Tag Archives : Colonialism

Ngugi wa Thiong’o successfully wrote in English but eventually turned to writing in Gikuyu, his mother tongue. He wants other writers to follow his example. ‘Decolonising the Mind’ is both an explanation of how he eventually decided to write in Gikuyu, as well as an encouragement for African writers to write in their native languages. Ngugi [...]

Slavery and colonialism did not leave the African continent even during the age of post-colonial Africa. The establishment of an African bourgeoisie did not help the traditionalist view any. This African middle class has viewed their native languages as “shameful,” “inelegant,” and “incapable of expressing scientific or [...]

The very definition of African literature can be fodder to endless debate. What qualifies as African literature, anyway? For starters, what is indigenous literature, in the first place? The polemics in the debate contains the two most important factors: is African literature about Africa or the African experience? Are the writings of an African who [...]

Indian writers who wrote in English about a century ago were largely neglected or looked down upon by other Indian writers as well as English writers. The writers who wrote in vernacular languages had a sort of contempt towards those who wrote in English. We must note that vernacular writing was both religious and secular. But, much of the writing in [...]