Today, we celebrate the towering legacy of Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a literary giant whose pen has carved indelible marks across the landscape of African literature and consciousness. As we mourn his demise at 87, this son of Kenya will forever inspire generations of writers, thinkers and dreamers across our continent and beyond.

When Ngugi first put pen to paper decades ago with works like Weep Not, Child and The River Between, he did more than tell stories – he reclaimed the African narrative. In a literary world dominated by colonial perspectives, he dared to centre African voices, African struggles, and African triumphs. His courage to write in Gikuyu, his mother tongue, was revolutionary, challenging the very foundations of how African literature should be expressed and consumed.

Through masterpieces like Petals of Blood and Devil on the Cross, Ngugi exposed the harsh realities of post-colonial Africa while never losing sight of hope and resistance. His seminal work, Decolonising the Mind, became a clarion call for intellectual freedom, urging African writers to break free from the mental shackles of colonialism and embrace their authentic voices.

Ngugi’s impact extends far beyond his novels and essays. As an educator at universities from Kenya to the United States, he nurtured countless minds, always emphasising that literature is not merely entertainment but a tool for social transformation. His Ngugi wa Thiong’o Foundation has supported emerging African writers, ensuring his legacy lives on through new voices.

His unwavering commitment to social justice, even in the face of exile and persecution, demonstrated that the writer’s duty extends beyond the page to the streets, to the people, to the struggle for human dignity.

To the young African writers reading this today: Ngugi has shown you the path, but the journey ahead is yours to forge. His legacy is not a museum piece to admire from afar – it is a living, breathing challenge to each of you.

Write fearlessly in the languages of your heart. Let your stories flow from the wellspring of your authentic experience. Do not apologise for your Africanness; celebrate it, interrogate it, and use it as your strength.

Address the issues that matter; climate change, youth unemployment, corruption, gender equality, technological transformation—these are the themes that demand your attention. Like Ngugi, dare to hold power accountable through your words.

Embrace both tradition and innovation. Learn from the griots and storytellers who came before, but do not hesitate to experiment with new forms, new mediums, new ways of reaching your audience. The digital age offers unprecedented opportunities to share African stories globally.

The pen that Ngugi has wielded with such power and grace for over six decades now passes to your hands. Use it wisely. Use it boldly. Use it to write the Africa we need, the Africa we deserve, the Africa we are becoming.

The writer is the Chairman of the Entertainment and Arts Journalists Association of Kenya (EAJAK)