Wa Thiong’o

Imprisoned for his activism in Kenya, adopted as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, spoken of as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize for literature – Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has had a powerful influence in Africa and beyond.

On April 17, he will share his thoughts in a discussion, “The Barrel of a Pen: Politics and Struggle in African Writing,” at 5 p.m. at the Africana Studies and Research Center, 310 Triphammer Road.

Participating in the discussion will be filmmaker Ndirangu Wachanga. Part of his documentary, “Ngugi wa Thiong’o: The River Between Indigenous Languages,” will be screened at the event. Dagmawi Woubshet, associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, will moderate. A book signing will follow, with books provided for sale by Buffalo Street Books.

Wa Thiong’o is a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine. He has written novels, essays, plays and articles in several languages; his most recent publications are “Wizard of the Crow,” “Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance,” “Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir,” “Globalectics: Theory and The Politics of Knowing” and “In the House of the Interpreter.” He is working on his third memoir. Wa Thiong’o has received honors including the 2001 Nonino International Prize for literature and seven honorary doctorates.

Wachanga’s documentary projects seek to preserve East African memory by capturing voices using visual and audio technology. One of his current projects is on the role of clandestine media in Africa’s liberation struggle. He is an associate professor of media studies and information science at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater.

The event is co-sponsored by Cornell’s Africana Studies and Research Center, Creative Writing Program, Department of English, Society for the Humanities and the Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowship.