The most powerful read from Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
As Ngugi says, "If you know all the world languages but not your mother tongue, that is enslavement. But if you know your mother tongue and add all the other languages, that is empowerment." This captures his belief that indigenous languages must be preserved, revitalized, and enriched with the knowledge of the 21st century.
Some writers write purely for the sake of writing, their work driven solely by the potential for sales. This is the first level—write a good fiction piece, and it sells. But then there is a second level, where the writer transcends mere entertainment and commercial success, writing with a higher purpose, a mission. Such a writer is Ngugi.
Ngugi’s experience in literature revealed to him the cultural loss Africa was experiencing. He posed a critical question: can an African writer who writes in English truly call their work African?
Ngugi challenges the very essence of identity through language, arguing that language is not just a tool for communication but a vessel for culture, history, and worldview. When African writers express themselves in English, they risk losing the richness, depth, and worldview embedded in their native tongues.
Ngugi calls upon Africans to reclaim their languages in his seminal work "Decolonising the Mind." He argues that language is intimately tied to cultural identity, and by continuing to write in the colonizer’s language, Africans remain mentally and culturally subordinate. As Ngugi says, "If you know all the world languages but not your mother tongue, that is enslavement. But if you know your mother tongue and add all the other languages, that is empowerment." This captures his belief that indigenous languages must be preserved, revitalized, and enriched with the knowledge of the 21st century.
Ngugi draws an illuminating parallel between Africa’s current linguistic situation and Europe’s past. He points out that there was a time when Latin had "colonized" Europe, dominating intellectual and cultural discourse.
It was only after Europe abandoned Latin and embraced its mother tongues—English, German, Italian, and others—that the Renaissance occurred. This cultural and intellectual flourishing paved the way for the Industrial Revolution, fundamentally transforming Europe.
Ngugi argues that Africa, too, can have its own cultural renaissance if it returns to its indigenous languages. Just as Europe was able to unlock its potential by embracing its own languages, Africa can also chart its own course by empowering African languages.
For Ngugi, language is more than a preference; it is deeply tied to identity and empowerment. Continuing to write in the colonizer’s language perpetuates the intellectual and cultural domination that colonialism left behind. It robs Africa of its voice and cultural soul.
But reclaiming African languages would allow the continent to write its own stories, reflect its own experiences, and shape its own future without the filter of foreign tongues.
Ngugi’s decision to write in Gikuyu was not just an artistic choice—it was a political act of resistance. "The languages of power in most post-colonial African countries are still European languages," he notes. By reclaiming African languages, Ngugi believes African writers and thinkers can break free from the colonial mindset that prioritizes foreign validation. Writing in native languages reconnects Africans with their history, oral traditions, and cultural identity, creating a literature that truly reflects African realities.
Ngugi’s work powerfully reminds us that language shapes how we see the world. We can reclaim our stories, identities, and futures by reclaiming our languages. For Ngugi, this isn't just a literary argument; it’s a call to cultural awakening and empowerment. So when he asks if an African writer can truly call their work African when written in English, he is challenging whether that writer can fully capture the African experience without the cultural and linguistic framework that only native languages provide.
In essence, Ngugi’s vision is of a culturally liberated Africa that learns from history, embraces its languages, and steps into the future with its own voice.
He reminds us that, just like Europe’s Renaissance, Africa’s cultural rebirth may very well begin when we reclaim the languages that reflect our true selves.
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