Ngugi wa Thiong'o tipped to win Nobel Prize for Literature

godfred akoto

October 2, 2017 7:00 AM

The Kenyan author has been a stern advocate of local languages in literature

Kenya’s literary giant Ngugi wa Thiongo is being tipped as the hot favourite for the Nobel Prize for Literature ahead of its announcement this week.

Active since the 70’s,Ngugi has used his words and the stage to push the decolonisation and the liberation of the African mind itself. He was among the first playwrights on the continent to encourage audience participation in his work in a bid to demystify the dramatic process and the stories they sought to tell.

Several newspapers have tipped him as the leading choice after the divisive nomination of US song writer Bob Dylan for the award last year.

His first book, Weep Not, Child was the first English-language novel published by an East African writer and has since become compulsory reading at various levels of eduction in Africa. Since the publication of a Wheat of Grain, he has resorted to publishing in his native language Kikuyu and also edited a journal in the same language called Mutiiri. He has also taught extensively in the United States, with Yale University among his various positions.

godfred akoto