Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a Kenyan writer
Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a Kenyan writer, whose books have played a massive role in shaping me to be the person I am today. Ngugi writes primarily in his native language, Gikuyu, and has written both plays, essays, novels, social criticism, and, short stories. Being a Kenyan born personality, Ngugi depicts numerous characteristics of the ordinary Kenyan person and thus using him to make this would prove fruitful. Going through the Kenyan education system, Ngugi later emerged to be one of the most prominent people in the literature world. These two countries have entirely different cultures, with very few similarities on the cultural background.
Kenya and the U.S. have varied cultural values, norms, beliefs, religion, language, food, and other cultural aspects. However, these two cultures share distinct similarities with both countries being former colonies of Britain. In religion, Kenya consists of three main religions, whereby Christianity is the widespread religion, with Islam comprising of a small population in the country, and traditional religions also taking part in the country’s religious context (A.U. Nairobi, 2016, 1). The U.S., like Kenya, is a Christian dominated nation, with other religions comprising of small percentages.
A.U. Nairobi (2016, 2), presents the language context of the country, with most people in the country mastering more than three languages. Swahili is the most spoken language in the country, with English being used in formal situations. Unlike in my cultural context where English is the primary language, Ngugi’s background is varied. Ngugi notes that he can fluently speak Swahili and English, the country’s official language, and Kikuyu, his native language. With more than forty-two native languages, the country is widely diverse, yet united by Swahili and English language. Thus my culture and Ngugi’s culture differ hugely in the Language context.
Food and food culture are critical aspects of any culture in the world. The Kenyan and American food culture differ in tastes and styles. Kenyans make meals for family socialization, gathering, and celebration, which is slightly different to the situation in the U.S. In my culture, meals are often prepared for family gatherings, but these meals are often rushed. However, as Ngugi notes, most food styles in the country have been diluted by the British culture, with most foods corresponding to the British way of life.
Socio-economic factors also contribute significantly to the cultural context of any nation. My country, for instance, is a developed nation, which affects the cultural context of the citizens in the country. Kenya in a middle-income nation, a factor which affects the livelihoods of most Kenyans, including my friend Ngugi. Most Kenyans are low and middle-income earners, with the male gender dominating in the employment sector. Gender equity in my cultural background defines the roles of the various genders whereby both men and women are in all sectors in the U.S. However, Ngugi notes that in Kenya, women are mostly found in family chores, with men occupying most employment sectors. Man is the head of the family in Ngugi’s background, while in my culture, both a man and a woman can be the head of the family.
Role of Education in the Society
The Kenyan government adopted an 8-44 system of education in 1985, replacing the British 7-4-2-3 model (Clark, 2015). Eight years are spend in primary education, four years in high schools and four years in tertiary institutions. Lower education covers pupils from class one up to class three. Middle primary education covers classes four and five, while upper primary education covers classes six to eight. Just like in the U.S., education in Kenya plays a significant role in shaping society. The education sector in Kenya, according to Clark, (2015, 2) is the basis for morals, beliefs, and the country’s cultural context.
The country focuses on equipping its citizens with critical life skills taught in schools. The school curriculum gives weight to technical aspects of life as stated in Clark, (2015, 3). Kenya National Examination Council conducts transitional exams for students to complete primary and secondary education. Thus based on this testing mode, it is evident that the country’s education sector focuses on concept understanding, and mastery of skills taught in the classes. The exams cover a small percentage of the covered topics, and thus most concepts are taught for application in life. Essentially the Kenyan education system is crucial to the society because it provides it with critical information applicable in life.
Biography
Ngugi was born in 1938, in Kenya’s former Central Province, during the colonial era. Ngugi grew in this locality, and subsequently attending Alliance High School, a missionary school in the country, before proceeding to Makerere University in Uganda between 1959 and 1963. He then attained his B.A. from Leeds University, Yorkshire, in 1964 (Ravenscroft, 2020, 1). Ngugi started his career as a columnist in Kenya’s Daily Nation where he worked until 1965. Ngugi then became an editor at Zuka, a Nairobi based news outlet. Between 1969 and 1970, Ngugi was an English Lecturer at Nairobi University College. Ngugi also taught at various other universities including; Makerere University, Northwestern University, Illinois, and became an associate professor in the Literature Department in The Nairobi University, between 1972 and 1977. Ngugi was subsequently arrested in 1977 for addressing political injustices in the country (Ravenscroft, 2020, 1). In 1982, Ngugi left Kenya and lives in London up to date.
Ngugi is a fearless man because he dared write about the political injustices in Kenya at a period when media freedom was limited. Throughout his life, Ngugi has been of positive impact on people in Kenya and the world. Through his writings, Kenyans were inspired to rally against the one-party rule that threatened Kenya’s democracy. Ngugi’s life would have been different if it were not for the various social injustices he witnessed in his young age (Ravenscroft, 2020, 1). During his early stages of development, Kenya was a British colony, and the Colonial masters were oppressive towards the natives. Growing up, Ngugi had to condemn all forms of injustices in society, and this widely contributed to his eventual exiling from the country.
Ngugi’s life ha helped me much in understanding local and global influences on education. Having studied in three countries, Ngugi depicts the cultural affiliations of these three countries. Kenya and Uganda share most cultural background; thus studying in Uganda did not affect him much. Ngugi studied in London, England, and this was reflected in his career as an editor. Ngugi was able to acquire knowledge through globalization, whereby he used the knowledge to impact the people in his native country. Colonization played a crucial role in Ngugi’s educational journey, with the colonial government introducing education in Kenya. Today, the education system greatly reflects the British education system; thus, posy-colonialism is depicted in the Kenyan education sector.