We note with deep sadness the death of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. The outstanding Kenyan author died on May 28 at the age of 87. With his passing, not only African literature, but also world literature and the art of progressive humanity, loses one of its outstanding representatives.
For more than six decades, Ngũgĩ shaped global conversations on language, power, colonialism, and liberation. Writing in both English and Gikuyu, he challenged literary and political norms alike, insisting on the centrality of African languages and thought in the postcolonial world. His legacy will endure in the generations of writers and thinkers he inspired.
An earlier article on Ngũgĩ by Jenny Farrell, written on the occasion of his 80th birthday, is available here.
