Issue 01: The Icons’ Salute: In Black and White (Koyo Kouoh and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o)

A tribute to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Koyo Kouoh for their artistic movements, impacts and contributions to African literature and art.

The Icons’ Salute: In Black and White

A tribute to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Koyo Kouoh for their artistic movements, impacts and contributions to African literature and art.

By Judith Igwedibia

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Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o stands as one of Africa’s greatest writers of all time. His works were not only literary; they were also a movement, showing his patriotism for his country. He did not merely tell stories; he wove politics, culture, and identity into narratives that awakened the minds of his people and African nations.

His involvement in constructing new narratives that would define his people in the post-colonisation era was notable. With passion and resilience, Ngũgĩ became a voice with a pen. He championed the removal of the Department of English at the University of Nairobi, replacing it with the Department of Literature—an act that affirmed African literature’s rightful place at the center of scholarship. This achievement reflected his vision: to honour his country, his people, and their languages.

"For Ngũgĩ, the mother tongue was not just a means of communication but a vessel of identity and freedom."

For Ngũgĩ, the mother tongue was not just a means of communication but a vessel of identity and freedom. He believed African languages deserved a higher status than those imposed on them during colonisation. And also, in order to renounce lingering colonial ties and to build an African literature with authenticity rooted in cultural identity, he canvassed that African languages should be embraced wholly. Leading by example, in 1977, he began writing in Gikuyu—a language primarily spoken in Nairobi and Kenya. His seminal work, “Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature”, became a foundational text in postcolonial studies, merging literary brilliance with cultural and political activism.

That same year, his bold choice carried a heavy price—detention. Ngũgĩ attributed his imprisonment to his rejection of English and his embrace of Gikuyu as his language of expression. Yet even in the face of chains, his vision did not waver. He wrote the first modern novel in Gikuyu, “Devil on the Cross” (Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ), on prison-issued toilet paper. The novel, though dealing with a diverse range of literary conventions and themes, focuses on politically challenging the role of international money and culture in Kenya.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o remains not only a writer but also a revolutionary of letters—a desensitiser of colonial influence, a restorer of African pride, and a beacon for generations to come. His pen reshaped nations, and his legacy ensures that Africa’s voice will never again be silent.

Koyo Kouoh

Koyo Kouoh (1967–2025) was a Cameroonian-Swiss curator and a reputed cartographer of contemporary African expression whose works and perspectives radically influenced how African and diasporic practices are seen in the global contemporary art space. She passed away at the age of 57 in Basel, Switzerland, on May 10, 2025, following a cancer diagnosis.

Koyo Kouoh’s appointment as the artistic director of the 2026 Venice Biennale—being the first African woman entrusted with the organisation of such a creative event—was a historic milestone. Her appointment was met with immense anticipation, but the artistry could not be exhibited due to her demise.

Kouoh’s legacy is one proudly told and measured by her works and impacts. In 2008, she founded the RAW Material Company in Dakar, an artist residency programme that featured an exhibition space, a library and an academy that offered a mentoring programme for young art professionals. Also, following her appointment as the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, she transformed the museum in the midst of its crisis.

“I am part of that generation of African art professionals who have pride and knowledge about the beauty of African culture, which has often been defined by others in so many wrong ways. I don’t believe we need to spend time correcting those narratives. We need to inscribe other perspectives.” 

Her exhibitions were both scholarly and soulful. She organised several art shows, including a Tracey Rose retrospective and “When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting”.

Critics and colleagues have praised her unique presence. She was ranked by ArtReview as one of the 100 most influential people in the contemporary art world.

Her philosophy as an art curator is reflected in one of her interviews, where she says, “I am part of that generation of African art professionals who have pride and knowledge about the beauty of African culture, which has often been defined by others in so many wrong ways. I don’t believe we need to spend time correcting those narratives. We need to inscribe other perspectives.”

Koyo Kouoh remains a revolutionary of art culture whose voice and works hugely contributed to the world-mapping of African art and culture.

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