Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Makerere University (+ Peter Nazareth)

[V M]

I was delighted to find the mention of Peter Nazareth, and an
evocation of the heady post-colonial idealism at Makerere University,
in this fine #longread profile of the great Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/13/ngugi-wa-thiongo-kenyan-novelist-profile-giant-of-africa-literature

[Frederick FN Noronha]

In the second volume of Ngugi's memoirs called "Birth of the Dream
Weaver", subtitled "A Writer's Awakening" that is set in Makerere,
Ngugi says a lot about Peter.  The music he played at the University,
his writing and performing in a play, Peter's writing a critique of his
play "The Black Hermit" produced at the National Theater, and more,
including references to Peter's two novels.

In Chapter 1 Page 1, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o writes: "Peter Nazareth might
have understood. Though a year ahead of me in college, he was actually
the younger by two years; he was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1940 and
I in Limuru, Kenya, in 1938. We had worked together for Penpoint, the
literary magazine of the Department of English, but he had just
graduated, having passed the editorship on to me. So I communed with
myself, alone, trying to rally my nerves in a reality I felt helpless
to alter. My one-act play, The Wound in the Heart, would not be
allowed at the Kampala National Theater in the annual nationwide drama
festival...."

The full-text of this 254-page book is available here:
http://www.sunchina.co.uk/books/ngugi/birthofadreamweaver.pdf

FN

[Jeanne Hromnik]

Thanks for this pdf, Frederick. Much appreciated! And Vivek for this fine essay by Carey Baraka.

Here we are, Ngugi languishing in balmy California, Carey in cold and windy Iowa ... and me in chilly, rainy, windy Cape Town. And how sad is that?

Then there's Peter Nazareth, somewhere in Iowa I think. But he's an ex-Ugandan, not a Kenyan in voluntary exile.

As for the Nobel prize, Ngugi's writing disappoints in translation but triumphs in the original. As he says, how could he create authentic  characters speaking perfect or even imperfect English.

Xxj

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