Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Renowned Kenyan Novelist, Dies at 87
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a Kenyan novelist best known for his books critiquing the hardships of post-colonial Africa, has died. He was 87.
He died on Wednesday and had been receiving kidney dialysis treatments, the Associated Press reported.
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Associated Press
7 hours ago
- Associated Press
Writer Bernardine Evaristo receives lifetime accolade for a career of breaking boundaries
LONDON (AP) — Bernardine Evaristo doesn't like boundaries. For the Booker Prize -winning novelist, rules about genre, grammar or what a working-class biracial woman can achieve are all to be challenged and swept away. Evaristo was announced Wednesday as recipient of the 100,000-pound ($135,000) Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award for her 'transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting under-represented voices.' Evaristo, 66, received the prize both for her work to help promote women and writers of color, and for writing that takes in poetry, a memoir and seven novels including the Booker-winning 'Girl, Woman, Other.' 'I just go wherever my imagination takes me,' she said. 'I didn't want to write the kind of novels that would take you on a predictable emotional or moral journey.' An eclectic output Evaristo had already explored autobiographical fiction, historical settings and alternate realities when she won the Booker in 2019 for 'Girl Woman, Other,' a polyphonic novel told from the point of view of a dozen characters, largely Black women, with widely varying ages, experiences and sexualities. She was the first woman of African heritage to be awarded the prize, which was founded in 1969 and has a reputation for transforming writers' careers. When she won, Evaristo was 60 and had been a writer for decades. She says the recognition 'came at the right time for me.' 'Maybe I wouldn't have handled it so well if I was younger,' she told The Associated Press at her London home. 'It changed my career –- in terms of book sales, foreign rights, translation, the way in which I was viewed as a writer. Various other opportunities came my way. And I felt that I had the foundations to handle that.' Evaristo's house on a quiet suburban street is bright and comfortable, with wooden floors, vibrant textiles and a large wooden writing desk by the front window. Large photos of her Nigerian paternal grandparents hang on one wall. Her work often draws on her roots as the London-born child of a Nigerian father and white British mother. Like much of Evaristo's work, 'Girl, Woman, Other' eludes classification. She calls it 'fusion fiction' for its melding of poetry and prose into a novel that relishes the texture and rhythm of language. 'I kind of dispense with the rules of grammar,' she said. 'I think I have 12 full stops in the novel.' If that sounds dauntingly experimental, readers didn't think so. 'Girl, Woman, Other' has sold more than 1 million copies and was chosen as one of Barack Obama's books of the year. Passion for poetry Evaristo traces her love of poetry to the church services of her Catholic childhood, where she soaked up the rhythms of the Bible and sermons, 'without realizing I was absorbing poetry.' When she started writing novels, the love of poetry remained, along with a desire to tell stories of the African diaspora. One of her first major successes, 'The Emperor's Babe,' is a verse novel set in Roman Britain. 'Most people think the Black history of Britain only began in the 20th century,' Evaristo said. 'I wanted to write about a Black presence in Roman Britain -– because there was a Black presence in Roman Britain 1,800 years ago.' Another novel, 'Blonde Roots,' is set in an alternative historical timeline in which Africans have enslaved Europeans, and was nominated for a major science-fiction award. 'Mr Loverman,' which centers on a closeted gay 70-something Antiguan Londoner, was an attempt to move beyond cliched images of Britain's postwar Caribbean immigrants. It was recently made into a BBC television series starring Lennie James and Sharon D. Clarke. Levelling the playing field Her latest award is a one-off accolade marking the 30th anniversary of the annual Women's Prizes for English-language fiction and nonfiction. Women's Prize founder Kate Mosse said Evaristo's 'dazzling skill and imagination, and her courage to take risks and offer readers a pathway into diverse and multifarious worlds over a 40-year career made her the ideal recipient.' Evaristo, who teaches creative writing at Brunel University of London, plans to use the prize money to help other women writers through an as-yet undisclosed project. She has long been involved with projects to level the playing field for under-represented writers, and is especially proud of Complete Works, a mentoring program for poets of color that she ran for a decade. 'I set that up because I initiated research into how many poets of color were getting published in Britain at that time, and it was under 1%' of the total, she said. A decade later, it was 10%. 'It really has helped shift the poetry landscape in the U.K.,' she said. Partial progress Evaristo followed 'Girl, Woman, Other' with 'Manifesto,' a memoir that recounts the stark racism of her 1960s London childhood, as well as her lifelong battle for creative expression and freedom. If Evaristo grew up as an outsider, these days she is ensconced in the arts establishment: professor, Booker winner, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, and president of the 200-year-old Royal Society of Literature. That milestone -– she's the first person of color and the second woman to head the RSL -– has not been trouble-free. The society has been ruffled by free speech tows and arguments over attempts to bring in younger writers and diversify its ranks -– moves seen by some as watering down the accolade of membership. Evaristo doesn't want to talk about the controversy, but notes that as figurehead president she does not run the society. She says Britain has come a long way since her childhood but 'we have to be vigilant.' 'The country I grew up in is not the country I'm in today,' she said. 'We've made a lot of progress, and I feel that we need to work hard to maintain it, especially in the current political climate where it feels as if the forces are against progress, and proudly so. 'Working towards an anti-racist society is something that we should value, and I hope we do, and that we don't backslide too much.'
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Fox News
Imane Khelif celebrates parents amid latest gender controversy
Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif celebrated Global Parents Day in an Instagram post amid the boxer's latest gender controversy. "Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago! When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big. When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me. "Being a parent isn't easy. There's no manual. But the love, patience, and trust you give your child can change everything. On this #GlobalDayOfParents, I just want to say thank you. "Thank you to every parent who chooses, every single day, to be there for their children. Together with @unicefalgerie, I'm celebrating these everyday heroes. Because when parents are supported, children can dream and succeed." Khelif's social media post came as a report from 3 Wire Sports, citing medical documents from chromosome tests given by the International Boxing Association (IBA) before the 2022 and 2023 world championships, reported that Khelif's DNA showed "markers with male karyotypes." The International Olympic Committee (IOC) derecognized the IBA amid concerns about the organization's governance, financial reliance on Russian state energy firm Gazprom and integrity of the bouts. "Chromosome analysis reveals Male karyotype. No numerical or chromosomal anomalies detected at 450-550 banding resolution," a screenshot of the document on 3 Wire Sports read. The test was at an accredited lab in New Delhi, called Dr. Lal PathLabs, before the boxing championships, according to 3 Wire Sports. Fox News Digital reached out to World Boxing, the Algerian Olympic Committee and reps for Khelif for comment. The IOC issued a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning. "The IOC has always made it clear that eligibility criteria are the responsibility of the respective International Federation," the IOC said. "The factors that matter to sports performance are unique to each sport, discipline, and/or event. We await the full details how sex testing will be implemented in a safe, fair and legally enforceable way." Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 championships before a gold medal bout over gender eligibility issues. The boxer was thrust into the global spotlight after qualifying for the Olympics, with the gender controversy coming to light. Khelif defeated Angela Carini in the initial fight during the Paris Olympics, and the IOC defended Khelif. "Everyone competing in the women's category is complying with the competition eligibility rules," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams. "They are women in their passports, and it's stated that this is the case, that they are female." Then, the IBA doubled down, saying Khelif – along with Taiwan's Lin Yu-thing – were disqualified from the world championships due to "a result of their failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women's competition, as set and laid out in the IBA Regulations. This decision, made after a meticulous review, was extremely important and necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition." The IBA added that Khelif underwent two tests: one in 2022 and the other in 2023. The IBA said Khelif appealed the decision to the Court for Arbitration of Sport but withdrew during the process, making the "IBA decision legally binding." As the controversy grew, Khelif kept on winning and eventually was awarded a gold medal. Throughout the controversy, Khelif has maintained that their gender is female. Khelif even filed a lawsuit against detractors and critics on social media. Before World Boxing made its decision, Khelif was planning on participating in the 2028 Olympics despite President Donald Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order was signed. Khelif told ITV that the policies do not apply to the boxer. "I will give you a straightforward answer: the U.S. president issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response," Khelif told the outlet. "For me, I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one." World Boxing said last week that Khelif must take a sex test before being able to compete in sanctioned fights. "Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, 5-10 June 2025 and any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing's rules and testing procedures," a letter sent by World Boxing to the Algerian Boxing Federation read. The letter also stated that World Boxing decided to adopt mandatory sex tests this month. "These new eligibility rules were developed with the express purpose of safeguarding athletes in combat sports, particularly given the physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing," the letter read. World Boxing added in a statement that the new policies are "designed solely to ensure the health and safety of all participants in World Boxing competitions (including Imane Khelif) and is not deemed to in any way pre-judge the outcome of any testing that will be introduced as part of the new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight.'" On Monday, World Boxing apologized to the Algerian Boxing Federation for singling Khelif out in the letter. "I am writing to you all personally to offer a formal and sincere apology for this and acknowledge that her privacy should have been protected," World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst reportedly said in a letter. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Washington Post
Tanzanian MP's church shut down after he accuses government of human rights abuses
NAIROBI, Kenya — Tanzania n authorities deregistered a church owned by a ruling party MP after he accused the government of human rights violations ahead of October elections. MP Josephat Gwajima's Glory of Christ church in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, was cordoned off by police Tuesday after hundreds of congregants turned up to protest the closure announcement.
