Wanjikũ wa Ngũgĩ (born 1970s) is a Kenyan writer, who has lived and worked in Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Finland. She is the founder and former director of the Helsinki African Film Festival (HAFF). Also a political analyst, she is a member of the editorial board of '' Matatu: Journal for African Literature and Culture and Society'', and has been a columnist for the Finnish development magazine '' Maailman Kuvalehti''. Among journals and newspapers in which her work has appeared are '' The Herald'' (Zimbabwe), ''The Daily Nation & Business Daily'', ''

Pambazuka News ''Pambazuka News'' is an open access, Pan-African e-mail and online electronic newsletter. It is published weekly in English, Portuguese and French by the not-for-profit organisation Fahamu. The word ''Pambazuka'' means "dawn" or "arise" in Kiswah ...

'' and ''

Chimurenga ''Chimurenga'' is a word in the Shona language. The Ndebele equivalent, though not as widely used since the majority of Zimbabweans are Shona speaking, is ''Umvukela'', meaning "revolutionary struggle" or uprising. In specific historical term ...

''. She is the author of a novel published in 2014 and a contributor to anthologies including '' New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent'' (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' ...

), ''Nairobi Noir'' (2020, edited by Peter Kimani).

Biography

Wanjikũ wa Ngũgĩ was born in Kenya into a family of writers that includes her father,

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 ...

, and her brother

Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ (born 1971) is a Kenyan American poet, author, and academic. He is associate professor of literatures in English at Cornell University and co-founder of the Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Writing. His father is the au ...

. She studied for a BA in political science and sociology at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and holds an MFA from the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

. She later worked as an editor for the American publishing house Africa World Press, and has served in other editorial positions, such as on the editorial board of the journal ''

Matatu In Kenya matatu or matatus (known as mathree in Sheng) are privately owned minibuses used as share taxis. Often decorated, many ''matatu'' feature portraits of famous people or slogans and sayings. Likewise, the music they play is also aimed ...

''. After completing her studies she spent time in Eritrea, before moving to Zimbabwe, where she lived for five years and worked as an editor as well as production manager, also travelling during these years to different African countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. In 2007, she and her Finnish partner moved to Helsinki, where she founded the Helsinki African Film Festival (HAFF). Wanjikũ has written plays and short stories, and her first novel, ''The Fall of Saints'', was published by Atria Books in 2014. Her short story "Hundred Acres of Marshland" featured in 2019's ''

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, ...

'', edited by

, and she was also a contributor to ''Nairobi Noir'', edited by Peter Kimani (2020). Among other publications in which her short stories and essays have appeared are ''Houston Noir'', ''The Barelife Review'', ''St. Petersburg Review'', ''

Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari" ...

'', ''Auburn Avenue'', ''Cunning Folk Magazine'', and ''

''. Wanjikũ's second novel, ''Seasons in Hippoland'', was published by Seagull Press in 2021, characterised by one reviewer as a "dreamlike coming-of-age novel ... about the power of storytelling".

Writings

Books

* ''The Fall of Saints'', Atria Books, 2014. * ''Seasons of Hippoland'', Seagull Press, 2021.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngugi, Wanjiku wa 1970s births Year of birth uncertain Date of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Kenyan women writers Kenyan novelists New York University alumni University of Houston alumni Living people Kenyan women novelists Women short story writers