Ngugi wa Thiong'o, The Mail & Guardian
Nadine and Ngugi arrested in Amherst! No, no, it was not the
case, but that’s how my wife, Njeeri, imagined the headlines in Kenya and South
Africa in response to the picture of Gordimer and me entering a police car
under the shadow of a heavily armed officer.
It was in 1991. Both of us were visiting the prestigious
college in Massachusetts, United States, at the same time. The visits had been
scheduled long before, but Gordimer’s presence coincided with the news of her
winning the Nobel prize in literature. Now she was not just another visiting
writer but a Nobel laureate. The crowds were curious. Amherst College arranged
a police escort, more for her than me, but at joint events we travelled
together.
