Ecological Violations and Anthropogenic Pollution in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow

ABSTRACT

Ecological violations and anthropogenic pollution have been recurring motifs in contemporary African novels. Existing studies on African literature from the ecological standpoint have focused largely on the narrative strategies of nature writing, with little attention given to the impacts and the attendant eco-social and economic crisis of the violations. This study therefore examines the extent of human activities on the environment and the eco-social and economic impacts on both human and non-human objects in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow. Anthropocene developed by Adam Trexler, which is a variant of ecocriticism, is used as a framework in this study because it accounts for attitudes that are unhealthy for the environment, while interpretive design is adopted for critical analysis. Ngũgĩ’s Wizard of the Crow is selected because it reflects on ecological concerns and depicts the motif of a polluted environment. In the text, the conspiracies of the internal collaborators with foreign powers lead to the massive violation of land in Kenya. Conspiracies between the privileged locals and the settlers distort and violate environmental harmony in a way that creates tension for ecological regeneration and social tranquillity. It is also established that environmental disasters in Kenya and Africa in general, are largely man-made as seen in the activities of most of the characters in the novel. Although Ngũgĩ uses metaphorical and grotesque images in the text, they refract his society ecologically. There are sustained struggles between male and female characters in the novel that are geared towards the preservation of the environment. This underscores the fact that environmental activism knows no gender colouration. This novel points out that there can never be meaningful development in Kenya until the ecosystem is made secure from human corruption and the environment is devoid of carbon pollution and injustice. To Ngũgĩ, healing the land is a concerted effort that cannot be done by one person. Ngũgĩ’s Wizard of the Crow creates awareness about environmental exploitation by the microscopic few of Kenya and indeed Africa.

KEYWORDS:

• ecological violation
• conspiracies
• anthropogenic pollution in Wizard of the Crow
• exploited urbanity
• environmental issues in African novel

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Urban Connections in African Popular Imaginaries at Rhodes University [grant number 31600707]. I thank them immensely.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.