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TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author who reckoned with colonial legacy, dies at 87
Celebrated Kenyan novelist and playwright Ngugi wa Thiong'o, whose sharp criticisms of post-independence elites led to his jailing and two decade in exile, has died at the age of 87, Kenya's president said. Shaped by an adolescence where he witnessed the armed Mau Mau struggle for independence from Britain, Thiong'o took aim in his writings at colonial rule and the Kenyan elites who inherited many of its privileges. He was arrested in December 1977 and detained for a year without charge in a maximum security prison after peasants and workers performed his play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want). Angered by the play's criticism of inequalities in Kenyan society, the authorities sent three truckloads of police to raze the theatre, Thiong'o later said. He went into exile in 1982 after he said he learnt of plans by president Daniel arap Moi's security services to arrest and kill him. He went on to become a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of California-Irvine. Thiong'o ended his exile in 2004 after Moi left office after more than two decades in power marked by widespread arrests, killings and torture of political opponents. Kenya's President William Ruto paid tribute to Thiong'o after his death in the US after reports of a struggle with ill health in recent years. 'The towering giant of Kenyan letters has put down his pen for the final time,' Ruto said on his X account. 'Always courageous, he made an indelible impact on how we think about our independence, social justice and the uses and abuses of political and economic power.' Though Thiong'o said on returning to Kenya in 2004 that he bore no grudge against Moi, he told Reuters in an interview three years later that Kenyans should not forget the abuses of the era. 'The consequences of 22 years of dictatorship are going to be with us for a long time and I don't like to see us returning to that time,' he said. Thiong'o's best-known works included his debut novel Weep Not Child, which chronicled the Mau Mau struggle, and Devil on the Cross, which he wrote on toilet paper while in prison. In the 1980s, he abandoned English to write in his mother tongue Gikuyu, saying he was bidding farewell to the imported language of Kenya's former colonial master.
Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author who reckoned with colonial legacy, dies at 87
Thiong'o, who took aim at colonial rule and Kenyan elites, spent years in jail and exile after being threatened. He was hailed as a 'towering giant of Kenyan letters'. Celebrated Kenyan novelist and playwright Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, whose sharp criticisms of post-independence elites led to his jailing and two decades in exile, has died at 87, Kenya's president said. Shaped by an adolescence where he witnessed the armed Mau Mau struggle for independence from Britain, Thiong'o took aim in his writings at colonial rule and the Kenyan elites who inherited many of its privileges. He was arrested in December 1977 and detained for a year without charge in a maximum security prison after peasants and workers performed his play, Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want). Angered by the play's criticism of inequalities in Kenyan society, the authorities sent three truckloads of police to raze the theatre, Thiong'o later said. He went into exile in 1982 after he said he had learnt of plans by President Daniel arap Moi's security services to arrest and kill him. He became a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of California-Irvine. 'Indelible impact' Thiong'o ended his exile in 2004 after Moi left office, after more than two decades in power marked by widespread arrests, killings and torture of political opponents. Kenya's President William Ruto paid tribute to Thiong'o after his death in the US, following reports of a struggle with ill health in recent years. 'The towering giant of Kenyan letters has put down his pen for the final time,' Ruto said on his X account. 'Always courageous, he made an indelible impact on how we think about our independence, social justice as well as the uses and abuses of political and economic power.' Although Thiong'o said upon returning to Kenya in 2004 that he bore no grudge against Moi, he told Reuters in an interview three years later that Kenyans should not forget the abuses of the era. 'The consequences of 22 years of dictatorship are going to be with us for a long time and I don't like to see us returning to that period,' he said. Thiong'o's best-known works included his debut novel Weep Not, Child, which chronicled the Mau Mau struggle, and Devil on the Cross, which he wrote on toilet paper while in prison. In the 1980s, he abandoned English to write in his mother tongue, Gikuyu, saying he was bidding farewell to the imported language of Kenya's former colonial master. DM
Scroll.in
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
Peter Kimani, The Conversation
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (1938–2025): Five things to know about one of Africa's greatest ever writers He died on May 28 at the age of 87. Peter Kimani, The Conversation · 20 minutes ago 45 years after its ban in Kenya, the play that shaped Ngũgĩ's writing and activism comes home 'Ngaahika Ndeenda' is a story of a peasant whose tiny strip of earth is being targeted by a local tycoon who represents international financial interests. Peter Kimani, The Conversation · Jun 22, 2022 · 08:30 am Year-end reading: Five books from a significant twelve months for African writing A leading Kenyan author, journalist and academic lists his top picks. Peter Kimani, The Conversation · Dec 30, 2021 · 05:30 pm
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eyewitness News
Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o has died: daughter
NAIROBI - Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o, considered one of East Africa's greatest literary figures, died on Wednesday, 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 morning," wrote Wanjiku Wa Ngugi. "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. "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.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author who reckoned with colonial legacy, dies at 87
FILE PHOTO: Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong'o speaks to Reuters during an interview on his newly launched book \"Wizard of the Crow\" at a bookshop in downtown Nairobi January 16, 2007. The book, which took Wa Thiong'o more than six years to write, was released on Monday, about 20 years after his novel \"Matigari\". REUTERS/Antony Njuguna (KENYA)/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong'o speaks during the launch of his new book \"Wizard of the Crow\" at the University of Nairobi January 15, 2007. The book, which took Wa Thiong'o more than six years to write, was released on Monday, about 20 years after his novel \"Matigari\". REUTERS/Antony Njuguna (KENYA)/File Photo NAIROBI - Celebrated Kenyan novelist and playwright Ngugi wa Thiong'o, whose sharp criticisms of post-independence elites led to his jailing and two decade in exile, has died at the age of 87, Kenya's president said. Shaped by an adolescence where he witnessed the armed Mau Mau struggle for independence from Britain, Thiong'o took aim in his writings at colonial rule and the Kenyan elites who inherited many of its privileges. He was arrested in December 1977 and detained for a year without charge in a maximum security prison after peasants and workers performed his play "Ngaahika Ndeenda" (I Will Marry When I Want). Angered by the play's criticism of inequalities in Kenyan society, the authorities sent three truckloads of police to raze the theatre, Thiong'o later said. He went into exile in 1982 after he said he learned of plans by President Daniel arap Moi's security services to arrest and kill him. He went on to become a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of California-Irvine. 'INDELIBLE IMPACT' Thiong'o ended his exile in 2004 after Moi left office following more than two decades in power marked by widespread arrests, killings and torture of political opponents. Kenya's current president, William Ruto, paid tribute to Thiong'o after his death in the U.S. following reports of a struggle with ill health in recent years. "The towering giant of Kenyan letters has put down his pen for the final time," Ruto said on his X account. "Always courageous, he made an indelible impact on how we think about our independence, social justice as well as the uses and abuses of political and economic power." Although Thiong'o said upon returning to Kenya in 2004 that he bore no grudge against Moi, he told Reuters in an interview three years later that Kenyans should not forget the abuses of the era. "The consequences of 22 years of dictatorship are going to be with us for a long time and I don't like to see us returning to that period," he said. Thiong'o's best-known works included his debut novel "Weep Not Child", which chronicled the Mau Mau struggle and "Devil on the Cross", which he wrote on toilet paper while in prison. In the 1980s, he abandoned English to write in his mother tongue Gikuyu, saying he was bidding farewell to the imported language of Kenya's former colonial master. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
