Having a Christian name and appearing as a black African bring her a hybridized identity: she can never eliminate her African identity though she tries to give herself a western identity. Beatrice also tries to hide her African identity "her dark skin, by applying a skin-lightening cream called Ambi. She believes that Ambi can help her to rub out her African identity as she thinks that her black skin represents black shame' and ugly sins'. To her, rubbing out the black skin means to get rib of all the shame, which is shared by all black Africans. However, Ambi does not transform her into a complete white westerner as she does not have enough money to apply Ambi on her whole body: she could only apply it to her face and her arms so that her legs and neck retained their blackness'. (Ngugi p.1447, line 26-27) Therefore, Beatrice becomes a semi-black and a semi-white person; having a hybridized identity. Ambi is also a metaphor of the political colonial rule of the British government. It changes Beatrice's skin from black to light while the British colonizer changes the African's minds to abandon their traditional values for her Western ideas.
As people in the society have a hybridized identity and are affected by the influx of western ideas, the rich people are wealthy to gain European-resembled girlfriends and sleep with the barmaids who carry western cosmetics and accessories. They always went for a girl with an Ambi-lightened skin and head covered with a wig made in imitation of European of Indian hair' (Ngugi, P. 1447, line 21-23) The rich men believe that going out with a girl who resembles European give them pride and status as they have the feeling of black-self hatred in their hearts. As a result, those who are not rich enough are confined to sleep with the black barmaids, e.g. Beatrice. Here, hybridized identity carries another political implication "class distinction.
