Celebrated Kenyan author and global literary figure, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, has died at the age of 87, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of political courage, cultural advocacy, and literary brilliance. His daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ, confirmed the news in a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday.
“He lived a full life, fought a good fight,” Wanjiku wrote, asking admirers around the world to honour her father by celebrating his life and contributions to literature and freedom of expression. She noted that family spokesperson, Nducu wa Ngũgĩ, would provide details about his memorial service in due course.
While the cause of death has not been officially disclosed, it is known that Ngũgĩ had been grappling with kidney complications in recent years.
From Colonial Kenya to Global Acclaim
Born in 1938 in Kamiriithu, near Limuru, central Kenya, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o emerged in the 1960s as one of Africa’s most important literary voices. His debut novel, Weep Not, Child (1964), was the first major novel in English published by an East African. It was followed by The River Between (1965) and A Grain of Wheat (1967), works that explored themes of nationalism, resistance, and the traumatic legacy of British colonial rule.
Initially writing in English, Ngũgĩ made a decisive ideological shift in the late 1970s, renouncing English in favour of his native Kikuyu language, a move that became a defining element of his activism. He became one of the first prominent African writers to insist on using African languages for literary expression, arguing that linguistic freedom was key to true cultural liberation.
His 1986 essay collection Decolonising the Mind remains a foundational work in postcolonial studies and a touchstone in debates around language, identity, and power.
Imprisonment and Exile
Ngũgĩ’s political writings and theatrical activism put him on a collision course with the Kenyan government. In 1977, he was arrested and detained without trial for staging a community-based play critical of the regime, Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want), performed entirely in Kikuyu.
During his year-long detention at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, he wrote the first modern novel in Kikuyu, Devil on the Cross, on prison-issued toilet paper. The experience cemented his reputation as a fearless dissenter. Continued harassment by the Moi regime forced him into exile in the early 1980s.
Ngũgĩ spent years in the UK before relocating to the United States, where he became a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.
Literary Contributions and Later Life
Ngũgĩ remained prolific throughout his career, publishing novels, memoirs, essays, plays, and children’s books in both Kikuyu and English. Among his later works are Wizard of the Crow (2006), an epic satire of dictatorship in postcolonial Africa, and The Perfect Nine (2020), a mythological tale about the origins of the Gikuyu people and an ode to African womanhood.
Despite being widely considered a frontrunner for the Nobel Prize in Literature and receiving multiple nominations over the years, the award eluded him. Nevertheless, his contributions to world literature earned him numerous accolades and honorary degrees, and he remained a towering influence on generations of African writers and scholars.
Enduring Legacy
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s death marks the passing of one of the continent’s foremost literary and intellectual giants. His work challenged imperialism, elevated indigenous languages, and stood firmly on the side of justice, equality, and African dignity.
He is survived by his children, including fellow writers Wanjiku and Nducu, and by a global community of readers, students, and cultural workers profoundly shaped by his vision.
Details about his memorial and celebration of life are expected to be announced by his family soon.
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