“I’ve just come back from New York—I came back last night, ten o’clock—and the week before I was in Stockholm and other places, so if I fall asleep, then all you have to do is listen. I dream a lot when I’m asleep, so listen to my dreams. Not my snoring, but my dreams.”

So begins an absolutely splendid speech by Kenyan writer, activist, perennial Nobel Prize contender, and proud Melville House dad Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who turns eighty today. He talks about the importance of storytelling, his decision to stop writing in English and work instead with Gikuyu, whether God is white, and a lot more.

It’s been a hard, cold week, and 2018 is just getting started, so do yourself a favor and watch this right now.

Happy birthday, Ngũgĩ!