Ngugi wa Thiong'o Moving the Center

World-renowned as a novelist, playwright, and critic whose oeuvre forms a bridge between earlier African writing and a younger generation of post-colonial writers, UC Irvine Professor Ngugi wa Thiong'o has authored a number of acclaimed works of fiction. Series: "Humanitas" [5/2004] [Humanities] [Show ID: 8671]

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Ngugi
• wa
• Thiong'o
• author
• fiction
• Africa

[jobitek]

Ngugi wa Thiongo continues to champion our need to speak ourselves into existence. Power and language to him and to us all.

[agentfrenzykaka]

Great African thinker...What would the fate of Europe have been, if Africa conquered and colonized Europe? Perhaps, African Languages, and Gods would have been enforced into the European consciousness. Africans have to decolonize their minds. Slavery in the past was physical, in this century slavery is psychological ! I comment from Nigeria.

[Tylee29]

I know and will live to acknowledge Prof Ngugi's greatness both in literature and life forever. I haven't read much of his works apart from "The River Between" and other short stories. I must write, also, a novel before I leave this earth: courtesy of his inspiration. Long life, honourable Babu, Mzee wa Thiong'o.

[MrAvridgeJoe]

Hi there,

The correct written form of his name is not Ngugi, it's Ngũgĩ.

The tildes make all the difference, and the initial 'N' is not so much spoken as it is thought...

In pronunciation, then, his name it not NN-GOO-Gee; it's (n)GOH-Geh

If you watch the YouTube video "Prof Ngugi wa Thiong'o on Capital Talk bench", the interviewer, though really irritating, does a fair job of saying his name right...

Hope this helps!

[ibrugger]

Thanks.

Saying the N harshly, like in the English word 'night' wouldn't seem right...which is why I basically leave it off. 

[bwanamdogo]

--- Coming from the same tribe as him (kikuyu), I would like to tell you that the "N" is actually pronounced. However this depends on the language you are using (In English yes).. but in our native kikuyu, the N is so lightly pronounced that you rarely hear it.

[YinYangTzu]

fair enough, thanks for clarification!

[ibrugger]

@YinYangTzu, my English teacher says the 'N' is not pronounced.

[unfortunatebeam]

I loved a Grain of Wheat. I want to read more by him; I'm deeply interested in African history and culture., and what are all the factors involved in why it was become the poorest and most war torn area on the Earth. Does anyone have any good reading suggetions or otherwise that explains the reasons for the current political/social/economic situation of the more troubled countries of Africa?

[mwendapolee]

either its soooo rooted in his speech that he cant do otherwise or his proud of it n wants 2 be identified with it!!!