Celebrated Kenyan writer and language activist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has passed away at the age of 87. His family confirmed the news on Wednesday, May 28, with his daughter Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ calling it “a heavy loss” for their family and the literary world.
Ngũgĩ was a pioneer of African literature, best known for novels such as Weep Not, Child, A Grain of Wheat, and Petals of Blood. He was also a vocal advocate for African languages and cultural identity, famously choosing to write in his native Gikuyu after years of publishing in English.
His activism and critique of political oppression led to his imprisonment in Kenya in the 1970s, after which he lived in exile in the U.S. and the U.K. He later became a professor at the University of California, Irvine, where he continued his work in literature and decolonial theory.
Tributes have poured in from across the globe, with Kenyan leaders and fellow writers honoring him as a literary giant and fearless defender of African voices. Ngũgĩ is survived by his wife, Njeeri, and their children.
