The Africanist Podcast
Decolonizing the Mind: In Conversation with Ngūgī wa Thiong’o artwork

Decolonizing the Mind: In Conversation with Ngūgī wa Thiong’o

The Africanist Podcast
E3001:09:42
Play episode

Show notes

In this episode, renowned Kenyan writer and thinker Ngūgī wa Thiong’o discusses crucial issues in African literature including the 1962 African Writers Conference in Kampala, language use and the specter of (neo)colonialism in literary productions and African development. He also talks about sociopolitical issues in contemporary Africa as well as personal challenges he’s faced in the past few years. Co-Host: Dr. Baba Badji (Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of French and the Department of English, Rutgers University)  Music by Xuman and Keyti. We thank Xuman and Keyti of the Journal Rappé for allowing us to use the songs below in this episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9edJOJa_O4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5MZnUbygGo

More from this show

More
  1. Hospitality and Power in the Teranga Republic

    In this episode of The Africanist Podcast, host Bamba Ndiaye sits down with Dr. Emily Jinan Riley of El Colegio de México to explore her groundbreaking book, Teraanga Republic (Ind…

    E4751:53
  2. Mapping Defiance: Dr. Mark Deets on the Casamance Conflict

    This episode of The Africanist Podcast features a rich and thought‑provoking conversation with Dr. Mark Deets of the American University in Cairo, whose award‑winning monograph A C…

    E4601:08:01
  3. Tanzania’s Political Crisis: State, Protest, and Consequences

    In this installment of our series Podcasting African Democracy, we sit down with Dr. Aikande Kwayu to unpack the turbulent aftermath of Tanzania’s recent presidential election. Mar…

    E4501:07:39
  4. Textual Life: Shaykh Musa Kamara and the Politics of Knowledge

    In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Wendell H. Marsh (Mohammad VI Polytechnic University) to explore his groundbreaking book Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Huma…

    E4458:04
  5. Insistent Presence: Reimagining the Human Figure, Histories & Identities

    In this episode, Ph.D candidate, (in Art History) Margaret Nagawa discusses "Insistent Presence", her curated exhibition at Emory University's Michael Carlos Museum. "Drawn from th…

    E4347:30
  6. Taxed to the Limit: Kenya’s Youth Uprising and the Fight for Economic Justice

    This episode is the first installment of a new series entitled Podcasting African Democracy. It was recorded on August 5th, 2025. In this episode, we speak with Wairimu Gathimba —…

    E4247:04
Now Playing
Decolonizing the Mind: In Conversation with Ngūgī wa Thiong’o — The Africanist Podcast | Josplay Music