Ever felt like the way you speak doesn't actually match who you are? Or maybe you've noticed how certain languages carry a "prestige" that others just don't, for no obvious reason? Honestly, if you've ever tucked away your native slang to sound more "professional," you've already stepped into the world of Ngugi wa Thiong'o.
In 1986, Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o dropped a book that basically set the academic world on fire: Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. It wasn't just another dry textbook. It was a manifesto. A breakup letter to the English language. A call to arms for anyone who felt their culture was being erased by the very words they were forced to use.
The "Cultural Bomb" and Your Brain
Ngugi uses this heavy term: the "cultural bomb." Sounds dramatic, right? But he’s dead serious. He argues that the biggest weapon of colonialism wasn't just the guns or the borders. It was the control of the "mental universe."
When a colonial power imposes its language—English, French, Portuguese—on a people, they aren't just teaching a new vocabulary. They are dropping a bomb that "annihilates a people's belief in their names, in their languages, in their environment."
Basically, if the only books you read that are considered "good" are written in a foreign tongue, you start to think your own life, your own songs, and your own mother's stories are somehow "less than." You begin to see the world through the colonizer's eyes. You become a stranger to yourself.
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Why Ngugi Quit English (Literally)
Imagine being a world-famous author, a Nobel Prize contender, and then just... stopping.
That’s what Ngugi did. After years of writing hit novels like A Grain of Wheat in English, he announced in Decolonising the Mind that he was done. "Farewell to English," he wrote. From then on, it was Gikuyu and Kiswahili all the way.
He didn't do this to be difficult. He did it because he realized that writing about African peasants in the language of the British elite was a contradiction he couldn't live with anymore. He famously wrote his first Gikuyu novel, Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ (Devil on the Cross), on rolls of toilet paper while he was a political prisoner in a maximum-security jail.
Talk about commitment.
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The Big Beef: Ngugi vs. Achebe
You can't talk about decolonizing the mind without mentioning the legendary debate with Chinua Achebe. It’s like the East Coast vs. West Coast rap rivalry, but for literary giants.
- Achebe's Take: He believed you could "Africanize" English. He thought the language was a tool you could bend and break until it carried the weight of the African experience.
- Ngugi's Take: He wasn't buying it. To Ngugi, English is a "parasite." You can’t use the master’s tools to tear down the master’s house. He argued that if you continue to write in European languages, you're just creating "Afro-European" literature, not true African literature.
Neither of them was "wrong," per se. They just had different visions for the future. Achebe wanted to reach a global audience to change their minds; Ngugi wanted to reach his own people to save their souls.
It's Not Just About Africa
While Ngugi’s focus is on Kenya and the wider continent, his ideas have leaked into every corner of the globe. You see it in the "Rhodes Must Fall" movements. You see it in efforts to revive Indigenous languages in Canada and New Zealand. Even in Ireland, where the loss of the Irish language is still a raw wound for many, Ngugi’s words ring true.
When we lose a language, we don't just lose words. We lose a specific way of seeing the stars, a specific rhythm of humor, and a specific connection to the land.
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How to Actually Decolonize Your Own Mind
Look, most of us aren't going to go out and write a novel in a dying dialect tomorrow. But decolonizing the mind isn't just for scholars. It’s a personal vibe check.
- Notice the Hierarchy: Pay attention to which accents or languages you perceive as "intelligent" versus "uneducated." Why is that? (Hint: It’s usually historical baggage, not logic.)
- Consume "Other" Stories: If your bookshelf or Netflix queue is 90% Western, try branching out. And try to find works that were originally written in the author's native tongue, even if you’re reading the translation.
- Validate Your Own Slang: Your "street" talk, your "home" language, your "unprofessional" dialect—that's where the real soul lives. Stop apologizing for it.
- Support Language Revitalization: Whether it's Gaelic, Quechua, or Gikuyu, there are people working to keep these "minority" languages alive. They need more than just "likes"; they need resources and recognition.
Ngugi wa Thiong'o passed away in 2025, but his "cultural bomb" is still ticking. He left us with the realization that true independence isn't just about a flag or a new government. It’s about owning the words you use to describe your own heart.
Start by looking at the books on your shelf. If they all look and sound the same, maybe it's time for a little mental renovation. Read a translated work from a language you've never heard of. It’s a small step, but honestly, that’s how the decolonization of the mind actually begins.