I Will Marry When I Want – by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o & Ngũgĩ wa Mirii

I Will Marry When I Want (Ngaahika Ndeenda), co-written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngũgĩ wa Mirii, is a revolutionary Kikuyu-language play first performed in 1977 and later translated into English. Set in post-independence Kenya, the play follows Kiguunda, a poor farmer whose dreams of a better life are shattered when he and his wife are manipulated by wealthy elites under the guise of religion and modernity.

The play powerfully critiques economic injustice, cultural alienation, religious hypocrisy, and class exploitation, exposing how the promises of independence were betrayed by a self-serving elite. It is one of the most celebrated examples of political theatre in Africa and led to Ngũgĩ’s detention by the Kenyan government due to its radical message and popularity among the working class.