“Third World” Revolutionary Theory and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Fiction

Abstract

Ngugi Wa Thiongo novels in general are very practical and provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the field of post-colonialism and specifically in the phase of transformation. This study puts forward a ―Third World‖ revolutionary reading of Ngugi Wa Thiongo‘s novels Weep Not, Child (1964) and Petals of Blood (1977). In Addition to the novels, ―Third World‖ revolutionary ideas, such as the re-humanizing violence of the colonized, cultural resistance by means of constructing a unifying national culture and having control over the means of production, will be highlighted. Ngugi, unlike other Nigerian authors, chose to write in his native language. Ngugi‘s rejection of colonial culture translates into his fierce rejection of the post- independence westernization of African societies as the novelist clearly presents in his novels. These theoretical and revolutionary ideas will be applied to selected works by this author.