Hatibu is a foil to Tajeer his father. He contrasts with his father in his approach to the way he relates with the members of the community. He represents the relatively most rational business tycoons. However, he is far from being perfect as he sometimes acts out of the influence of ulterior motives. Be that as it may, he plays a major role by augmenting the traits of the other characters in the text, especially the character of Tajeer.
When he visits Kibichi at his homestead, he devotes his time carefully explaining the purpose of their visit. This indicates that he believes in dialogue. His argument is valid in the sense that he is backed by the law that gives his family the right of ownership of the land. However, no matter how legally justified he is, the fact remains that he lacks consideration of the native villagers. He takes advantage of the corrupt, incompetent and unsympathetic government. Thus Hatibu can be regarded as insincere and an opportunist.
Hatibu comes across as a courteous character. He addresses Kibichi and his family members formerly and respectfully. By so doing, he exposes his father as an impolite and a disrespectful character as he addresses the villagers with derogatory language. It can be argued that his respectful register is a business tactic meant to create a positive image to the villagers.
Hatibu represents the educated elite of the society. He believes in modernity and is a game-changer when it comes to modern irrigation systems. He states that he wants to use modern technology to pipe water "from the depth of the earth." His lofty ambition to establish a jatropha plantation has the potential to degrade the environment as indigenous trees will have to be cleared to pave way for the plantations. Thus Bukenya also condemns Hatibu albeit in a benign way.
The acts of benevolence demonstrated by Hatibu are not genuine. The fact that he argues that Kibichi and his family should occupy a small portion of land within their farm, indicates that he does not regard Kibichi as his equal. The removal of the family from the centre is indicative that Hatibu wants the family to be at the periphery of the their enterprise. The relationship which he wants to establish with Kibichi's family is exploitative in nature. He wants to benefit from the labour of the members of the family while he harvests the profits that ensue from the business.
The theme of love is brought out clearly through Hatibu. He develops feelings for Kijani from the time he meets her for the first time. His feelings for Kijani makes him soften up in his stance against Kibichi's family. By keeping the family within the farm, Hatibu knows that he will have the opportunity to be close to Kijani. Looked from this angle, Hatibu can be regarded as an exploitative and selfish character.
Hatibu is an optimistic charatcer. When his father starts to lose hope that he is going to live, Hatibu consoles him by telling him that he is going to be well. His composure is a beacon of light in the life of Tajeer his father. He also plays a critical role in the treatment of Tajeer. He tells his father that he is "not going anywhere anytime soon" He also advises his father to "drop this gloomy and hopeless talk." While Tajeer belittles and mocks Kikongwe, Hatibu persuades his father to try the herbal treatment offered by the old man. His advice proves to be sound as Tajjer gets healed of his fatal tumours.
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