A collection of talks (the first three from a lecture series at Harvard and the University of Nairobi, the last at Cape Town University), the book's main thesis is that Africa was "de-membered" in colonial times through, among other factors, the loss of its languages, through which we have memory, and that "re-membering" requires the use of those languages for literature, etc. He develops this idea in various ways: historically, psychologically, and through the lens of class. He also discusses the idea of an African renaissance, compares it to the European renaissance and its aftermath, and analyzes the meaning of being an "African" versus or in addition to a national identity. Throughout it all, the reader feels the intensity of Ngugi's moral, political, and literary convictions. I found it all very interesting.

This slim volume is based on a series of lectures given by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. In it, he discusses how Africa has been affected by colonialization, slave trade, and globalization. Because memory resides in language, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o suggests that the replacement of native African languages with European ones has resulted in the "dismembering" of Africa. If Africa is to re-member and become whole again, African languages must be resurrected.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o paints a hopeful picture for the future of Africa. He proposes that an African renaissance has already begun. He brings together the ideas of philosophers and poets, politicians and social activists to support his discussion about the challenges that Africa faces in recovering its identity and to assure us that remembering is possible.