THE ARTICULATION OF SOCIAL DECAY : SATIRE IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN POETRY

Abstract

Contemporary Nigerian poets have addressed the country's social and political problems using satire to crystallize the malaise affecting their society. Their social critiques rest on their linguistic skill, which renders their work both accessible and popular. The extraordinary lucidity and elegance of these selected poets is demonstrated in the sense of humor reflected in their poems, which endears them to their readers. The poems cited in this paper are characterized by an abundance of anecdotes, humor, suspense, and curiosity. This paper examines the use of satire in the work of contemporary Nigerian poets such as Niyi Osundare, Tanure Ojaide, Chinweizu, Femi Fatoba, Odia Ofeimun, Ezenwa Ohaeto, Obiora Udechukwu, and Ogaga Ifowodo, emphasizing the role of these poets as synthesizers of, and conduits for, the concerns of the Nigerian society for which they claim to speak. I will attempt to demonstrate how satire is used in contemporary Nigerian poetry to criticize certain aspects of contemporary Nigerian society. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the mediating role of proverbs, aphorisms, and metaphors in the satiric references in selected poems that constitute impassioned critiques of the social and moral problems related to Nigeria's sociopolitical development.