfit.
Tajeer is stuck in the archaic oppressive social systems. He rejects the notion of rights based approach to development. He does not believe that humans and animals have rights hence it is easy for him to destroy the habitat of both humans and animals. It is mainly for this reason that the playwright presents him as a ridiculous character. Bukenya vents his abhorrence towards Tajeer. This indicates his condemnation of the human activities that destroy environment.
In a sudden twist of events, Tajeer changes dramatically after his "miraculous" healing. Kikongwe plays a pivotal role in Tajeer's life by treating him of his fatal tumours. His tumours are symbolic. They symbolise people who have similar thoughts as himself. Bukenya presents people who destroy environment as carcinogenic because they cause death, not only of animals but also of humans. Tajeer eventually becomes an ambassador of environment. He praises Kikongwe for his prudence and honours him publicly. This gives the play a sense of hope and optimism.
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