The Legacy of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o: A Literary Icon

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Renowned Kenyan author and literary icon Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has died at the age of 87, closing a monumental chapter in African literature. A prolific writer, academic, and activist, Ngũgĩ’s work spanned nearly six decades. He chronicled Kenya’s journey from colonial subjugation to post-independence struggles, exposing the ongoing complexities of power, culture, and identity in Africa.

Early Life and Education

Born James Thiong’o Ngũgĩ in 1938 during British colonial rule, he grew up in Limuru, central Kenya. His family belonged to the low-income agricultural workers. His parents made great sacrifices to send him to Alliance High School, a prestigious boarding school run by British missionaries. During his school years, Ngũgĩ witnessed firsthand the violence of the British crackdown on the Mau Mau uprising, a resistance movement seeking Kenyan independence.

His village was razed, his family members detained, and his deaf brother Gitogo was fatally shot for failing to follow a British soldier’s command he could not hear.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

In 1959, Ngũgĩ left for Uganda to study at Makerere University, one of Africa’s premier institutions. It was there that he shared the manuscript of his first novel with Nigerian literary pioneer Chinua Achebe, who helped secure its publication. That novel, Weep Not, Child (1964), became the first major English-language novel by an East African writer and was met with widespread acclaim. It was followed by The River Between and A Grain of Wheat, further solidifying Ngũgĩ’s place as a rising literary force.

A Turning Point in His Career

By 1972, he had been hailed as one of Africa’s most outstanding writers. However, 1977 marked a significant turning point in his career. That year, Ngũgĩ renounced his English name and adopted Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. This change symbolized resistance against colonial cultural influence. He also committed to writing exclusively in his native Kikuyu language. His final English-language novel, Petals of Blood, was a searing critique of post-independence Kenyan leaders, whom he saw as corrupt elites betraying the people’s struggle.

Wa Thiong'o's second wife Njeeri worked with him at the University of California

That same year, he co-authored the politically charged Kikuyu play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want), which highlighted class inequality in independent Kenya. The government, led by President Jomo Kenyatta, responded by shutting down the production and detaining Ngũgĩ for a year without trial in a maximum-security prison. During his imprisonment, he wrote his first Kikuyu novel, Devil on the Cross, using toilet paper due to a lack of writing materials.

Exile and Advocacy

Ngũgĩ was released after Daniel arap Moi assumed the presidency, but by 1982, he learned of a plot to assassinate him if he returned to Kenya. This prompted a self-imposed exile that lasted 22 years. He lived in the UK and later moved to the United States, teaching at prestigious universities, including Yale, New York University, and the University of California, Irvine.

Ngũgĩ's son Mukoma (right) is also an author

When he finally returned to Kenya in 2004, he was welcomed as a national hero. However, that visit ended in trauma. He and his wife were attacked in their Nairobi apartment, an incident he later described as politically motivated.

A relentless advocate for African languages, Ngũgĩ fiercely opposed the dominance of European languages in African literature. His influential essay collection, Decolonising the Mind, became a foundational text in postcolonial studies. In it, he criticized the notion that African writers must use colonial languages to be taken seriously, even publicly rebuking Achebe, straining their once-close friendship.

Kenyans were frequently interrogated under suspicion of being Mau Mau rebels

The Impact and Influence

Ngũgĩ’s legacy is both literary and ideological. He pushed boundaries in fiction, drama, and scholarship. Though he was long considered a frontrunner for the Nobel Prize in Literature, he never received it. His writing inspired generations of African writers, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who described him as one of the continent’s guiding lights.

He was married twice and fathered nine children, four of whom are published authors. His son, Mukoma wa Ngũgĩ, has alleged that Ngũgĩ abused his mother, recalling visits to her at his grandmother’s home, where she sought refuge. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o did not respond publicly to the accusation.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

In his later years, Ngũgĩ battled health issues, undergoing triple heart bypass surgery in 2019 and struggling with kidney failure. He had previously survived prostate cancer, diagnosed in 1995 with a prognosis of only three months to live.

A Legacy of Resilience

Despite facing numerous obstacles—colonialism, imprisonment, exile, political repression, and illness—Ngũgĩ’s voice never faltered. His death marks the end of an era for African literature. He leaves behind a body of work that challenges power and celebrates cultural pride through language.

The phrase “Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's impact on African literature” encapsulates the essence of his profound influence. His writings will continue to inspire, educate, and challenge future generations, ensuring that his legacy lives on.