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Ngugi wa Thiong'o Biography

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (Gikuyu pronunciation: [ᵑɡoɣe wá ðiɔŋɔ]; born 5 January 1938) is a Kenyan writer, formerly working in English and now working in Gikuyu. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He is the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri.

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Ngugi wa Thiong'o Quotes

We can appreciate each other's languages. And the question of being uncomfortable about our languages would go away.

Appreciate, Going Away, Language, Away, Question

The Pan-Africanism that envisaged the ideal of wholeness was gradually cut down to the size of a continent, then a nation, a region, an ethnos, a clan, and even a village in some instances But Pan-Africanism has not outlived its mission. Seen as an economic, political, cultural, and psychological re-membering vision, it should continue to guide remembering practices

Cutting, Practice, Political, Mission, Cut, Village

In terms of language, English is very dominant vis-Ã-vis African language. That in itself is a power relationship - between languages and communities - because the English language is a determinant of the ladder to achievement.

Achievement, Community, Ladders, Language, Languages, Power

People went to war as a result of it and even today, every Sunday, the Bible in translation is being read to thousands and thousands in Africa. It is an integral part of their functioning and the way they look at the world.

Africa, Bible, People, Sunday, Translation, War

A person who acquires English has access to all the things that that language makes possible.

Access, Acquire, English, Language, Persons, Things

Of course it's very, very important for me to feel Kenya, to feel, every day, this is where images come from. So to be taken away from that by political pressure or other means - one is taken away from the area, which is the basis of inspiration - is difficult.

Area, Course, Difficult, Inspiration, Mean, Taken

What is translated from English and into English - and in what quantities - is a question of power.

English, Power, Quantities, Quantity, Question, Translated

I was wondering why I was put in prison for working in an African language when I had not been put in prison for working in English. So really, in prison I started thinking more seriously about the relation between language and power.

Thinking, Language And Power, Wonder, Seriously, Working, Prison

Our lives are a battlefield on which is fought a continuous war between the forces that are pledged to confirm our humanity and those determined to dismantle it; those who strive to build a protective wall around it, and those who wish to pull it down; those who seek to mould it and those committed to breaking it up; those who aim to open our eyes, to make us see the light and look to tomorrow [. . . ] and those who wish to lull us into closing our eyes

Wall, War, Eye, Breaking, Make, Tomorrow

Why did Africa let Europe cart away millions of Africa's souls from the continent to the four corners of the wind? How could Europe lord it over a continent ten times its size? Why does needy Africa continue to let its wealth meet the needs of those outside its borders and then follow behind with hands outstretched for a loan of the very wealth it let go? How did we arrive at this, that the best leader is the one that knows how to beg for a share of what he has already given away at the price of a broken tool? Where is the future of Africa?

Letting Go, Hands, Europe, Let, Given

If poverty was to be sold three cents today, i can't buy it.

Cents, Poverty, Three, Today

If a novel is written in a certain language with certain characters from a particular community and the story is very good or illuminating, then that work is translated into the language of another community - then they begin to see through their language that the problems described there are the same as the problems they are having. They can identify with characters from another language group.

Character, Characters, Community, Groups, Illuminating, Story

There is no way we can survive as a nation in the world without finding unity.

Unity, World, Way, Nation, Finding

I'm more trying to connect; I'm more listening to people. Whatever I get is very meaningful to me.

Connect, Listening, Meaningful, People

Many people do not know that Jesus did not speak Latin or English or Hebrew; he spoke Aramaic. But nobody knows that language. So we're talking about the Bible itself being a translation of a translation of a translation. And, in reality, it has affected people's lives in history.

English, Jesus, Knows, Latin, Reality, Talking

Christianity and Western civilization-what countless crimes have been committed in thy name!

Christianity, Civilization, Countless, Names, Religious, Thy

What's good about writing is that when you write novels or fiction, people can see that the problems in one region are similar to problems in another region.

Fiction, People, Problems, Region, Writing

For me, being in prison writing in an African language was a way of saying: "Even if you put me in prison, I will keep on writing in the language which made you put me in prison. "

Language, Prison, Saying, Way, Writing

I think a repressive regime always fears people who are awakened - particularly ordinary people. If they are awakened, I think governments all over the world feel uncomfortable about that; they want to be in control. They want to be the ones telling people: "This is what we have done in history" but when people begin to say, "No this is what we have done in history" it's a different thing.

Thinking, Government, People, World, Say, Regime

Another phenomenon developing in Kenya is ethnic cleansing - and that's the thing that has made me very sad. Because some people will use the cover of the problems of rigged elections to do things that are unacceptable like ethnic cleansing and displacement of people. It's completely unacceptable.

Elections, Kenya, People, Unacceptable, Use

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