A Wreath for Udomo documents an African revolutionary’s journey to liberation for his country. Abrahams tells the story of the fictional country of Panafrica, which is under the colonial rule of the British. The development and interactions of the characters revolve around the revolutionary activity in Panafrica and the push by native Panafricans to liberate their country from the British empire.

Michael Udomo

Michael Udomo is the protagonist and main character of the story. We see the struggle of Panafrica echoed in Michael’s life and work. As a young student, Michael does not believe the ideas propagated by the British authorities. He rejects their rhetoric and the idea that he should fall in line and accept his place under them. Instead, he travels to Britain to study and create the seeds for a movement to liberate his country.

During his time in Britain, Michael comes close to abandoning his plans for revolution when he is enticed by a woman who want him to live with her in France. Ultimately, he chooses to go back to Panafrica and fight for the freedom of his people. This choice is essential to understanding him as a character, as it illustrates the immense personal costs of his work as a revolutionary. He is willing to forego the comforts of a normal life to bring freedom to his compatriots, but he ultimately pays dearly for in service of this goal.

After working to improve his nation as its leader, Michael is assassinated by others within the revolution; thus, he achieves success, but it comes at the cost of his life. As a character, he represents the human cost and ultimate value of revolution. Udomo perhaps also represents Abraham's own views on successful revolution: Udomo understands the resources of the British are essential to establishing Panafrican independence, and thus he works in cooperation with them as prime minister. He takes a moderate course to work towards freedom and insists that European ideals and systems work better than African ones and will provide Panafrica with more power in the end.

Davis Mhendi

Mhendi is a revolutionary who has been exiled to England after a failed revolution in Pluralia, his home country. Mhendi acts as a foil to Udomo—and their differing approaches to revolution are sharply contrasted.

Mhendi pushes for Pluralia to be entirely liberated by any means necessary. The disruption of life in Pluralia is of no concern to Mhendi if it means that the country can be free from colonial rule. Eventually, Mhendi is killed at the behest of Udomo, who is seeking the cooperation of the British as prime minister of Panafrica. Mhendi represents the inflexibility of some African revolutionaries. Through his character, Abrahams seems to suggest that the goal of total liberation and separation in unrealistic and undesirable. His death also serves to show how Udomo has personally changed as prime minister and the depths he will sink to in order to cooperate with the colonial government.