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{
"id": 1623682,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623682/?format=api",
"text_counter": 176,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to mourn a gallant son of this country and of the whole world; one great writer, Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. He has left behind lots of wisdom. To me, he lived a full life and fought a good fight. I celebrate him because of many things. One or two of them is that he was one of our most educated scholars. I celebrate a Nobel-worthy writer although, he did not win it but he won in 2001, a prize in Italy. Something that is remarkable about him was that he believed in his identity. We are not worth living if we do not believe in our identity. He was one such gallant son of Kenya who was not shy about his identity. Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was named James Ngugi. However, because of this identity that I have talked about, he changed his name to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. It is specific that it was a symbol of a rejection of the colonial influence. He believed that in taking the name James, just like my Senior, Sen. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1623683,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623683/?format=api",
"text_counter": 177,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Dr.) Oburu Oginga has said, James did not identify with anything in his environment. That is why he changed his name to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o."
},
{
"id": 1623684,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623684/?format=api",
"text_counter": 178,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Two among many things that stand out about him that we can talk about are his beliefs in culture and indigenous languages. As Sen. (Dr.) Oburu and others have said, some of us grew up during our formative years having to learn in our indigenous languages and we are not shy about them because it gave us a foundation. A language is an identity."
},
{
"id": 1623685,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623685/?format=api",
"text_counter": 179,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "There are four basic skills that people learn in a language. These are speaking, reading, writing and listening. Many of us think that listening is not a skill. In the books that Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o wrote and students who read his books know that, the issue of language remains key. Why do I say that culture is an outstanding aspect of Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o? Apart from changing his name in order to symbolize rejection of colonial influence as I have said, he also emphasised teaching of indigenous languages."
},
{
"id": 1623686,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623686/?format=api",
"text_counter": 180,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have so many languages in this country. When we say that we should not be tribal, it does not mean that we should not be proud of the languages that we speak because it is an identity. He promoted it in a way that it did not divide anybody. That is why he emphasised teaching of oral literature."
},
{
"id": 1623687,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623687/?format=api",
"text_counter": 181,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "What was the essence of oral literature? It brought harmonisation of our cultural environment. That was teaching that was passed from generation to generation. Through oral skills, you could symbolically make a point and teach using certain traits of animals that we have around us."
},
{
"id": 1623688,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623688/?format=api",
"text_counter": 182,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Long time ago, grandparents and parents used to teach their children. Before the coming of formal education, grandparents and parents used to teach their children and people would get lessons related to even traits of animals."
},
{
"id": 1623689,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623689/?format=api",
"text_counter": 183,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "This morning when I was in a meeting, the presenter asked that us we introduce ourselves, we assume that we are animals and state what those animals symbolize. Some identified themselves with an elephant because of its traits. For the first, I learnt, I thought I knew, that an elephant has very good memory. Some identified themselves with a lion. I was proud to say that I would have loved to be a cheetah, so that I move with speed to correct certain ills that bedevils this society."
},
{
"id": 1623690,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623690/?format=api",
"text_counter": 184,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, coming back to Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, he talked about speaking one’s language to celebrate one’s identity. It is that identity that I have talked about. He was never shy about indigenous languages. What does that tell us? He was a learned man. Why do people in our societies think that when you speak your indigenous language, then there is no modernity in you? That is very far away from the truth. He promoted use of indigenous language because he believed that imposing a language on one was a way of dividing us. In our different diversities, we come together as a common people."
},
{
"id": 1623691,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623691/?format=api",
"text_counter": 185,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Some of the issues that he preached about in his books are that he was very much against dictatorship and tyrannical ruling. He wrote about injustices in the society. Those are the same things we keep on preaching today, that we do not want dictators and tyrants, but a society that is just to everybody; a society that ensures everybody lives with dignity, be it young people like the ones we have today, women, men, or older people. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}
]
}