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The Bible affects everybody’s life who is a Christian, from the middle class in Europe to the peasant in Africa and Asia.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

The same questions are there in Native American languages, they’re there in native Canadian languages, they’re there is some marginalized European languages, like say, Irish.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Country Culture Language Phenomenon Power Problem Relationship
A person who acquires English has access to all the things that that language makes possible.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Access Acquire English Language Make Person Possible Thing
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.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Another Fiction Good Novel People Problem Problem Region Similar Writing
Life, struggle, even amidst pain and blood and poverty, seemed beautiful.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Amidst Beautiful Blood Life Pain Poverty Struggle
What is translated from English and into English – and in what quantities – is a question of power.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

English Into Power Quantity Question Translate
How could Europe lord it over a continent ten times its size? Why does needy Africa continue to let its wealth meet the needs of those outside its borders and then follow behind with hands outstretched for a loan of the very wealth it let go?
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Birder Continent Country Hand Need Outside Outstretched Over Size Time Wealth
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.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Act Cide English Known Legal Operate Person System Trasnlotyion
I’m more trying to connect; I’m more listening to people. Whatever I get is very meaningful to me.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Connect Listen Meaningful More People Try
Any writer likes to be near the area which is the location of his work.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Area Like Location Work Writer
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.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Country Dominant English Gradually Language Term
Many people do not know that Jesus did not speak Latin or English or Hebrew; he spoke Aramaic. But nobody knows that language.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Jesus Know Language Many People Speak
Those who strive to build a protective wall around it, and those who wish to pull it down; those who seek to mould it and those committed to breaking it up; those who aim to open our eyes, to make us see the light and look to tomorrow […] and those who wish to lull us into closing our eyes
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Breaking Committee Down Eye Light Mould Open Protective Pull Seek Strive Tomorrow Up Wish
The Bible has affected their lives, but in translation, since they do not read the Bible in the original Greek or Hebrew.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Bible Country Effect Original Raed Translation
So what I thought was just an African problem or issue is actually a global phenomenon about relationships of power between languages and cultures.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Country Culture Global Language Power Problem
For me, being in prison writing in an African language was a way of saying: “Even if you put me in prison, I will keep on writing in the language which made you put me in prison.”
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Being Country Even Keep Language Prison Put Say Write
Then they begin to see through their language that the problems described there are the same as the problems they are having. They can identify with characters from another language group.
NGUGI WA THIONG'O

Began Character Describe Group Language Problem

The Bible affects everybody’s life who is a Christian, from the middle class in Europe to the peasant in Africa and Asia.

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The Bible affects everybody’s life who is a Christian, from the middle class in Europe to the peasant in Africa and Asia.

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