The Mirror of Satire: Reflections on Democracy in Alex Roy-Omoni’s The Ugly Ones

Abstract

Since achieving independence in 1960, Nigeria has grappled with entrenched corruption and institutional decay, overshadowing its vast natural and human resources and stifling its developmental potential. The systemic corruption pervasive within the nation’s governance structures deepens the chasm between its political elites and the ordinary citizenry, casting a dark shadow over Nigeria's democratic aspirations. In The Ugly Ones, dramatist Alex Roy- Omoni confronts these enduring challenges, skilfully using satire to critique the fractured political landscape of Nigeria, where personal ambition often eclipses public responsibility, and power is wielded as a tool of self-aggrandisement rather than a vehicle for social reform. This paperis therefore, an inquiry into Roy-Omoni’s sophisticated use of satirical drama, examining how The Ugly Ones reflects Nigeria’s tumultuous democratic experiment. Through satire, allegory, and irony, Roy-Omoni captures the ethical, cultural, and political dissonances that underpin Nigeria’s postcolonial governance, positioning his work as both a searing critique of the status quo and a call for introspection within African literature. By analysing the play’s structural, thematic, and performative elements, this paper illustrates the unique role of satire in Nigerian – and broader African – literature as a powerful instrument of societal critique and a mirror reflecting the contradictions that undermine democratic ideals.