Professor Okoth Okombo's 71st Birthday

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Kenya-based guest artist Joe Impressions, celebrates the 71st birthday of acclaimed Kenyan professor and author Okoth Okombo, an eminent researcher of Nilotic linguistics (from the Nile River region) who is widely considered the founder of African sign language studies. 

Duncan Okoth Okombo was born on November 8, 1950 in Kaswanga, a village on the remote Kenyan island of Rusinga. As a member of the Suba tribe raised during a time of colonial rule, Okombo witnessed firsthand how the elevation of the English language eroded his ethnic identity by pushing his mother tongue of Omusuba to near extinction. These experiences inspired Okombo’s lifelong mission to preserve indigenous African heritage through academia with a major focus on educating children in their native languages. 

While pursuing his linguistics doctorate in 1983, Okombo published Masira ki Ndaki (“Misfortune is Inevitable”) in Dholuo, which is considered one of the first novels published in a Kenyan language. He continued to pass down his expertise as a professor of linguistics and literature at his alma mater of the University of Nairobi, where Okombo founded the Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) Research Project in 1991. This project led to the widespread adoption of KSL across Kenya, allowing the nation’s deaf community to secure new opportunities in society. 

For his achievements, the World Federation of the Deaf elected Okombo as its international president from 1992 to 1995. Today, Okombo’s students remember him as a great listener, storyteller, and even a great dancer as his legacy lives on in the ongoing advocacy work of the Kenyan Sign Language Research Project. 

Happy birthday, Professor Okombo! 

Learn more about Professor Okombo's life and legacy on Google Arts & Culture.

Guest Artist Q&A with Joe Impressions

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Kenya-based guest artist Joe Impressions. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this Doodle?

A. First I was very excited. I often check out Google Doodles from time to time, and I was very excited that I was going to be involved in creating one. I immediately started brainstorming ideas in my mind on what I should draw for the Doodle. 

After doing some research online, I thought I should depict the Professor doing what connected him to his students most, and that is giving lectures. I wanted to capture the action involved in a lecture and represent some common elements that are usually found in a lecture hall. This is why I represented GOOGLE letters in a chalkboard, a clipboard, an open book, and an open flip chart.

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? 

A. My inspiration came from my memories from when I was in Uni. The lectures used to be warm and vibrant, and so I wanted to depict Professor Okombo in that environment and to show the connection he had with his students.

Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A. I hope anyone who sees this is able to feel the connection that Professor Okoth Okombo had with his students and how he was able to inspire a young generation through education.

Early drafts of the Doodle