Unfortunately THE US, like many European Nations , still has it's share of
White supremacist elements in the society..even after the bitter struggle of
the civil rights era lead by Dr. King. It is good that the fellow apologized
for his treatment of Prof. Ngugi Wathiogo.
How many of Museveni's Tustis now ruling Uganda would apologize for Kicking
out a Mudokolo a Banamuwanga or an anyanya from their pristine shops situated
in the streets of Kampala?
Matek
Kenya: U.S. Hotel Offers Ngugi Apology in Race Row
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The Nation (Nairobi)
November 19, 2006
Posted to the web November 19, 2006
Peter Kimani
Nairobi
An American hotel has apologised to novelist Ngugi wa Thiong'o over a racist
incident during which the author was humiliated by staff.
Prof Ngugi was ordered out of the Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, California,
while on a tour to promote his latest book, apparently because he is black.
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The hotel claims to have suspended the offending staff member and has offered
Ngugi a grovelling apology.
Prof Ngugi is an African cultural icon and has written many acclaimed novels,
among them A Grain of Wheat ,The River Between and Petals of Blood.
He is a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of
California, Irvine, where he is the Director of the International Centre for
Writing and Translation.
The book he was promoting, Wizard of the Crow, is his first major work in 20
years.
The writer was ordered out of the lounge by an employee, informing him that
the area was reserved for hotel guests only. Even after it was confirmed that
Prof Ngugi was booked at the hotel, the author, together with his literary
agent and aides, packed and left. "We are demanding a public apology by the
hotel, to be placed in a Bay (San Francisco) Area newspaper, no later than the
end of this month," wrote one American in an mail widely circulated on the
Internet.
The hotel manager, Mr David Currell, in an email to the Sunday Nation said:
"I apologised in person to Prof Ngugi. I asked what we could do to make this up
to him. The professor responded that he did not want anything except he wanted
me to speak with the employee to ensure that a similar situation never happened
again.
"As a gesture of comfort and hospitality an offer of food and beverage and a
visit to the spa was made."
Prof Ngugi declined the offers, including one of free accomodation by the
hotel's owner, Chip Conley.
The employee in question, who identified himself as Darren Abel, also wrote
Prof Ngugi saying: "There are not many words I can say, or actions that I can
perform to explain myself or show you how remorseful I feel for what happened
last week."
"Prejudice still exists in America," Mr Conley said in his email circulated
to community members in San Francisco, which is considered a "liberal" part of
America. "It is real and palpable."
Prof Ngugi was not taking calls from the Sunday Nation. His local publisher,
Dr Henry Chakava, also failed to reach him.
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"I tried calling his home and the office but there was no response. I suspect
they (Prof Ngugi and family) are not in California."
The author of two dozen books of fiction, plays and essays has lived in the
US for more than two decades.
A leading intellectual in the field of post-colonial studies, Prof Ngugi has
written extensively in the area, and his book, Decolonising the Mind, marked
his departure from the English language that he saw as an appendage to
colonialism. His latest book, Wizard of the Crow, was originally written in
Gikuyu, the author's first language, before he translated it into English.
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