Jalada Africa Joins the World to Mourn Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1938 – 2025)

All of us at Jalada are deeply saddened to mark the passing of Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1938—2025). Ngũgĩ was not only a pioneering figure in African literature; his work also transformed the field of Africana studies and spoke strongly for Africanist historiography on equal terms within the larger corpus of global ideas.

A fierce advocate for linguistic decolonisation and cultural sovereignty, Ngũgĩ championed the use of African languages in literature and scholarship, arguing that true liberation could only come through reclaiming the tools of expression from colonial domination.

Jalada was fortunate to work with Ngũgĩ on our first Translation Project in 2016. Ngugi provided an original fable, ‘Ituĩka Rĩa Mũrũngarũ: Kana Kĩrĩa Gĩtũmaga Andũ Mathiĩ Marũngiĩ’ (originally in Gikuyu, with an English translation). Curated by then Managing Editor, Munyao Kilolo, the project translated ‘Ituĩka Rĩa. ..’ into over 100 languages—and counting. Throughout the process, Ngũgĩ was exceedingly warm with us and generous with his time and his contacts, always willing to lend a hand to the Collective’s effort of reaching a ‘century’ of translations.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1938 – 2025)

As Jalada joins the many worlds he impacted in marking the passing of a truly great writer, we hope to continue to pay homage to the man in ways he was proud of.

Rest well, Ngũgĩ.