Katjavivi pays tribute to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Former speaker of parliament Peter Katjavivi has paid an emotional tribute to celebrated Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who died on 28 May at the age of 87.

“It is with a deep sense of sorrow and sadness that I learnt of the passing of a dear friend and renowned leading novelist, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o,” Katjavivi says.

He also reflects on his friendship with the famed decoloniality author whose career spanned nearly six decades.

Their first encounter came in 1967, during a solidarity tour of Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.

“I met him for the first time as part of a group of dedicated writers and activists… to experience firsthand the suffering caused by armed conflict,” he says.

Katjavivi, representing Swapo, was joined by other liberation movements, including South Africa’s African National Congress and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

“The workshop attracted renowned writers from across the world like Ngũgĩ and activists, among whom was the distinguished writer Ruth First.”

In 1982, the two met again at Oxford University.

“He gave us a personally signed copy of his famous book, ‘Devil on the Cross’. He dedicated the copy. . . to the war memories we shared earlier in Lebanon and Damascus,” Katjavivi says.

The novel, written in prison on sheets of toilet paper, marked a turning point in Ngũgĩ’s literary journey.

“’Devil on the Cross’ particularly stands out because it was his last novel written in English before he fully committed to writing in his native Gikuyu language as a form of literary resistance.”

Katjavivi also describes Ngũgĩ as “one of the giants whose powerful pen elevated him to one of the top African writers of his generation.”

“We bid him farewell with warm hearts,” he says. “May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

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