Wangui wa Goro (born 1961) is a Kenyan academic, social critic, researcher, translator and writer based in the UK. As a public intellectual she has an interest in the development of African languages and literatures, as well as being consistently involved with the promotion of literary translation internationally, regularly speaking and writing on the subject. Professor Wangui wa Goro is a writer, translator, translation studies scholar and pioneer who has lived and lectured in different parts of the world including the UK, USA, Germany and South Africa.

Early life and education

She was born in Kenya but left to study in Europe for her undergraduate studies in Modern Languages and Economics at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

. She continued to pursue her studies in education at the then

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

(now part of the University College of London), and later her doctoral studies in Translation Studies at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

Career

In 2020, she was awarded an Honorary Professorship at

SOAS University of London SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

and appointed as a Visiting Professor at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. She has worked in local government, also as an academic in the humanities in the UK, and additionally in international development contexts. Owing to her activism and involvement in human rights activism for democracy in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, Wa Goro lived in exile in England for many years. She supported many movements for justice and freedom, including the

Anti-Apartheid Movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by the policie ...

, and was also involved in the women's movement as a feminist, working to pioneer Black and African Feminist work in the UK and in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. She has translated the works of award-winning authors, including

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5 January 1938) is a Literature of Kenya, Kenyan author and academic who writes primarily in Gikuyu language, Gikuyu and who formerly wrote in English language, English. He has been described as having bee ...

's satire ''Matigari'' and his children's works ''Njamba Nene and the Flying Bus'' (1986) and ''Njamba Nene's Pistol'' (1990), from Gikuyu into English, as well as

Véronique Tadjo Véronique Tadjo (born 1955) is a writer, poet, novelist, and artist from Côte d'Ivoire. Having lived and worked in many countries within the African continent and African diaspora, diaspora, she feels herself to be Pan-Africanism, pan-African ...

's poetry book ''A vol d'oiseau'' (''As the Crow Flies'', Heinemann

African Writers Series The African Writers Series (AWS) is a collection of books written by African novelists, poets and politicians. Published by Heinemann (publisher), Heinemann, 359 books appeared in the series between 1962 and 2003. The series has provided an int ...

, 2001) from French. Wa Goro's own writing encompasses poetry, essays, short stories, fiction and non-fiction.Wangui wa Goro profile

African Studies Association of the UK The African Studies Association of the United Kingdom (ASAUK) formed in 1963 "to advance African studies, particularly in the United Kingdom, by providing facilities for the interchange of information and ideas and the co-ordination of activities ...

. Her short story "Heaven and Earth" (Macmillan) has been taught on the Kenyan curriculum."About Us"
The Caine Prize. She has also been an active campaigner for human rights in Africa and Europe,
Human Rights and Social Justice Research Institute,

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (f ...

. and co-edited with Kelly Coate and Suki Ali the book ''Global Feminist Politics: Identities in a Changing World'' (Routledge, 2001). Publications to which she has contributed include ''Under the Tree of Talking: Leadership for Change in Africa'' (2007), edited by

Onyekachi Wambu Onyekachi Wambu (born 1960) is a Nigerian-British journalist and writer. He has directed television documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and PBS. Life Onyekachi Wambu was born in Nigeria in 1960. In 1970, after the Nigerian Civil War, he and his ...

, the 2006 anthology ''African Love Stories'', edited by

Ama Ata Aidoo Ama Ata Aidoo, ''née'' Christina Ama Aidoo (born 23 March 1942) is a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright and academic. She was the Minister of Education under the Jerry Rawlings administration. In 2000, she established the Mbaasem Foundation to ...

, and ''

New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...

'' (2019), edited by

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...

. She is a regular participant at the

Royal African Society The Royal African Society (RAS) of the United Kingdom was founded in 1901 to promote relations between the United Kingdom and countries in Africa. The RAS is a not-for-profit membership organisation based in London. In addition to producing its jour ...

's annual literature and book festival Africa Writes, among other events curating the symposium "Africa in Translation" that features writers, artists, publishers, translators, readers and scholars, under the aegis of SIDENSi, an international organisation set up "to promote translation, traducture and information knowledge management across disciplines". She is also the founder member of TRACALA, the Translation Caucus of the African Literature Association. Over the years she has also been on advisory committees or boards of numerous organisations, including the Women's Studies Network UK, the British Centre for Literary Translation, the

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...

and the African Literature Association. She has served as a council member of the

Caine Prize for African Writing The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award for the best original short story by an African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in the English language. The £10,000 prize was founded in the United Kingdom in 20 ...

, for which she was a judge in 2007.

Awards and honours

She is the recipient of the 2021 Flora Nwapa Society Award.

References

External links

* Wangui wa Goro
"Deconstructing culture in Africa"
''Pambazuka News'', Issue 278, 16 November 2006. * Kalamu ya Salaam

''ChickenBones: A Journal''.
"Wangui wa Goro - Translation as fusion in global Igbo/African pasts and futures"
Wangui wa Goro delivering the keynote lecture at the 5th Annual Igbo Conference on Igbo Fusions: Past, Present and Futures.
"Interview: Peter Thompson and Wangui wa Goro on Translation"
''Journal of the African Literature Association'', Volume 5, 2010 - Issue 1, pp. 189–197. Published online: 4 April 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Goro, Wangui wa 1961 births Living people Kenyan academics Kenyan writers Kenyan women writers Translators to English Academics of SOAS University of London