News — LITERATURE

Kenya’s Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is the first writer to be nominated for the International Booker Prize as both writer and translator of the same book. He is also the first-ever nominee for a work originally written in an indigenous African language.

In the award’s 16-year history, Thiong’o has made history writing his epic novel, The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi, and translating it from the original Bantu language, Gikuyu, into English.

The book, which tells the origin story of the Gikuyu clan, is a blend of folklore and mythology about the first man and woman created according to Kenyan legend.

Judges described the novel-in-verse as “a magisterial and poetic tale about women’s place in a society of gods,” according to The Guardian.

It talks about nine sisters and their quest to find a magical cure for their youngest sibling, who cannot walk.

Thiong’o is known for writing several books and for his unending fight for recognition and use of indigenous languages. His writing career dates to the 1960s. He is the author of many award-winning novels, plays, short stories, and essays including the “Wizard of the Crow”, “Weep Not, Child”, and “The River Between”.

For his work in literature, Thiong’o has been recognized all through his life with awards such as the Lotus Prize for Literature and National Book Critics Award, among others. He has also been conferred honorary degrees by different universities across the world. 

One of his first plays “Ngaahika Ndeenda”, a native Kenyan word for “I Will Marry When I Want”, set in post-independence Kenya in 1977, was banned by the then Kenyan government because of its thought-provoking plot, which authorities saw as a threat to the status quo.

His recognition has come from a repressive past, where he was imprisoned for more than a year at Kamiti Maximum Prison. Thiong’o fled to the United States with his family in 1978 to seek asylum because the then-government considered his writings treasonous.  

13 books were nominated for the Booker Prize this year from 12 countries and the books have been translated from 11 languages. The other African author to make the list is Senegalese-born David Diop, who was picked for his second novel, At Night All Blood is Black.

Diop’s book follows the experiences of two Senegalese soldiers fighting in World War I for the French. The judges described it as “like nothing else in terms of tone and power, it is a blinding revelation, an incantatory work of kinship and terror.”

Bridgeman Sports and Media, a company owned by former NBA star and entrepreneur Junior Bridgeman, has become the new owner of Ebony Magazine after a successful bid to purchase the bankrupt media firm for $14 million.

Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, the magazine enjoyed a wide readership before a drop in ad revenues and the internet led to its fall. According to the Wall Street Journal, a bankruptcy judge was expected to approve the deal on Tuesday.

The magazine was forced into Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in July by its creditors for defaulting on $10 million in loans, according to Chicago Tribune. However, the bankruptcy was converted into a voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization in September, the Tribune added.

Despite the woes of Ebony, Bridgeman, 67, is optimistic of returning the once-revered Black-owned publication in America to profit and to a place of prominence in American culture. He said, with “the right ideas and execution”, the plan could materialize in no time. “Nothing is ever easy, but this would be, I think, a labor of love,” Bridgeman said.

He told the WSJ that Ebony portrayed Black excellence adding that he sees no reason it could not regain its old status. He also said that while there will be monthly print publications, it will remain largely digital. “When you look at Ebony, you look at the history not just for Black people, but of the United States,” Bridgeman told the Tribune. “I think it’s something that a generation is missing and we want to bring that back as much as we can.”

The ex-NBA star played for Milwaukee Bucks for 10 seasons before moving to the Los Angeles Clippers to ply his trade for two seasons. Upon retiring, he built and sold one of the largest U.S. restaurant franchisees.

Ebony wasn’t his first attempt to buy a media organization. He made an effort to acquire Sports Illustrated but later abandoned the idea last year. He is now the owner of Lenexa-based Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company whose distribution territory includes Kansas, Missouri, and Southern Illinois.