Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Who is Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o?

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was born on 5 January 1938 in Kamiriithu, near Limuru, Kenya. He studied at Makerere University in Uganda and the University of Leeds, and his debut novel 'Weep Not, Child' (1964) was the first English-language novel published by an East African writer. Further works such as 'The River Between', 'A Grain of Wheat' and 'Petals of Blood' explored colonialism, the Mau Mau struggle and post-independence disillusionment. After co-writing the Gikuyu-language play 'Ngaahika Ndeenda' (I Will Marry When I Want), he was detained without trial in 1977 and 1978, during which he wrote the novel 'Devil on the Cross' on prison toilet paper. He subsequently renounced writing fiction in English, championing African languages in his influential essay collection 'Decolonising the Mind' (1986). He lived in exile and taught at universities including the University of California, Irvine. He died on 28 May 2025.

Sources: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, 'Weep Not, Child' (1964) · Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, 'Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature' (1986) · Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, 'Petals of Blood' (1977)