Celebrated Kenyan author and dissident Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o dies aged 87

Published on 29/05/2025 - 9:31 GMT+2

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, nan celebrated Kenyan writer and champion of African expression, died connected Wednesday aged 87.

"It is pinch a dense bosom that we denote nan passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong'o this Wednesday morning," wrote his girl Wanjiku Wa Ngug connected Facebook. "He lived a afloat life, fought a bully fight." 

Further specifications were not instantly available, though Ngũgĩ was receiving kidney dialysis treatments.

Widely regarded arsenic eastbound Africa's astir influential writer, Ngũgĩ’s fabrication and nonfiction books traced his country's history from British imperialism to home-ruled tyranny and challenged not only nan stories told but nan connection utilized to show them.

"I judge truthful overmuch successful equality of languages. I americium wholly horrified by nan level of languages," he told AFP successful an question and reply successful 2022 from California, wherever he lived successful self-imposed exile. 

Best known for his novels specified arsenic “The River Between”, “The Wizard of nan Crow” and “Petals of Blood,” memoirs specified arsenic “Birth of a Dream Weaver” aliases nan landmark critique “Decolonizing nan Mind” - a postulation of essays astir nan domiciled of connection successful forging culture, personality and history - Ngũgĩ was admired worldwide by authors ranging from John Updike to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

He was besides admired by erstwhile President Barack Obama, who erstwhile praised Ngũgĩ's expertise to show “a compelling communicative of really nan transformative events of history measurement connected individual lives and relationships.”

His determination successful nan 1970s to wantonness English successful favour of his autochthonal Kikuyu, arsenic good arsenic Kenya's nationalist connection Swahili, was met pinch wide incomprehension astatine first. 

"We each thought he was mad... and brave astatine nan aforesaid time," said Kenyan writer David Maillu. "We asked ourselves who would bargain nan books." 

Yet nan bold prime built his estimation and turned him into an African literate landmark. 

Indeed, Ngũgĩ and chap writer Ngugi wa Mirii were jailed without complaint successful 1977 aft nan staging of their play "Ngaahika Ndeenda" ("I Will Marry When I Want"). It was past that he decided to constitute his first caller successful Kikuyu, "Devil connected nan Cross", which was published successful 1980. 

Amnesty International named him a captive of conscience, earlier a world run secured his merchandise from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison successful December 1978. 

“Resistance is nan champion measurement of keeping alive,” he told nan Guardian successful 2018. “It tin return moreover nan smallest shape of saying nary to injustice. If you really deliberation you’re right, you instrumentality to your beliefs, and they thief you to survive.” 

Additional sources • AFP, Guardian