Something Torn and New
S omething Torn and New
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Something Torn and New
An African Renaissance
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
A MEMBER OF THE PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP
NEW YORK
Copyright © 2009 by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Published by BasicCivitas Books,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of
America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address BasicCivitas, 387
Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810.
Books published by BasicCivitas Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets
Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut
Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800)
810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail special.markets@perseusbooks.com. Designed by Timm Bryson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, 1938–
Something torn and new : an African renaissance / Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-465-00946-6 (alk. paper)
1. Africa—Civilization. 2. Decolonization—Africa. I.
Title.
DT14.N48 2008
325.6—dc22
2008044278
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Ntongela Masilela,
Haunani-Kay Trask, Michael Neill,
Tim Reiss, and Pat Hilden
And in memory of the late Ngũgĩ wa Mĩriĩ,
Apollo Njonjo, Kĩmani Roki, and Ime Ikiddeh
This page intentionally left blank
C ONTENTS
Preface ix
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
Dismembering Practices:
Planting European
Memory in Africa
Re-Membering Visions
Memory, Restoration, and
African Renaissance
From Color to Social
Consciousness: South Africa in the Black Imagination
Acknowledgments 133
This page intentionally left blank
ü
Something Torn and New
An African Renaissance
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
A MEMBER OF THE PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP
NEW YORK
Copyright © 2009 by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Published by BasicCivitas Books,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of
America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address BasicCivitas, 387
Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810.
Books published by BasicCivitas Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets
Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut
Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800)
810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail special.markets@perseusbooks.com. Designed by Timm Bryson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, 1938–
Something torn and new : an African renaissance / Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-465-00946-6 (alk. paper)
1. Africa—Civilization. 2. Decolonization—Africa. I.
Title.
DT14.N48 2008
325.6—dc22
2008044278
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Ntongela Masilela,
Haunani-Kay Trask, Michael Neill,
Tim Reiss, and Pat Hilden
And in memory of the late Ngũgĩ wa Mĩriĩ,
Apollo Njonjo, Kĩmani Roki, and Ime Ikiddeh
This page intentionally left blank
C ONTENTS
Preface ix
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
Dismembering Practices:
Planting European
Memory in Africa
Re-Membering Visions
Memory, Restoration, and
African Renaissance
From Color to Social
Consciousness: South Africa in the Black Imagination
Acknowledgments 133