This celebrated writer has experienced much persecution in his home country for his political views and criticism.
Ngugi, as he is generally referred to, is one of Africa’s most accomplished and well-known novelists, playwrights, lecturers and social activists. Emerging out of the turbulent climate of African independence and post-independence in the 1950s and 1960s, his linguistic and political views are controversial. His works include the novels Weep Not Child (1964), The River Between (1965), Grain of Wheat (1967), Petals of Blood (1977), and Devil on the Cross (1982).
From James Ngugi to Ngugi wa Thiong’o
Ngugi was born as James Ngugi in 1938 in British-ruled Kenya. He came of age during the Mau Mau War of Independence (1952-1962), which led to the end of British colonial rule. The formation of modern Kenya is a major theme in his early works.
Ngugi attended mission-run schools and was a devout Christian, later rejecting the religion and changing his name, which he regarded as a sign of colonial influence, to Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Soon after he declared that he would not write in English anymore, choosing to write only in Swahili and Gikuyu, the language of his ethnic group, the Kikuyus.
Ngugi earned his Bachelor’s degree in Uganda, at Makerere University College, and a Masters degree in Leeds, England. He returned to Kenya in 1967, becoming a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Nairobi.
Politics and Persecution
Ngugi has been an outspoken critic of colonial rule, Christianity and also the post-colonial abuses of Kenyan authorities. His decision to reject English and write solely in Gikuyu, together with his political views, have at several times threatened his security.
In 1977 the vice-president of Kenya had Ngugi detained in prison for the publication of a political play he had co-written, entitled Ngaahika Ndeenda, (“I Will Marry You When I Want”). Ngugi was imprisoned for a year, without trial. After an international campaign led by Amnesty International led to his release, the Moi Dictatorship banned him from taking jobs at the country’s colleges and universities. The Dictator also had Ngugi’s works removed from all educational institutions.
Ngugi continued to voice criticism against the Moi regime, until when promoting his novel Devil on the Cross abroad he learned of their plot to murder him upon his return. He was thus forced into exile in Britain (1982-1989) and then in the United States (1989-2002).
Modern Kenya
Although the Moi Dictatorship ended in 2002, Ngugi continues to experience persecution in his home country. In 2004 Ngugi and his wife narrowly escaped with their lives when, upon returning to Kenya after 22 years spent in exile, they were attacked by four hired gunmen.
Ngugi's works remain relevant to present-day Kenya as well, illuminating many of the country's underlying political problems. As he recently told the BBC regarding the recent eruption of violence inside the country, “What is unfolding in Kenya could as well have been lifted from my novel Wizard of the Crow where the ruling party and the opposition parties engaged in Western-sponsored democracy became mirror images of one another in their absurdity and indifference to the poor.”
For a review of one of Ngugi's novels, go to Devil on the Cross: Ngugi's Damning Portrait of Post-Colonial Kenya.
Sources
1. Biography of Ngugi. www.ngugiwathiongo.org.
2. “Profile: Ngugi wa Thiong’o.” BBC News: Thursday, 12 August, 2004.
3. “Ngugi laments Kenya violence.” BBC News: Thursday, 10 January 2008.
