Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan literary giant who fought colonialism, dies at 87

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, the Kenyan writer and novelist who critiqued colonial rule as well as the post-colonial Kenyan government, died Wednesday in a hospital in Buford, Georgia. He was 87 years old.

His daughter, Wanjiku Wa Ngugi, first announced the news in a Facebook post .

Ngũgĩ's writing career began in 1964, with the novel Weep Not, Child . It was about a family living in colonial Kenya during the Mau Mau rebellion, which fought back against British rule. The book became an important part of the African literary canon.

He was a strong advocate for writing in local African languages. His 1980 novel, Devil on the Cross , was published in the Gikuyu language. "One of the greatest tragedies of Africa is a complete disconnection of the elite from their linguistic base," Ngũgĩ told N