This country, our country, is pregnant. What it will give b… - Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

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This country, our country, is pregnant. What it will give birth to, only God knows...Imagine! the children of us workers are fated to stay out in the sun, thirsty, hungry, naked, gazing at fruit ripening on trees which they can't pick even to quieten a demanding belly! Fated to see food steaming in the pantry, but unable to dip a calabash in to the pot to scoop out even a tiny portion! Fated to lie awake all night telling each another stories about tears and sorrow, asking one another to guess the same riddle day after day: 'Oh, for a piece of one of those!'

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

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About Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (5 January 1938 – 28 May 2025) was a Kenyan author of fiction and nonfiction. He used to publish in the English language but later primarily wrote in his native language of Gikuyu. He often wrote on topics regarding colonialism, language, and theatre.

Also Known As

Alternative Names: James Ngugi • James Thiong'o Ngugi • Ngugi wa Thiong'o • Ngugi wa Thiongo

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Additional quotes by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

I am human, i am a human being, a soul, and not a piece of garbage, no matter how poor and ragged I look, and I deserve respect, he heard himself say, time and again as he descended to and repossessed his body."

Our fathers fought bravely. But do you know the biggest weapon unleashed by the enemy against them? It was not the Maxim gun. It was division among them. Why? Because a people united in faith are stronger than the bomb.

As for carrying a gun for the whiteman, well, a time will come when you too will know that every man in the world is alone, and fights alone, to live.”

This country, our country, is pregnant. What it will give birth to, only God knows...Imagine! the children of us workers are fated to stay out in the… - Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

About Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

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