The Role of Ecocriticism in African Literature

The successful portrayal of ecocentrism in African Literature helps communicate to Western readers that nature isn’t merely nature here; it has its own mind and makes its own decisions.

Ecocriticism is a way of emphasizing nature in literature. Works such as Helon Habila’s Oil on Water and Chigozie Obioma’s The Road To The Country depict nature with fervent confidence.

In this expository article, drawing on African Literature, I will discuss what ecocriticism portends for society and what it means for African Literature if subtracted.

Nature as a Character

The ecosystem, particularly in relation to ecological issues such as global warming, deforestation, and poaching, can often function as a character, literally contributing to a story’s plot and action.

Ben Okri’s The Famished Road, for instance, draws on Nigerian mythology of forest forces and the spirits of the woods. spirits. The forest itself ensures the continuous success of the active storyline.

Likewise, ancient folklore and short stories depict natural phenomena, such as rivers, livestock, and specific trees, as living beings, serving as didactic literature or satire.

Anthropocentrism Versus Ecocentrism

These, in clear words, only mean human-centered and nature-centered.

Nature exists for humans. Religion emphasizes the dominance of mortals over all things created by God. Humans assert this attribute on nature through domestication, which, in some places, is almost a learned art. African Literature studies this pattern and includes it in storytelling.

Parts of Nguigi’s famous A Grain Of Wheat examine the emotional performance of goats in rich companionship with humans.

Ecocentrism, on the other hand, informs us about the intrinsic value of nature beyond the ordinary. It emphasizes that nature is layered, has intrinsic value independent of human utility, and as such, should be respected.

The successful portrayal of ecocentrism in African Literature helps communicate to Western readers that nature isn’t merely nature here; it has its own mind and makes its own decisions.

Postcolonial Ecocriticism

Colonization continues to shape our perceptions of nature in alarming ways. Trends such as deforestation, cash cropping, and resource exploitation persist in our bloodstream. We are largely unaware of the ecological impacts of nature in contemporary contexts.

Nature once was our pride. Trees everywhere meant more respiratory luxury. Fresh fruits contributed to our health. Farming built our muscular strength. The green scenery alongside brown barns pronounced us as primates with an interesting sense of aesthetics.

However, the legacies of colonialism, in the form of the continuous imposition of foreign systems on local systems, are disguised as modernity and civilization. Works like Things Fall Apart challenge this.

Final Thoughts

Without the truths of nature and the ecosystem being told as stories (or added to stories) to future generations of Africans, African Literature will remain consciously politicised. Its Africanness will be diluted.

African authors, residing in Africa or in the diaspora, who fail to incorporate these basic world-building elements into their ruralist literature will produce unsuccessful “African” Literature.