Application of Political Satire in Mission to Kala and Devil on The Cross
Keywords:
Comprador Politicians, Comprador and National Bourgeoisie, Satire
Abstract
The study attempted to demonstrate how political satire is applied in a pre-independence African fiction Mission to Kala and a post- independence African fiction Devil on the Cross. Satire, mild or bitter, has a history of being used to expose the negative socio-economic and political realities perpetrated by both the sympathisers of colonialism and later the agents of neo-colonialism in the post-independence phase. The study employed the Marxist literary theory and Literary Onomastics through stylistic analysis and demonstrated how satire exposed the evils and how a ‘training camp’ in the colonial era was transformed into a ‘jungle’ in post-independent Africa. Character types in both periods exhibited parasitic traits such as greed, selfishness, narrow appetites and sadistic violence leading to exploitation and oppression. This historical transition was delineated on the basis of the colonised African elite and subordinates as the direct off-shoot of the African bourgeoisie groups, which created a symbolic connection between the two periods of time in the African context. The findings indicated that both texts maintained the Marxist outlook, employed ironic juxtaposition to satirise capitalism, each satirist employed a different style and Beti had the colonised African elite and subordinates as his targets of satire as opposed to Ngugi’s comprador politicians, comprador and national bourgeoisie. The masses were not spared of criticism.References
1. Beti, M. (2008). Mission to Kala. Devon: Mallory Publishing.
2. Bulhan, H.A. (2015). Stages of Colonialism in Africa: From Occupation of Land to Occupation of Being. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 3(1),239 –256.
3. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (3rd ed). (2008). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4. Césaire, A. (2000). Discourse on Colonialism. New York: Monthly Review Press.
5. Chilala, C. (2011). ‘The African Narrative Tale as a Tool of Education,’ in: Shifra Schonman(Ed.). Key Concepts in Theatre/Drama Education, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, pp.159-162.
6. Chukwumah, I.(Ed.) (2018). Joke-performance in Africa: Mode, Media and Meaning, London and New York: Routledge.
7. Dipio, D. (1998). Theory and Criticism of Literature. Department of Distance Education.Kampala: Makerere University.
8. Eagleton, T. (1976). Marxism and Literary Criticism. Berkerley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
9. Frederick, E. (1974). As Quoted in Georg Lukacs, Writer and Critic. New York, NY: Grosset and Dunlap.
10. Hodgart, M. (1969). Satire. London: World University Library.
11. Mao, T.T. (1954). Selected Works, 1, London: Lawrence and Wishart.
12. Ngara, E. (1990). Ideology and Form in African Poetry Studies in African Literature Series. London: Heinemann.
13. Ndĩgĩrĩgĩ, G. (2015). Character Names and Types in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross and Wizard of the Crow. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 38(3).
14. Ngugi wa Thiong’o. (1982). Devil on the Cross. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers.
15. Nkomazana, F., and Setume, S.D. (2016). Missionary Colonial Mentality and the Expansion of Christianity in Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1800 to 1900. Journal for the Study of Religion, 29(2), 29-55.
16. Ocheni, S., and Basil C. Nwankwo. (2012). Analysis of Colonialism and its Impactin Africa.Cross-Cultural Communication, 8 (3), 46-54.
17. Pandurang, M. (Ed). (2010). Chinua Achebe: An Anthology of Recent Criticism. New Delhi: Pencraft International.
18. Rodney, W. (1981). How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Harare: Zimbabwe Publishing.
19. Roscoe, A. (1971). Mother is Gold. A Study in West African Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
20. Test, G. A. (1991). Satire: Spirit and Art. Tampa: University of South Florida Press.
21. Wendland, E. (2004). Poceza M’madzulo Lusaka: UNZA Press.
22. Thompson, D, (Ed.). (1995). Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
23. Zeleza, T. (1992). The Development of African Capitalism.Africa Development,17(1), 129-136. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43657870.
2. Bulhan, H.A. (2015). Stages of Colonialism in Africa: From Occupation of Land to Occupation of Being. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 3(1),239 –256.
3. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (3rd ed). (2008). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4. Césaire, A. (2000). Discourse on Colonialism. New York: Monthly Review Press.
5. Chilala, C. (2011). ‘The African Narrative Tale as a Tool of Education,’ in: Shifra Schonman(Ed.). Key Concepts in Theatre/Drama Education, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, pp.159-162.
6. Chukwumah, I.(Ed.) (2018). Joke-performance in Africa: Mode, Media and Meaning, London and New York: Routledge.
7. Dipio, D. (1998). Theory and Criticism of Literature. Department of Distance Education.Kampala: Makerere University.
8. Eagleton, T. (1976). Marxism and Literary Criticism. Berkerley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
9. Frederick, E. (1974). As Quoted in Georg Lukacs, Writer and Critic. New York, NY: Grosset and Dunlap.
10. Hodgart, M. (1969). Satire. London: World University Library.
11. Mao, T.T. (1954). Selected Works, 1, London: Lawrence and Wishart.
12. Ngara, E. (1990). Ideology and Form in African Poetry Studies in African Literature Series. London: Heinemann.
13. Ndĩgĩrĩgĩ, G. (2015). Character Names and Types in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross and Wizard of the Crow. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 38(3).
14. Ngugi wa Thiong’o. (1982). Devil on the Cross. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers.
15. Nkomazana, F., and Setume, S.D. (2016). Missionary Colonial Mentality and the Expansion of Christianity in Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1800 to 1900. Journal for the Study of Religion, 29(2), 29-55.
16. Ocheni, S., and Basil C. Nwankwo. (2012). Analysis of Colonialism and its Impactin Africa.Cross-Cultural Communication, 8 (3), 46-54.
17. Pandurang, M. (Ed). (2010). Chinua Achebe: An Anthology of Recent Criticism. New Delhi: Pencraft International.
18. Rodney, W. (1981). How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Harare: Zimbabwe Publishing.
19. Roscoe, A. (1971). Mother is Gold. A Study in West African Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
20. Test, G. A. (1991). Satire: Spirit and Art. Tampa: University of South Florida Press.
21. Wendland, E. (2004). Poceza M’madzulo Lusaka: UNZA Press.
22. Thompson, D, (Ed.). (1995). Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
23. Zeleza, T. (1992). The Development of African Capitalism.Africa Development,17(1), 129-136. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43657870.
Published
2022-08-14
How to Cite
Mbewe, I. (2022) “Application of Political Satire in Mission to Kala and Devil on The Cross”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 5(1), pp. 69-83. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.5.1.793.
Section
Articles