The Latest Breaking News from Ngũgĩ wa Thiongo

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o belonged to an age of prophets – we must honour his teaching

Along with other icons of African writing, Ngũgĩ taught generations how to decolonise literature, language and the mind

The Guardian - UK · Jun 13, 2025

Ngũgi wa Thiong’o and the African literary revolution

The passing of celebrated Kenyan writer and scholar Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o on 28 May 2025 marks the end of a remarkable period in African literary history – the fabulous decades in the second half of the 20th century when African writers came to command the world stage.

The Conversation · Jun 12, 2025

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o obituary

Distinguished Kenyan novelist, poet and academic who championed writing in African languages rather than in English

The Guardian - UK · Jun 8, 2025

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

Widely regarded as east Africa's most influential writer, Ngũgĩ’s fiction and nonfiction books traced his country's history from British imperialism to home-ruled tyranny and challenged not only the stories told but the language used to tell them.

Euronews · May 29, 2025

A life in quotes: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

The Kenyan author and political dissident, a giant of African literature and champion of indigenous African languages, died aged 87.

The Guardian - US · May 28, 2025

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Kenyan author and dissident who became a giant of modern literature, dies at 87

One of the world’s most acclaimed writers, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, has died at 87

The Independent UK · May 28, 2025

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, giant of African literature, dies aged 87

Kenyan writer’s death announced by his daughter, who wrote: ‘He lived a full life, fought a good fight’

The Guardian - US · May 28, 2025

Friday essay: a poet, a disciplinarian, an illiterate grandfather – writers reflect on the teachers who shaped them

What does a writer’s education look like? Is it access to books, regular letter-writing, difficulty in childhood (war, illness, a brutal boarding school)? What talent or disposition primes the young writer for their training? In the push and pull of nature versus nurture, a key element is the right teacher,…

The Conversation · Oct 12, 2023

Kiswahili: how a standard version of the east African language was formed – and spread across the world

Kiswahili originated in east Africa, spreading around the continent and the globe. It’s been adopted as a working language at the African Union and there’s a push for it to become Africa’s lingua franca or common language. Morgan J. Robinson is a historian of east Africa with a research focus…

The Conversation · Jul 6, 2023

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: three days with a giant of African literature

The long read: The Kenyan novelist’s life and work has intersected with many of the biggest events of the past century. At 85, he reflects on his long, uncompromising life in writing

The Guardian - UK · Jun 13, 2023