To honour the Ruler's birthday, the Free Republic of Aburiria set out to build a tower, a modern wonder of the world that reaches the gates of Heaven. But behind this pillar of unity a battle for control of the Aburirian people rages. Among the contenders: the eponymous Wizard, an avatar of folklore and wisdom; the corrupt Christian Ministry; and the nefarious Global Bank. 

Informed by richly enigmatic traditional African storytelling, Wizard of the Crow is widely considered Ngugi wa Thiong'o's masterpiece, summarising `Africa of the twentieth century in the context of 2,000 years of world history'.