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Quote by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

“Many people do not know that Jesus did not speak Latin or English or Hebrew; he spoke Aramaic. But nobody knows that language. So we're talking about the Bible itself being a translation of a translation of a translation. And, in reality, it has affected people's lives in history.”

Quote by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Author

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Ngugi wa Thiong'o, born on January 5, 1938, is a renowned Kenyan writer, scholar, and activist. His works focus on the themes of anti-colonialism and African cultural identity, and are beloved by African readers. more

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“People went to war as a result of it and even today, every Sunday, the Bible in translation is being read to thousands and thousands in Africa. It is an integral part of their functioning and the way they look at the world.”

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“We think of politics in terms of power and who has the power. Politics is the end to which that power is put.”

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“In terms of language, English is very dominant vis-Ã-vis African language. That in itself is a power relationship - between languages and communities - because the English language is a determinant of the ladder to achievement.”

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“A person who acquires English has access to all the things that that language makes possible.”

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“You get another person who operates only in an African language and there are many persons who operate only in African languages; he or she is excluded from all the goodies that come with English. And even in terms of justice, law codes, the legal system. A person who does not know English in Africa is excluded from that system because he can only operate through acts of translation.”

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“What is translated from English and into English - and in what quantities - is a question of power.”

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“To get rich, you have to be making money while you're asleep.”

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“Another phenomenon developing in Kenya is ethnic cleansing - and that's the thing that has made me very sad. Because some people will use the cover of the problems of rigged elections to do things that are unacceptable like ethnic cleansing and displacement of people. It's completely unacceptable.”

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“There is no way we can survive as a nation in the world without finding unity.”

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“What's good about writing is that when you write novels or fiction, people can see that the problems in one region are similar to problems in another region.”

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