Giant of African literature Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o dies aged 871 day ago Share Save Wedaeli Chibelushi BBC News Share SaveNgugi wa Thiong'oNgũgĩ wa Thiong'o, who has died aged 87, was a titan of modern African literature - a storyteller who refused to be bound by jail, exile and illness. He will be remembered not only as a Nobel-worthy writer, but also as a fierce proponent of literature written in native African languages. His family members were among the hundreds and thousands forced to live in detention camps during a crackdown on the Mau Mau, a movement of independence fighters. In academia and beyond, Ngũgĩ became known as one of the foremost advocates of literature written in African languages. Throughout his career - and to this day - African literature was dominated by books written in English or French, official languages in most countries on the continent.