Shetani Msalabani
by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Devil on the Cross, first published in Gikuyu as Caitaani Mutharabaini (1980) and here in Swahili as Shetani Msalabani, is a portrayal of corruption and how it has entrenched itself into the society. The celebration of corruption in all its forms, forces Wariinga, whom despair has driven out of Nairobi back to her home town of llmorog, to acknowledge that her life has been nothing more than passive acceptance of corruption itself.

In this novel, the ancient rhythms of traditional story-telling are used in counterpoint to written styles. Ngugi provokes with the forces of Brecht, Bunyan, Swift, and Beckett. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is Kenya’s most prolific writer. His novels, A Grain of Wheat and Caitaani Mutharabaini, were nominated among Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century.