Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o to Receive Honorary Doctorate from Uni of Bayreuth

The University of Bayreuth will honour our Kenyan literary genius, critic and writer, Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o with an honorary doctorate.

After a nomination by the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), What many don’t know is that a large part of Ngũgĩ’s book, Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (1986) was written during his research period at the University of Bayreuth in 1984.

In the certificate that will be handed to Ngũgĩ, on May 3rd:

„Die Universität Bayreuth verleiht durch die Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) Herrn Professor Dr. h.c. mult. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o den akademischen Grad eines Doktors der Philosophie ehrenhalber (Dr. phil. h.c.) in Würdigung seiner herausragenden Verdienste um die Profilierung der afrikanischen Literaturen, insbesondere der Literaturen in afrikanischen Sprachen. Sein Œuvre reflektiert sprachliche, literarische, kulturelle und kulturwissenschaftliche, historische und philosophische Fragestellungen in ihrem wechselseitigen Zusammenhang. Sowohl in wissenschaftlicher als auch in soziopolitischer Hinsicht haben seine Schriften einen grundlegenden Perspektivenwechsel in Bezug auf das Verhältnis zwischen Afrika und der Welt eröffnet.“

“The University of Bayreuth on behalf of the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), awards Professor Dr. h.c. mult. Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the academic honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. phil. h.c.) commending his outstanding contribution to the profiling of African literatures, especially the literatures in African languages His oeuvre reflect linguistic, literary, cultural and cultural-scientific, historical and philosophical issues in their mutual context. Both in scientific as well as in socio-political terms, his writings have opened a fundamental change in perspective in terms of the relationship between Africa and the world. “

Ngũgĩ remains the only African writer celebrated around the world while only writing in his mother tongue, Kikuyu. He started solely writing in Kikuyu in the 80s. Today he lives in the US and works as a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of  California, Irvine (UCI).

The award ceremony will take place

When: Monday, 5 May 2014 at 4:30 pm

Where: University of Bayreuth campus, H 24, Building Rechtswissenschaften I (Legal Studies)

To register to attend the event, click here.