Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, the towering Kenyan writer, playwright, and post-colonial theorist, exceeded away on May 28, 2025, on the age of 87.
Recognised globally for his effective political voice and literary improvements, Ngũgĩ devoted his lifestyles to championing African languages, tradition, and liberation via his massive works.
His death marks the cease of an era in the African literary community and past.
Born James Ngugi in 1938 in Kamiriithu, close to Limuru, Kenya, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o entered a world defined by way of British colonial rule.
His upbringing unfolded within a massive Kikuyu own family, deeply encouraged by means of the tumultuous Mau Mau Uprising, which spanned from 1952 to 1962.
This length of extreme conflict was now not simply a historical backdrop; it profoundly fashioned his early life and future literary endeavours.
The Mau Mau War of Independence left an indelible mark on Ngũgĩ’s private lifestyles.
He witnessed giant struggling within his own family: of his brothers were killed, and his mother endured torture. His family home became razed to the floor, and some other brother, concerned in the insurgency, changed into captured by using British forces and sent to a concentration camp.
