Ngugi wa Thiong'o on Monday received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bayreuth, Germany.
The
doctorate was awarded by the Bayreuth International Graduate School of
African Studies (BIGSAS), where Ngugi had worked shortly in the 1980s as
a guest professor.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, president
of the University of Bayreuth, Brigitte Merk-Erbe, the Mayor of Bayreuth
and Prof. Dr. Dymitr Ibriszimow, head of the institute, all took to the
podium to express their gratitude for Ngugi's literary works and his
contribution to the upholding of culture through his work.
In
his acceptance speech, Ngugi shared his view on the importance of
languages and cultures. According to him, the world is like an orchestra
and every language spoken is an instrument in the orchestra. When only
few languages dominate, then the global orchestra shrinks, with only few
instruments.
Ngugi cautioned Africans who have lost
their mother tongues in the name of adopting European languages as the
only form of communication. People have rejected their languages and
this has put Africa in a "linguistic prison" which hinders cultural and
intellectual development in Africa, Ngugi said.
"Every
language, every culture, has a role to play and none is superior nor
inferior to the other. This kind of thinking is a fallacy," he insisted.
The
diversity of languages that characterises Ngugi's work and its
worldwide reception was also reflected in the readings that took place
during the event.
The literary scholar and BIGSAS
graduate Samuel Ndogo from Eldoret, the translator Dr. Thomas Brückner
from Munich, the scholar and translator Dr. Wangui wa Goro from the UK,
BIGSAS doctoral student and journalist Nadja Ofuatey-Alazard from Munich
as well as the literary scholar and BIGSAS graduate Ndi Gilbert Shang
from Kenya contributed texts in three languages: Kikuyu, the language in
which Ngugi's literature was originally written, as well as English and
German.
On the same day, several partnership
agreements between the BIGSAS on behalf of the University of Bayreuth
and seven African Universities were signed.
Among those
who took part in the signing were Prof. Dr. Richard K. Mibey - Moi
University, Eldoret, Kenya; Prof. Dr. Wail Benjelloun - Université
Mohammed V – Agdal, Rabat, Morocco; Prof. Dr. Malegapuru Makgoba -
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Prof. Dr. Orlando A.
Quilambo - Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mosambique; Prof. Dr.
Brice A. Sinsin - Université Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin and Dr.
Worash Getaneh Shibeshi - Addis Ababa University, Ethiopien.
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