Latest news with #NgugiWaThiongo
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Giant of African literature, Kenya's Ngugi wa Thiong'o dies aged 87
Nairobi: Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o, considered one of the greats of African literature, passed away at the age of 87, a spokeswoman for his Nairobi publisher confirmed. Thiong'o, who died in the US state of Georgia, leaves behind a long legacy of critical works. Born in 1938 under British colonial rule, he lived in exile in Britain, before moving on to the United States. He only briefly returned to Kenya. An author and an academic, Thiong'o's works range from novels including "Weep Not, Child," to non-fiction including his much-acclaimed "Decolonising the Mind" - a collection of essays about the role of language in constructing national culture, history and identity. Thiong'o, who was tipped to win the Nobel Prize for Literature countless times, first wrote in English, before switching to his native Kikuyu, in a move that can be seen as part of his desire to decolonise culture.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author who reckoned with colonial legacy, dies at 87
By George Obulutsa NAIROBI (Reuters) -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. (Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Aaron Ross)
Reuters
3 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author who reckoned with colonial legacy, dies at 87
NAIROBI, May 29 (Reuters) - 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. 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Acclaimed Kenyan writer and dissident, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, dies at 87
Renowned Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o has died at age 87, his family members have announced. 'It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong'o,' his daughter Wanjiku Wa Ngugi wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. 'He lived a full life, fought a good fight,' she said. At the time of his death, Ngugi was reportedly receiving kidney dialysis treatments, but his immediate cause of death is still unknown. Born in Kenya in 1938, Ngugi will be remembered as one of Africa's most important postcolonial writers. Formative events in Ngugi's early life included the brutal Mau Mau war that swept British-ruled Kenya in the 1950s. Ngugi's work was equally critical of the British colonial era and the postcolonial society that followed Kenya's independence in 1963. Other topics in his work covered the intersection between language, culture, history, and identity. Ngugi made a mark for himself in the 1970s when he decided to switch from writing in English to the Kikuyu and Swahili languages – a controversial decision at the time. 'We all thought he was mad… and brave at the same time,' Kenyan writer David Maillu told the AFP news agency. 'We asked ourselves who would buy the books.' One of his most famous works, 'Decolonising the Mind', was published in 1986 while living abroad. The book argues that it is 'impossible to liberate oneself while using the language of oppressors', AFP reports. Besides holding the position of acclaimed writer, Ngugi was a prisoner of conscience. In 1977, he was jailed in Kenya for staging a play deemed critical of contemporary society. He once described the country's new elite class as 'the death of hopes, the death of dreams and the death of beauty'. In 1982, Ngugi went into self-imposed exile in the UK following a ban on theatre groups and performances in his home country. He later moved to the US, where he worked as a professor of comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine. He also continued writing a range of works, including essays, memoirs and novels about Kenya. Following news of Ngugi's death, praise for his life and work quickly appeared online. 'My condolences to the family and friends of Professor Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a renowned literary giant and scholar, a son of the soil and great patriot whose footprints are indelible,' Kenya's opposition leader Martha Karua wrote on X. 'Thank you Mwalimu [teacher] for your freedom writing,' wrote Amnesty International's Kenya branch on X. 'Having already earned his place in Kenyan history, he transitions from mortality to immortality.' Margaretta wa Gacheru, a sociologist and former student of Ngugi, said the author was 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.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Acclaimed Kenyan writer and dissident, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, dies at 87
Renowned Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o has died at age 87, his family members have announced. 'It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong'o,' his daughter Wanjiku Wa Ngugi wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. 'He lived a full life, fought a good fight,' she said. At the time of his death, Ngugi was reportedly receiving kidney dialysis treatments, but his immediate cause of death is still unknown. Born in Kenya in 1938, Ngugi will be remembered as one of Africa's most important postcolonial writers. Formative events in Ngugi's early life included the brutal Mau Mau war that swept British-ruled Kenya in the 1950s. Ngugi's work was equally critical of the British colonial era and the postcolonial society that followed Kenya's independence in 1963. Other topics in his work covered the intersection between language, culture, history, and identity. Ngugi made a mark for himself in the 1970s when he decided to switch from writing in English to the Kikuyu and Swahili languages – a controversial decision at the time. 'We all thought he was mad… and brave at the same time,' Kenyan writer David Maillu told the AFP news agency. 'We asked ourselves who would buy the books.' One of his most famous works, 'Decolonising the Mind', was published in 1986 while living abroad. The book argues that it is 'impossible to liberate oneself while using the language of oppressors', AFP reports. Besides holding the position of acclaimed writer, Ngugi was a prisoner of conscience. In 1977, he was jailed in Kenya for staging a play deemed critical of contemporary society. He once described the country's new elite class as 'the death of hopes, the death of dreams and the death of beauty'. In 1982, Ngugi went into self-imposed exile in the UK following a ban on theatre groups and performances in his home country. He later moved to the US, where he worked as a professor of comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine. He also continued writing a range of works, including essays, memoirs and novels about Kenya. Following news of Ngugi's death, praise for his life and work quickly appeared online. 'My condolences to the family and friends of Professor Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a renowned literary giant and scholar, a son of the soil and great patriot whose footprints are indelible,' Kenya's opposition leader Martha Karua wrote on X. 'Thank you Mwalimu [teacher] for your freedom writing,' wrote Amnesty International's Kenya branch on X. 'Having already earned his place in Kenyan history, he transitions from mortality to immortality.' Margaretta wa Gacheru, a sociologist and former student of Ngugi, said the author was 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.
