The Language of African Literature
(Decolonising the Mind)
- Ngugi Wa’ Thiong’o
About the Author:
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o born 5 January 1938) is a Kenyan writer. He was writing formerly 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.
Some of his famous works :
Novels: Weep not Child; The River Between; A Grain of Wheat; Petals of Blood
Short Story collections: A Meeting in the Dark; Secret Lives and other Stories
Plays: The Black Hermit; This Time tomorrow;
Essays: Home Coming: Essays on African and Caribbean Literature, culture, and Politics; Writers in Politics: Essays; Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature; Moving the Centre: The struggle for Cultural freedom;
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Summary of the Essay: “The Language of African Literature” (Decolonising the Mind)
“Decolonising the Mind” is an essay written by Kenyan born English writer Ngugi Wa Thiongo. This essay describes how colonial system of education takes the native child away from his culture and language.
The writer was born into a large family. He enjoyed the stories in his native language ‘Gikuyu’. The stories were full of animals, good and bad men as their characters. Through his native tongue, he shared the harmony with his family and community But, the harmony was broken by colonial intervention. The colonial system of education showers praise and recognition to those who excelled in the English language. Thus, the system transports the child further and further away from his culture. The system discouraged the use of a student’s mother tongue in school by severely punishing those who did.
The author asks the African writers to express in their native languages, rather than in European languages. This will help them renounce lingering colonial ties and build an authentic African literature. Despite heavy opposition, the author himself chose to write in ‘Gikuyu’. His literature forms part and parcel of the Kenyan and African people’s anti-imperialist struggles.
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NOOJILLA SRINIVAS
Lecturer in English,
Govt. Degree College,
Alamuru.
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