DeColonizing the Mind Summary
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

DeColonizing the Mind Overview

In Decolonizing the Mind, a collection of four essays, author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o bids his farewell to English and explains why he has decided to write in his native tongues, Gĩkũyũ and Swahili. The author argues that by continuing to write in English, French or Portuguese, Africans—as well as African literature, history, and culture—remain subject to foreign domination, neocolonialism and imperialism. By writing in their native languages, African writers can further the global fight against colonialism. In its approach to the “language question,” this collection of essays also includes themes of revolution, national and linguistic identity, cultural difference, and education.