Take away our language and we will forget who we are: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and the language of conquest

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The late Kenyan novelist and activist believed erasing language was the most lasting weapon of oppression. Here, Aminatta Forna recalls the man and introduces his essay on decolonisation By Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o with introduction by Aminatta Forna. Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Aminatta Forna. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is The Guardian.
0:09.4	Claire worked in the marketing department for an up-and-coming artisan bakery.
0:14.7	Unfortunately, the artisan bakery in question was so up-and- coming. Nobody actually knew it existed.
0:22.3	But then she had the really good idea to use Canva to create a business plan.
0:27.4	It looked good.
0:28.9	Really, really good.
0:30.7	Their investors thought so too.
0:33.0	And now their hotcakes are selling like, well, exactly.
0:37.7	Thanks, Canva. Hello everyone, it's like, well, exactly. Thanks, Canber.
0:39.2	Hello everyone, it's me, Joel Domit.
0:41.9	You've heard of the Baffles, the Oscars, the Grammys.
0:44.2	Well, we've got a brand new award show for you.
0:47.0	It's our new podcast and the award goes to,
0:50.0	where each week I invite a guest to host their very own award show,
0:53.5	dishing out five awards across five categories made just for them.
0:58.3	From best song ever written and best meal deal combination to best feeling in the world,
1:03.6	each week we'll hand out a fresh batch of made-up awards
1:06.5	with some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment choosing the winners.
1:10.7	So join me, Joel Domit, for And the Award Goes 2, presented by Argos, on all podcast apps and YouTube.
1:22.6	Welcome to The Guardian Long Read, showcasing the best long-form journalism covering culture, politics and new thinking.
1:29.3	For the text version of this and all our long reads, go to the Guardian.com forward slash long read.
1:38.3	Take away our language and we will forget who we are.
	...

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