The language warrior

On March 7 one of Africa's greatest living writers Ngugi wa Thiong'o launched his memoir titled, Dreams in time of war - A childhood memoir, in London.

It is an irony that Ngugi who has in almost all his works railed against colonialism is launching his book in one of the world's biggest capital of colonialism. Britain was one of the leading countries that imposed its rule of force not only in Africa but also as far as Asia. The result of that is what is today called the Commonwealth, a society that unites all countries formerly colonised by it.

The reason why Ngugi had to unveil his new book in London is clear to all those who are familiar with his writings and life. He is in Kenya, his home country, almost a persona non grata based on his ideology and opposition to his country's repressive rule. Because most African governments brook no opposition Ngugi had no choice but to vote with his feet after he was released from a long incarceration by the government of Daniel arap Moi. The full story is told in his earlier memoir, Detained:

A writer's prison diary Ngugi is an unrepentant and rabid critic of the British colonialists and has in his numerous novels and plays showed that he is opposed to the brutal tactics used by the colonial power to subdue the Mau Mau rebellion in his home country.

It is a salute to the spirit of freedom that Britain despite being at the receiving end of Ngugi's and other African writers' hot criticism has never thought of banning them from its soil. It is this large spirit and the heart to accommodate opposition that Africa has to learn from the West. Ngugi's attempt to return home a few years ago led to his being robbed and his wife raped.

In the African literary pantheon his place is enviable. Several years ago he brought a new dimension to the issue of language when he decided that he would no longer write in English but in his native Gikuyu which is spoken in his country and a few other countries in East Africa. His decision did not go down well with some critics and fellow writers who feel he has taken the fight against colonialism too far. However, in defending his choice he has consistently argued that language is a weapon of colonialism, just as names are.

Recently he was quoted as saying, ‘"There's nothing wrong with the English language. The power relationship between languages is what we're talking about. I'm talking about the decolonising of the power relationship in the world. I believe in it even more firmly than ever before." In agreeing with him, we must emphasise that a lot of the middle class in Nigeria today have discouraged their wards from speaking Nigerian languages because of the wrong belief that they would be deficient in English. In spite of the fact that research has proved this to be untrue we persist in this ignorance.

As a writer, one has a choice of what language to write in.

But as Ngugi continues to argue, it is important to develop and enrich our local languages. Today, Russian writers are popular around the world and most of them wrote in their native languages. This has gone to show that any good book written in whatever language will attract translators and win worldwide appeal. Ngugi decided to write in Gikuyu because of the effectsthe play, I'll Marry When I Want, which he co-wrote with Micere Mugo, in his native tongue received in Kenya in the eighties. It was banned by the government because more people understood it more than they did his other writings in English. Now he writes in Gikuyu and translates to English. What this means is that his English readers will not miss out because they can still read his translations.

The lesson for us as Nigerians is that we must go back to the research by Professor Babatunde Fafunwa, a former minister of education that showed indigenous languages are the best to use to teach our children.

Ngugi's choice to write in Gikuyu has not in any way reduced his status in world's literary firmament.