Ngugi wa Thiong’o legacy lives on as his powerful African storytelling and language advocacy continue to inspire generations beyond his passing
Regarded as one of Africa’s finest writers, Ngugi wa Thiong’o will always be remembered not only as a Nobel-worthy writer but also as a fierce proponent of literature written in native African languages.
Also read: Joop Berkhout: Death and a Writers’ Loss
Ngugi wa Thiong’o stood for the truth and was never afraid of losing his life. His books
Recall that Ngugi wa Thiong’o, who died on May 28, aged 87, was a titan of modern African literature, a storyteller who refused to be bound by jail and exile.
In academia and beyond, Ngugi became known as one of the foremost advocates of literature written in African languages.
Throughout his career—and to this day—African literature was dominated by books written in English or French, official languages in most countries on the continent.
During a writers’ conference at Makerere, Ngugi shared the manuscript for his debut novel with revered Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe.
Achebe forwarded the manuscript to his publisher in the UK, and the book, titled Weep Not, Child, was released to critical acclaim in 1964.
It was the first major English-language novel to be written by an East African.
Ngugi swiftly followed up with two more popular novels, A Grain of Wheat and The River Between.
In 1972, the UK’s Times newspaper said Ngugi, then aged 33, was “accepted as one of Africa’s outstanding contemporary writers.”
Then came 1977—a period that marked a huge change in Ngugi’s life and career.
For starters, this was the year he became Ngugi wa Thiong’o and shed his English first name, James. Ngugi made the change as he wanted a name free of colonial influence.
He also dropped English as the primary language for his literature and vowed to only write in his mother tongue, Kikuyu.
He published his last English-language novel, Petals of Blood, in 1977.
With such novels as “Devil on the Cross” and “Matigari,” Ngugi wa Thiong’o shed light on the failings of postcolonial Kenya at the cost of his home.
Also read: For Joop Berkout, A Solemn Appreciation
Ngugi’s most recent work, “The Perfect Nine,” published and written in Gikuyu, became the first work written in an Indigenous African language to be nominated for the International Booker Prize in 2021.
