SNgũgĩ wa Thiong’o has died at the age of 87. He was a celebrated storyteller who refused to be silenced by jail, exile, or illness. His work chronicled Kenya’s transformation from colonialism to democracy.
As a result, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s name was often mentioned as a contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was widely admired for promoting literature written in native African languages.
Ngũgĩ was born James Thiong’o Ngũgĩ in 1938, during British colonial rule in Kenya. He grew up in Limuru in a large family of low-income agricultural workers. His parents saved to send him to Alliance, a boarding school run by British missionaries.
Ngũgĩ remembered returning home to find his village razed by colonial forces, and his family was forced into detention camps during the Mau Mau uprising against British rule.
His brother Gitogo was shot in the back for not following a soldier’s command. Meanwhile, Gitogo was deaf and did not hear the command.
Ngũgĩ’s life was deeply affected by the Mau Mau uprising. In 1959, he went to Uganda to study at Makerere University. At a writers’ conference there, he met Chinua Achebe.
Achebe shared Ngũgĩ’s debut novel manuscript with his UK publisher. The novel Weep Not, Child was published in 1964.
It was the first major English-language novel by an East African writer. Ngũgĩ quickly followed with A Grain of Wheat and The River Between.
In 1972, The Times called Ngũgĩ one of Africa’s outstanding contemporary writers.
In 1977, he changed his name from James to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. He rejected his colonial name and embraced his heritage.
As a committed African writer, Ngũgĩ vowed to write only in his mother tongue, Kikuyu, and published Petals of Blood that year, his last English-language novel. The novel was critical of both colonial and post-independence Kenyan leaders.
In 1977, he co-wrote the play Ngaahika Ndeenda with Ngũgĩ wa Mirii. The play criticized Kenya’s class divisions, which were shut down by the government.
Ngũgĩ was imprisoned for a year without trial.
While in jail, he wrote his first Kikuyu novel, Devil on the Cross. He reportedly used toilet paper as he lacked access to proper writing materials.
Despite his severe conditions, Ngũgĩ’s courage and creativity never wavered and
his writing inspired countless readers across the world.
As a result of this, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o will be remembered as a literary giant. Throughout his lifetime, the literary icon was committed to language, culture.
He once said, “My ancestry is solid and traceable to the Gikuyu and Mumbi.”
Even at death, Ngũgĩ’s life story will inspire generations to come. He showed that words can challenge power and injustice.
