Latest news with #AmnestyInternational
eNCA
40 minutes ago
- General
- eNCA
Kenya's Ngugi wa Thiong'o, champion of African expression
NAIROBI - During his imprisonment, Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o decided he would never write in English again, a defiant move that helped put literature in African languages firmly on the map. Ngugi died at the age of 87 on Wednesday, his daughter announced on Facebook. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong'o this Wednesday morning," wrote Wanjiku Wa Ngugi. "He lived a full life, fought a good fight." Widely regarded as east Africa's most influential writer, Ngugi sought to forge a body of literature reflecting the land and people from which he came, and not follow in the footsteps of Western tradition. "I believe so much in equality of languages. I am completely horrified by the hierarchy of languages," he told AFP in an interview in 2022 from California, where he lived in self-imposed exile. His decision in the 1970s to abandon English in favour of his native Kikuyu, as well as Kenya's national language Swahili, was met with widespread incomprehension at first. "We all thought he was mad... and brave at the same time," said Kenyan writer David Maillu. "We asked ourselves who would buy the books." Yet the bold choice built his reputation and turned him into an African literary landmark. The softly-spoken writer also lived a life as dramatic as his novels. His criticism of post-colonial Kenya -- describing the violence of the political class and the newly rich as "the death of hopes, the death of dreams and the death of beauty" -- brought him into frequent conflict with the authorities. - 'Decolonising the mind' - Born James Ngugi into a large peasant family in Kenya's central Limuru region on January 5, 1938, he spent the first 25 years of his life in what was then a British settler colony. His early works were heavily influenced by his country's battle against colonial rule and the brutal Mau Mau war of 1952-1960. In his first collection of essays, "Homecoming", he described himself as a "stranger in his home country". But his anger would later extend to the inequalities of post-colonial Kenyan society, incurring the wrath of the government. In 1977, Ngugi and fellow writer Ngugi wa Mirii were jailed without charge after the staging of their play "Ngaahika Ndeenda" ("I Will Marry When I Want"). It was then that he decided to write his first novel in Kikuyu, "Devil on the Cross", which was published in 1980. AFP | Tony KARUMBA He had already abandoned his "English" name to become Ngugi wa Thiong'o. "I wrote it on the only paper available to me, which was toilet paper," he told US radio broadcaster NPR. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience, before a global campaign secured his release from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in December 1978. As early as 1965, Ngugi's novel "The River Between" embarked on a critical examination of the role of Christianity in an African setting. "If the white man's religion made you abandon a custom and then did not give you something else of equal value, you became lost," he wrote. He went into self-imposed exile in 1982 after a ban on theatre groups in Kenya, moving first to Britain then to the United States. In 1986, he published one of his best-known works, "Decolonising the Mind", a collection of essays about the role of language in forging national culture, history and identity. - 'A Kenyan Tolstoy' - When Ngugi returned home on a visit in 2004, he was mobbed by supporters at Nairobi's airport. "I have come back with an open mind, an open heart and open arms," he declared. Days later, he and his wife were attacked by armed men: she was raped and he was beaten up. It was not clear whether robbery was the sole motive or whether the assault was politically motivated. Margaretta wa Gacheru, a sociologist and former student of Ngugi, described him as a national icon. "To me he's like a Kenyan Tolstoy, in the sense of being a storyteller, in the sense of his love of the language and panoramic view of society, his description of the landscape of social relations, of class and class struggles," she said. In addition to fiction, the father-of-three, who became a professor of comparative literature at the University of California Irvine, also published essays and three memoirs. His most recent book was the genre-defying novel-in-verse "The Perfect Nine", which he translated into English in 2020. It recounted the founding of the Kikuyu people, blending folklore and allegory. From widening economic inequality to the lingering trauma of racism, the issues raised in the play still persist in Kenya and beyond, a fact not lost on its creator. "I am an activist, I want to see change," Ngugi told AFP. "I hope we can continue striving for that world. We cannot give up."
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Paris fountain flows red to slam Gaza bloodbath
PARIS: Pro-Palestinian activists hold a Palestinian flag and placards reading 'Gaza: Emmanuel Macron must act', 'Gaza: Ceasefire' and 'Gaza: Stop the bloodshed' after pouring red paint into the Fontaine des Innocents during a demonstration on May 28, 2025. - AFP PARIS: French activists dyed a Paris fountain red Wednesday to symbolize what they called the 'bloodbath' of Palestinians in Gaza. Activists from Oxfam and Amnesty International poured dye into the Fontaine des Innocents in the heart of the French capital, while others held placards saying 'Cease fire' and 'Gaza: stop the bloodbath'. 'This operation aims to denounce France's slow response to an absolute humanitarian emergency facing the people of Gaza today,' the activists, which included the French branch of Greenpeace, said in a joint statement. 'France cannot limit itself to mere verbal condemnations,' said former minister Cecile Duflot, executive director of Oxfam France. Clemence Lagouardat, who helped coordinate Oxfam's humanitarian response in Gaza, denounced the Zionist blockade of the besieged territory. 'The people in Gaza need everything, it's a matter of survival,' she told AFP. The Zionist offensive has killed at least 53,977 people in Gaza, mostly civilians. Continued of Page 6 Israel has now stepped up a renewed campaign to destroy Hamas, drawing international condemnation as aid trickles in following a blockade since early March that has sparked severe food and medical shortages. 'There is a genocide going on and political inaction is becoming a kind of complicity in this genocide,' said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France. 'We call on (President) Emmanuel Macron to act with courage, clarity and determination to put an end to this bloodshed.' The activists urged states 'with influence over (the Zionist entity)' to press for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, an arms embargo on the Zionist entity, the revision of a cooperation agreement between the EU and the Zionist entity and other measures. Macron has accused Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of 'unacceptable' and 'shameful' behavior in blocking aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. – AFP
France 24
an hour ago
- Politics
- France 24
Amnesty: over 10,000 killed in two years of violence in north and central Nigeria
The number of people killed in violence committed by jihadist groups and criminal gangs topped over 10,000 in two years in central and northern Nigeria, Amnesty International said Thursday. In a report, the global rights group blamed the government of President Bola Tinubu for failure to protect people in swaths of the country hit by raids by jihadists, and criminal gangs known as "bandits" who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents. Massacres also occur in central Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt where herders and farmers often clash over land access, with the attacks often taking on a religious or ethnic dimension. Amnesty's investigation showed that "in the two years since the current government has been in power, at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen". Benue state, which lies in the central region, suffered the heaviest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau state, where 2,630 people were killed, Amnesty said in a report released to coincide with Tinubu's first two years in office. Of the seven states Amnesty investigated, Borno -- the epicentre of jihadist violence which has raged in northeast Nigeria since 2009 -- was not included. When Tinubu came to power two years ago, he vowed that dealing with insecurity was one of the main challenges for his government. "Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country," said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Northern states that jihadists and other criminal groups have targeted for several years have seen an upsurge in attacks in recent months. Sanusi said the " recent escalation of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups shows that the security measures implemented by President Tinubu's government are simply not working". Amnesty estimates that the attacks in Benue and Plateau states have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Tinubu two weeks ago said his "administration is committed to addressing insecurity". "The security forces have fresh marching orders to deal decisively with all criminal activities," he was quoted as saying in a statement from his office during talks with Christian clergy. His government is also facing simmering separatist tensions in the southeast.
France 24
7 hours ago
- General
- France 24
Kenya's Ngugi wa Thiong'o, champion of African expression
Ngugi died at the age of 87 on Wednesday, his daughter announced on Facebook. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong'o this Wednesday morning," wrote Wanjiku Wa Ngugi. "He lived a full life, fought a good fight." Widely regarded as east Africa's most influential writer, Ngugi sought to forge a body of literature reflecting the land and people from which he came, and not follow in the footsteps of Western tradition. "I believe so much in equality of languages. I am completely horrified by the hierarchy of languages," he told AFP in an interview in 2022 from California, where he lived in self-imposed exile. His decision in the 1970s to abandon English in favour of his native Kikuyu, as well as Kenya's national language Swahili, was met with widespread incomprehension at first. "We all thought he was mad... and brave at the same time," said Kenyan writer David Maillu. "We asked ourselves who would buy the books." Yet the bold choice built his reputation and turned him into an African literary landmark. The softly-spoken writer also lived a life as dramatic as his novels. His criticism of post-colonial Kenya -- describing the violence of the political class and the newly rich as "the death of hopes, the death of dreams and the death of beauty" -- brought him into frequent conflict with the authorities. 'Decolonising the mind' Born James Ngugi into a large peasant family in Kenya's central Limuru region on January 5, 1938, he spent the first 25 years of his life in what was then a British settler colony. His early works were heavily influenced by his country's battle against colonial rule and the brutal Mau Mau war of 1952-1960. In his first collection of essays, "Homecoming", he described himself as a "stranger in his home country". But his anger would later extend to the inequalities of post-colonial Kenyan society, incurring the wrath of the government. In 1977, Ngugi and fellow writer Ngugi wa Mirii were jailed without charge after the staging of their play "Ngaahika Ndeenda" ("I Will Marry When I Want"). It was then that he decided to write his first novel in Kikuyu, "Devil on the Cross", which was published in 1980. He had already abandoned his "English" name to become Ngugi wa Thiong'o. "I wrote it on the only paper available to me, which was toilet paper," he told US radio broadcaster NPR. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience, before a global campaign secured his release from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in December 1978. As early as 1965, Ngugi's novel "The River Between" embarked on a critical examination of the role of Christianity in an African setting. "If the white man's religion made you abandon a custom and then did not give you something else of equal value, you became lost," he wrote. He went into self-imposed exile in 1982 after a ban on theatre groups in Kenya, moving first to Britain then to the United States. In 1986, he published one of his best-known works, "Decolonising the Mind", a collection of essays about the role of language in forging national culture, history and identity. 'A Kenyan Tolstoy' When Ngugi returned home on a visit in 2004, he was mobbed by supporters at Nairobi's airport. "I have come back with an open mind, an open heart and open arms," he declared. Days later, he and his wife were attacked by armed men: she was raped and he was beaten up. It was not clear whether robbery was the sole motive or whether the assault was politically motivated. Margaretta wa Gacheru, a sociologist and former student of Ngugi, described him as a national icon. "To me he's like a Kenyan Tolstoy, in the sense of being a storyteller, in the sense of his love of the language and panoramic view of society, his description of the landscape of social relations, of class and class struggles," she said. In addition to fiction, the father-of-three, who became a professor of comparative literature at the University of California Irvine, also published essays and three memoirs. His most recent book was the genre-defying novel-in-verse "The Perfect Nine", which he translated into English in 2020. It recounted the founding of the Kikuyu people, blending folklore and allegory. From widening economic inequality to the lingering trauma of racism, the issues raised in the play still persist in Kenya and beyond, a fact not lost on its creator. "I am an activist, I want to see change," Ngugi told AFP. © 2025 AFP
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o has died: daughter
Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o, considered one of east Africa's greatest literary figures, died on Wednesday (May 28, 2025), his daughter announced on Facebook. He was 87. 'It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong'o this Wednesday (May 28, 2025) morning,' wrote Wanjiku Wa Ngugi. Also read: Decolonising the mind 'He lived a full life, fought a good fight,' she added. Messages of support and respect quickly poured in for the celebrated author, whose decision to stop writing in English and start using only his native Kikuyu made him a powerful symbol of post-colonial African identity. 'My condolences to the family and friends professor Ngugi wa Thiongo, a renowned literary giant and scholar, a son of the soil and great patriot whose footprints are indelible,' wrote Martha Karua, an opposition leader in Kenya, on X. In 1977, Ngugi was jailed without charge after the staging of their play 'Ngaahika Ndeenda' ('I Will Marry When I Want'), which was considered a harsh critique of post-colonial Kenyan society. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience, before a global campaign secured his release from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in December 1978. 'Thank you Mwalimu (teacher) for your freedom writing,' wrote Amnesty International's Kenya branch on X on Wednesday (May 28, 2025). 'Having already earned his place in Kenyan history, he transitions from mortality to immortality,' it said. Ngugi went into self-imposed exile in 1982 after a ban on theatre groups in Kenya, moving first to Britain then to the United States. In 1986, he published one of his best-known works, 'Decolonising the Mind', a collection of essays about the role of language in forging national culture, history and identity.
