Re-membering Africa

Over centuries of contact with the west, Africa has suffered the deprivations of slavery, colonialism and globalization. An integral part of this tragic encounter has been Europhonism: the replacement of native names and language systems with European ones. Language is a communal memory bank. In losing its native languages, Africa would lose its social memory- its very identity. Acclaimed novelist and critic, Ngug wa Thiong'o traces the arc of Africa's fragmentation and restoration amidst the global history of colonialism and modernity. Seeking a revitalization of Africa, Ngug argues that a renaissance of African languages is a necessary step in the restoration of African wholeness. In Re-membering Africa, Ngug seeks to save Africa's cultural identity in the modern world. Ngug wa Thiong'o, has been Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature and Director of the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine, is recipient of many honours, including seven honorary doctorates from Universities in Africa, America, Europe and New Zealand. He is also an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The distinguished lectures he has delivered include the 1984 Robb Lectures in Auckland University in New Zealand; the1996 Clarendon Lectures in English at Oxford University; and the 1999 Ashby Lecture in Cambridge. Re-membering Africa is a compilation of the 2006 MacMillan-Stewart Lectures he delivered at Harvard, and later at the University of Nairobi. Ngug 's novels include Weep Not, Child; The River Between; A Grain of Wheat; Petals of Blood; Devil on the Cross; Matigari and Wizard of the Crow. He has also written the plays, The Black Hermit and co-authored I Will Marry When I Want (with Ngug wa M ri ) and The Trial of Dedan Kimathi (with M cere Mugo). The other creative work is his collection of short stories, Secret Lives. His collection of critical essays include: Decolonising the Mind; Moving the Center; Writers in Politics and Penpoints Gunpoints and Dreams.