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B. Language and Literature. Depending on
how they are used, they can be powerful
tools of domination, or of liberation.
In ‘Decolonization of the Mind’, a very
influential essay, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a
world-class Kenyan writer and thinker,
has argued that a former (African) colony
will never achieve true emancipation and
independence as long as its literature
continues to be written in the language of
the colonizer. Edward Said, in ‘Orientalism,’
a path-breaking book, went further,
exposing the role played by artists and
scientists, historians, ethnologists and
archeologists, of the colonial powers in
the promotion of the colonial interests,
and the subjugation of ‘oriental’ peoples.
The novel, poetry and the essay are, to
be sure, universal forms, but for them to
have true validity and authenticity there
has to be an indigenous input or content.
In Latin America, for example, Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, notably with his novel,’
One Hundred Years of Solitude, ‘introduced
the concept of Magical Realism. Mo Yan of
China, the winner of the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 2012, has been praised by the
Nobel Academy for inventing the concept
of, ‘Hallucinatory Realism,’ which he
used effectively to expose the problems of
inequality and corruption in China.
Ngugi wa Thiong’o
In his novels and plays, Ngugi wa Thiong’o
has used extensively and effectively the
legends, allegories and folk stories of his
ethnic group. Murogi wa Kagogo (The Wizard
of the Crow) his last major opus, a massive
novel of 768 pages, is a savage satire of
Kenya’s kleptocracy. In his review of the
work in the New Yorker, John Updike wrote,
‘Yet for all its grotesque hyperbole, The
Wizard of the Crow struck me as truthful in
its dissection of power.’
James Ngugi was 39 years old in 1977
when, after publishing, in English,
‘Petals of Blood,’ a harsh and unsparing
description of life in neo-colonial Kenya,
he changed his name to Ngugi wa Thiong’o
and started writing in Gikuyu. He wrote,
‘Ngaahika Ndeenda’ (I Will Marry When I
Want), a play which was staged in an openair
theater in Kamiriithu, the village one
hundred kilometers from Nairobi where he
was born. He had two goals: 1. Putting into
practice his idea of what theater should be,
namely, a communion with the audience.
Ngugi believes that the audience must
participate fully in the performance; he
rejects the idea of a theater that separates
the actors and the public. The audience
must be active, and not passive. That,
he argues, demystifies the theater. 2.
Exposing the exploitation of the poor and
powerless by the rich and powerful. These
two goals displeased the powers that be
in Nairobi who ordered Ngugi’s arrest. He
was imprisoned for a year without a trial.
While in prison, Ngugi wrote on toilet
paper. ‘Caitaani Mutharaba-Ini’ (The
Devil on the Cross), a novel in which he
continued his indictment of the terrible
inequalities and corruption that pervaded
Kenyan society. After his liberation, the
publication of this book resulted in a
constant harassment of Ngugi by the
authorities. He lost his teaching post at
the Nairobi University. Threats were made
to his life. He was forced into exile first, in
England and later in the United States.
In exile, for the last thirty-five years or so,
Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s literary output has
been enormous. He has been a leading
candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature
in the last few years. He is presently a
distinguished Professor of English and
Comparative Literature, and the Director
of the International Center for Writing and
Translating, at the University of California,
in Irvine. He is also the founder and editor
of Müfiiri, a Gikuyu-language literary
journal.
Concluding Remarks
In Kenya, Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s impact
on Language and Literature has been
considerable. His book, The River In
Between, which tells the story of the Mau
Mau Rebellion, has become part of the
secondary school syllabus. Many books
are being written in Gikuyu, and theater
in African languages is quite common. In
sub-Saharan Africa, his essays have been
very influential. It can also be said that
some progress has been made in Kenya
insofar as Center-Periphery relations are
concerned. Ngugi wa Thiong’o has also
contributed to an increased awareness
that, in the international context of a
globalized economy, even though the
large multinational corporations and
international banks continue their
domination, more attention must be paid to
the needs of the Periphery. Ultimately, the
peoples of the Periphery will continue their
struggle until a better world is built that is
more just and sustainable.
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