The River Between

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a prominent Kenyan writer and academic known for using his literary works to explore the effects of colonialism on African society and culture. Born in Limuru to a large Agikuyu family in 1938, Ngugi followed his mother’s urging and enrolled in a renowned boarding school at the age of 17. During this time, he wrote pieces lauding Christianity and the British education system, but his early literary works were still critical of the authoritarian control and violence of colonialism, and his early youth was characterized by hardship due to British colonial rule. Ngugi began his literary career by writing novels in English under his birth name of James Ngugi; later, he chose to write in his native Gikuyu, using the name Ngugi wa Thiong’o (which means “Ngugi, son of Thiong’o”). This shift was prompted by his one-year stint in a Kenyan federal prison: punishment for co-writing a play in Gikuyu. After fleeing Kenya, he eventually settled in Irvine, California and has taught at several prestigious American universities. Now, he is translating his early works from English into Gikuyu.

Many African authors write in English in part because it is considered the official language for many African nations. More importantly, writing in English allows accessibility to international readers and offers African writers a greater chance for acclaim and recognition. Underlying this trend is the question of whether an African author can become successful while only writing in their native African language, and Ngugi’s response to this debate is to write in Gikuyu for the freedom it brings him, as well as to elevate the importance of his audience. He does not want to write only for the English-speaking elite, nor does he wish to elevate English at the expense of Gikuyu and make his writing inaccessible to his own people. His decision to eschew English therefore demonstrates his belief in the need to decolonize Kenya’s educational, cultural, and literary circles, for in a post-independence Kenya, English still dominates the school system. Ngugi, a passionate critic of postcolonial Kenya, fought for African literature to be taught at the University of Nairobi rather than English literature. 

Ngugi’s thematic focus also evolved as he shifted to a more critical perspective of the British school system, the prevalent use of English in Kenya, and the country’s postcolonial government. In The River Between, schools are presented as places of anticolonial resistance that act as antidotes to colonial dominance and the threat of cultural disintegration. Throughout the novel, Waiyaki, the protagonist, admits that the schools are the “white man’s tools,” but he also believes that these tools can be used to improve the tribe as well as to protect the Gikuyu from European exploitation. This idea is a significant notion in The River Between, for Waiyaki adheres to the belief that communal unity is necessary for education to spread, prosper, and fortify the people. He does not believe in the incompatibility of European education and Gikuyu self-determination; instead, he believes they complement one another. However, unlike the underlying message of The River Between, Ngugi’s later works do not view education as an instrument toward decolonization or freedom, nor do they entertain a blended ideal wherein European beliefs and Gikuyu traditions coexist peacefully within Kenyan society. Ultimately, Ngugi’s work is characterized by a pattern of messianic narratives and heroic, savior-like protagonists who are rarely, if ever, successful in realizing their ideals.