Orality and Written Word in the Age of Globalization: The Case of Ngugi wa Thiong'os Kikuyu Novels

Abstract

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o is one of the foremost post-independence novelists in Africa. His novels include, Weep Not Child (1964), The River Between (1965), A Grain of Wheat (1967), Petals of Blood (1977), Devil on the Cross (1983), Matigari (1987), and The Wizard of the Crow (2007).Since 1978. Wa Thiong’o vowed that he would create artistic works only in his vernacular language, Kikuyu. Consequently, his last three novels mentioned above and a number of children’s stories have all been published in Kikuyu language. Our paper discusses the interface of the oral and the written in his last three novels. The novels were all first published in Kikuyu language before being translated into English. They were originally published as Caitaani Mutharaba-ini (1980), Matigari Ma Njirungi (1986), and Murogi Wa Kagogo (2004).In our analysis, we discuss the influence of indigenous Kikuyu folklore on the narrative strategies and thematic conceptualization of these novels. The paper further discusses how the folkloristic material is used to interrogate and communicate to the reader the new realities of globalization. The paper in effect assesses the extent to which the Kikuyu folkloristic tradition has contributed to the greatness of the works even in their translated forms.