The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the negative
effects of poverty and marginalization inherent in African societies and
the necessity to undertake change in order to end up with these plagues.
Semiotics and Marxist Approach to literature have been used to scrutinize
this study. From the study, it is established that poverty and
marginalization threaten the welfare of many Africans and also hinder the
development of most African societies. The study reveals that the poor
state of the pauper is due to the negligence of the rich who refuse to
provide help. In addition, the paper scratches the conscience of the
privileged and the rich on the necessity to fend for the needs of the
destitute from the society. In the same vein, the paper shows that the poet
has used some poetic devices as literary means in his denunciation of the
social inequality among human beings. The use of the two mentioned
theories helps conclude that the poor and the destitute as well as the rich
have each one a responsibility in the eradication of the poverty and the
marginalization plaguing African societies in general and the Ugandan
society in particular. Finally, the paper shows that the perpetuation of
poverty in Africa is partly due to the wickedness of the political leaders
who always seek to enrich themselves leaving the majority at the periphery.
They should therefore undertake some meaningful reforms in order to
contribute to the takeoff of the continent.
Keywords: Poverty, Marginalization, African Societies, Responsibility,
Political Leaders