Prisoner of the State, a revolutionary in exile: The enduring voice of Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

His controversial books and plays—which often ruffled feathers within Kenya’s power structure—led to his arrest, detention, and a forced exile that lasted 22 years.

It is this opposition to oppressive regimes that forced him to spend nearly half of his life outside the country.

Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, widely regarded as a titan of African literature, fearlessly spoke truth to power—from Kenya’s founding president Jomo Kenyatta to his successor, Daniel arap Moi.

His friends and associates say works such as ‘evil on the Cross were not only critical of his time, but prophetic—capturing the continued detachment of the political class from ordinary citizens, and a legacy of repressive policies and corruption that still plague the country today.

Devil on the Cross. Petals of Blood. I Will Marry When I Want. Weep Not, My Child - these are just a few of the literary works by Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o that rubbed the powers that be the wrong way.

Arrested, imprisoned, and forced into exile, the towering scholar and writer’s life stood as a testament to resilience and intellectual courage.

Some of his close friends, students, and associates are reflecting on his most controversial books and plays—works that mirror the current state of affairs in the country.

“There was Shaitani Mutharaba-Ini, The Devil on the Cross, which was an allegory of the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, but you have all criminals up on the cross… all the crooked elements in Ngugi’s fiction appear to be evoked in the leadership we are anticipating. The decay and the decadence of the Kenyan state where the lines between right and wrong, corruption and propriety appear to be blurred,” said Prof. Peter Kimani.

Writer Barack Muluka, on his part, added: “In Petals of Blood some things eat, and others are eaten. And in society you have to know whether you are the things that are eaten or…”

His play, I Will Marry When I Want, which was denied a chance at the national stage, angered the founding president Jomo Kenyatta, leading to his arrest and subsequent exile.

“They built a community theater where it was disrupted by the state. Ngugi was detained without trial for one year,” added Prof. Kimani.

Muluka stated: “It is a misconception that he criticized the government… he just goes out and takes a photograph and says this is how it looks like.”

And though thousands of kilometers away from Kenya, his remarks struck close to home, as he continued to condemn excesses—including the recent deportation of Kenyans from Tanzania.

“I spoke to him last Sunday… I remembered and he said that was a betrayal of the Pan-African ideals of Julius Nyerere,” recalls Prof. Kimani.

As the curtain falls on the titan of African literature, his literary legacy and vast wealth of wisdom will echo through generations.