The Language of African Literature is an excerpt from Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (1986) by Ngugi, which urges African writers to write in their native languages rather than in English.
The essay begins by describing a conference of African writers who used English as a medium of expression in Africa. Surprisingly, it did not include the majority of works written in African languages. Ngũgĩ explains how English became the dominant language in Africa, with the belief that it could unite people who spoke many different languages and serve as a tool against colonisers. He quotes Chinua Achebe, who felt conflicted about abandoning his mother tongue, feeling guilty, but believing it was necessary to use English to express himself.
Ngũgĩ criticises African writers for being weak in defending their native languages but strong in promoting English and other foreign languages. He states that the coloniser’s language was a tool of power that made Africans prisoners in their own land. Physical force was used to subjugate people, while language was a means of spiritual subjugation.
He shares his experience growing up in a place where the native language, Gikuyu, was a strong cultural force. People spoke it in the fields and at home, and in storytelling, with riddles and proverbs. It was an important art that strengthened their spirit. Initially, colonial schools taught the Gikuyu language, so there was harmony. But after the 1952 State emergency, English became the language of education. Other languages were forced to give way. Children caught speaking Gikuyu were punished with corporal punishment and had to wear metal plates saying “I am stupid” or “I am a donkey.” English, on the other hand, was rewarded with prizes, prestige, and respect, seen as a sign of intelligence and success. This led to the decline of orature (oral literature) in Kenyan languages.
Ngũgĩ concludes by saying that the English language and literature pushed Africans further from their own culture and world, leading them to other alien worlds.
A Postcolonial reading
Language serves two key roles: communication (helping people work together) and culture (carrying ideas, history, wisdom, and shaping identity). When colonial powers seized control of native languages, it caused colonial alienation. Africans became torn between two worlds. They began to see themselves through the eyes of others, feeling ashamed of their mother tongue, people, and culture. This cut them off from their roots, preventing them from helping their communities break free from neo-colonial control. The colonised either ends up serving a foreign culture or sinking into despair and bitterness.
Ngũgĩ emphasises that language is inextricably linked to identity and liberation. To reclaim African identity and culture, there must be a return to writing and speaking in native languages.
The essay by Ngugi is a powerful piece of postcolonial literature, a critique of linguistic imperialism and a call for African writers to reclaim their languages to preserve their culture, resist colonial domination, and achieve true freedom.
WORKS CITED
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. Heinemann, 1986.
Thiongo Wa Ngugi The language of African Literature. https://newleftreview.org/issues/i150/articles/thiongo-ngugi-wa-the-language-of-african-literature
Thiongo Wa Ngugi https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ngugi-wa-Thiongo
Ngugi Wa Thiongo https://ngugiwathiongo.com/
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
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