Regarded as one of the pioneers of modern African literature, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, a Kenyan author and academic, whose death was announced in the late hours of Wednesday, May 28, at the age of 87, has attracted a plethora of eulogies from African literary community and beyond.
He was described as East Africa’s leading novelist, who through his work influenced writing in indigenous African languages, thereby, switching to write primarily in Gikuyu, his mother tongue – a decision borne out of the need to identify with the postcolonial Africa and be void of colonial influence.
He was born James Thiong’o Ngũgĩ in 1938, during British colonial rule in Kenya, a name he eventually dropped in 1977.
He and his family were among indigenous Kenyans that joined in the Mau Mau movement, which frowned at land dispossession and British rule, calling for independence.
In 1977, he co-wrote the play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want), which takes an intense look at Kenya’s class struggle.
However, the government of then President Jomo Kenyatta locked up Thiong’o in a maximum security jail for a year without trial. There, he wrote his first Kikuyu novel, Devil on the Cross, while in prison. It is said he used toilet paper to write the entire book, as he did not have access to a notebook.
He was released after Daniel arap Moi took over from Kenyatta as president.
According to him, while in London for a book launch, four years later, he learnt there was a plot to kill him on his return to Kenya – an information which necessitated his self-imposed exile in the UK and later the US. He did not return to Kenya for 22 years.
When he finally returned heroically, assailants broke into his apartment, attacking him and raping his wife. He insisted the assault was “political”.
He then returned to the US, where he had held professorships at universities including Yale, New York and California Irvine.
He was married – and divorced – twice. He had nine children, four of whom are published authors.
His works primarily chronicled the journey of Kenya from a colonial subject to a democracy.
How the Mbari writers’ club influenced Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o contributions to African literature
Following the independence of some African countries from colonial rule, a group of young scholars in Ibadan came together in 1961 to create a movement that would illuminate and promote African literature. Their aim was to tell the story of the true African culture and colonial experiences, and also bridge the gap of identity crises among writers, artists, musicians and the African continent at large, as against presenting their crafts in line with colonial stereotypes. This was the motivation for the founding of The Mbari writers’ club.
Created by a teacher in the University of Ibadan, Ulli Beier, the club had notable figures like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo, J.P. Clark, and Duro Ladipo, among others, as members. These individuals ensured Nigerian literature and modern African literature gained global prominence.
Having left Kenya to study at the Makerere University, Uganda in 1959, Thiong’o attended the African writers’ conference at Makerere in 1962, where he shared the manuscript for his debut novel with Nigerian literary giant and a member of the Mbari writers’ club, Chinua Achebe.
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Achebe, then forwarded the manuscript to his publisher in the UK and the text, titled Weep Not, Child, was released in 1964 – a book identified as the first major English-language novel to be written by an East African. This work and another his second novel, The River Between (1965) were disseminated by the Mbari club.
A grain of wheat (1967), Petals of Blood (1977) and others works on decolonisation were informed based on sociopolitical themes, which are ideals of the Mbari club. Petals of Blood is his last work that was published in English.
Petals of Blood criticised the new leaders of independent Kenya, portraying them as an elite class who had betrayed ordinary Kenyans, albeit forgetting the effect of the colonial experience on them.
Reflection of the Mau Mau movement and post-colonial realities in some selected works of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Weep Not, Child (1964) explores the impact of the Mau Mau uprising against British rule on a Kenyan family, highlighting themes of colonialism and resistance. The story follows Njoroge, a young boy whose dreams of education were shattered by the political turmoil engulfing his country.
According to Rani (2023) in ‘Portrayal of the Mau Mau Rebellion in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o A Grain of Wheat published in the Asian Journal of Basic Science & Research, the Mau Mau rebellion was a significant anti-colonial uprising that occurred in Kenya between 1952 and 1960; and Thiong’o’s book, ‘A Grain of Wheat’ delves into the historical context, character motivations, and symbolic representation, providing a comprehensive understanding of the rebellion’s significance in a nation.
In Decolonising the Mind (1986), Thiong’o argued that it was impossible to liberate oneself while using the language of oppressors. He said: “What is the difference between a politician who says Africa cannot do without imperialism and the writer who says Africa cannot do without European languages?”
Who was Thiong’o to fellow writers?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, renowned writer, and feminist, in a July 2022 Facebook post said: “I think that Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is one of the most important writers working today.”
Adichie acknowledged his influence on her, noting that she felt proud to be part of a generation of writers who look up to him. Adichie also admired Ngũgĩ’s moral courage and his people-oriented writing.
President Barack Obama, once praised Thiong’o’s ability to tell “a compelling story of how the transformative events of history weigh on individual lives and relationships.”
John Updike, an American novelist and poet, who had described Thiong’o as a “global epic from Africa”, in his comment on Wizard of the crow (2006), said: “too aggrieved and grim to be called satire.”