Decolonising the Mind - Essay - Ngugi Wa Thiongo - Notes - SUMMARY

Decolonising the Mind

n  Ngugi Wa Thiongo

“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

M: 7981862200

email: noojillasrinivas@gmail.com