ABSTRACT
Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People are of great relevance and significance to the African society. They both contribute largely to the African literature, especially African literature satire. In this research, focus is placed on how satire is employed, the role of satire in the novels and the relevance of satire in modern African prose. Both novels explore the themes of political corruption and abuse of power, social injustices, dictatorship, NEOCOLONIALISM, and social inequity and class divide through the use of specific satirical elements like irony, wit or humour, caricature or exaggeration, and symbolism.
Ngugi uses Irony, Humour, and Exaggeration to critique the socio-political aspects of the African society. He uses the novel to prove that even after colonisation, Africans are not free. Through the character of the Ruler, he portrays bad leadership, political corruption, abuse of power and dictatorship. This character is said to be fashioned after Arap Moi, a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. His rule was marked by corruption, human rights abuses, and economic stagnation. The use of satire in Ngugi wa Thiong'o's "Wizard of the Crow" is a potent technique for illuminating and critiquing the complexity of postcolonial African society. The novel achieves a number of effects through satire, including revealing power dynamics, criticising corruption, mocking neo-colonialism, and denouncing media manipulation.
