Vol16N12024 - Page 3

Indigenous Festivals as a Tool for Forest Preservation and Cultural Revival in Nigeria

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Blessing Adjeketa1* , Alphonsus Shireku2   & Oliogu Tunde Obado3      
1,3Department of Creative Arts, Dennis Osadebey University, Nigeria. *Corresponding author.
2Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.07
[Article History: Received: 15 December 2023. Revised: 08 February 2024. Accepted: 08 February 2024. Published: 10 February 2024]
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Abstract

The United Nations states that more than four million hectares of African forests are being cut down annually. Policies being taken by governments to combat this scourge have continued to hit brick walls. However, in precolonial African societies, forests were significant in the sustenance of the lives of the people, insects, and animals that dwelt therein. The trees in the forests serve as medicinal herbs and also provide shelter for the metaphysical beings believed to determine the existence of the living. People lived in forested terrains as a result of the close relationship between the African and his natural environment. Festivals were celebrated to venerate the forests and solidify man’s kinship with the woods.  However, a question that is pertinent at this juncture is: what could be responsible for the massive deforestation of trees and the disconnection of the African from his natural environment on the continent? What alternative solutions could be used to replace the top-down approaches instituted by the government? This study examines the trajectory of the disconnection of the African from his natural environment and investigates the factors responsible for this displacement. I argue that policies formulated by the government are not enough to mitigate deforestation and displacement of communities. The contention here is that Threats of fines and other punitive measures were no deterrent to people cutting down trees to sell. Also, with the failure of the government’s policies on the preservation of forests, indigenous communities impacted by deforestation should employ traditional festivals to promote the conservation of forests and improve traditional medicine. The Edegberode festival of the Sapele people in Nigeria is used as a paradigm of this study.

Keywords: Deforestation, forest preservation, forest conservation Edegborode Community, Indigenous Festival, Performances, Traditional Medicine.

Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Life on Land

Citation: Adjeketa, B. Shireku, A & Obado, OT (2024). Indigenous Festivals as a Tool for Forest Preservation and Cultural Revival in Nigeria. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.07 

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Indigenous Environmentalism through Dance: The Ohaji-Egbema Experiment in South-Eastern Nigeria

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Princewill Chukwuma Abakporo*¹   & Stanley Timeyin Ohenhen²  
1,2 Theatre Arts Programme, Bowen University, Iwo Osun State, Nigeria. *Corresponding author.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.06
[Article History: Received: 21 November 2023. Revised: 08 February 2024. Accepted: 08 February 2024. Published: 10 February 2024
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Abstract

Scholars in the environmental humanities have engaged critically in how literature and the performing arts have absorbed the spirit of environmentalism as other disciplines have done. The greening of the humanities has been a subject of discussion from the last quarter of the 20th century. Ecoliterary discourse, ecofilms and ecomusicology have become buzz concepts in the arena of the environmental discourse. However, we argue in this study, that there is a paucity of critical works on how indigenous dance art forms can be used to communicate environmental stability, ecological consciousness, and be used as a medium to resist anthropocentric ideals. The questions that this paper raises are: In what ways can indigenous dances in Nigeria communicate ecological consciousness in the country? How and to what extent can indigenous dances be employed to discuss culture-nature entanglements in degraded sites? The researchers relied on Indigenous Standpoint theory, existing literature, interviews, and focus group discussions with stakeholders (indigenes, ministry heads, and oil company employees) and visits to oil-degraded sites in Ohaji/Egbema for information on the taxonomy, politics, and conflicts of space and oil in the region.  In line with data gathered, indigenous songs and dances were packaged and performed to provide the much-needed platform for stakeholders (indigenes, government and oil firms) to rethink environmentally oppressive actions in the region toward ensuring environmental stewardship. This study examines the ways in which indigenous dance in Igbo land, Nigeria, can embody indices of indigenous environmentalism. It can also be a path towards decolonizing colonial ecological frameworks and epistemologies.

Keywords: Environmentalism, Ecosystem, Ecological consciousness, Decolonization, Indigenous Standpoint Theory, Indigenous Dance, Ohaji/Egbema

Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Life on Land

Citation: Abakporo, P. C . & Ohenhen, S.T. (2024). Indigenous Environmentalism through Dance: The Ohaji-Egbema Experiment in South-Eastern Nigeria. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.06 

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Weaving Dreams of a World Among Worlds: T’nalak of the T’boli as an Ecological Practice

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Leni dlR. Garcia1 & Hazel T. Biana2*   
1,2 Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. *Corresponding author

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.05
[Article History: Received: 28 December 2023. Revised: 06 February 2024. Accepted: 07 February 2024. Published: 08 February 2024]
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Abstract

George Marshall claims that environmental advocacy does not get enough traction despite the urgency of the climate crisis because of two things.  One, the human brain reacts to things that are personal, definite, visible, and urgent. Climate change does not exhibit any of these and, thus, tends to be ignored. Two, most consciousness-raising efforts take the scientific route, disseminating information using technical jargon.  While it appeals to the analytic side of the brain, it does not compel action.  The brain’s intuitive/emotional side must be affected to elicit an effective response to an event.   Affect is achieved creatively, especially through stories with which people can identify. The modern world, however, shuns stories as pre-scientific, outmoded, and false. Using a pluriversal view where the coexistence of different but overlapping epistemologies is imaginable, this paper shows that the reactivation of marginalized knowledge systems could counter the dominance and universalism of the (Western) modern world. Traditional epistemologies, as performances, could model the intuitive and personal relationship with the environment claimed to be effective in compelling climate action. It demonstrates this through the t’nalak culture of the T’boli, one of the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines.  T’nalak-making is a sacred ritual that performs a cultural ecology that sees the world as divine, composed of spiritual beings that guard natural resources.  As such, the T’boli build relationships with them by respecting and caring for the environment where these spirits dwell and rule. As the t’nalak gains wide recognition through the performance of the annual T’nalak Festival and the t’nalak itself gains protection from modern systems as an intellectual property, the t’nalak-based cultural ecology could inspire a similar attitude toward the planet to help mitigate the effect of climate change.

Keywords: T’boli, T’nalak, Cultural Ecology, Pluriverse, Performance

Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Life on Land

Citation: Garcia, L. D. & Biana, H.T. (2024). Weaving Dreams of a World Among Worlds: T’nalak of the T’boli as an Ecological Practice. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.05 

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Palliating War Trauma: Exploring the Therapeutic Role of Nature in Silko’s Ceremony

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Sini Jacob1  & Benoy Kurian Mylamparambil2  
1,2 Assistant Professor, St. George’s College Aruvithura, Kottayam, India. *Corresponding author.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.04
[Article History: Received: 31 December 2023. Revised: 03 February 2024. Accepted: 04 February 2024. Published: 08 February 2024]
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Abstract

Trauma has been part of human life both in its everyday and extreme forms. Man often experiences multidimensional crises leading to unanticipated trauma. Trauma includes experiences of fear, terror, and disempowerment that overpower the defence mode, threatening to paralyze the vital functions of a person or community. Marginalized people and communities who are exposed to extreme forms of atrocities are constantly exposed to traumatic experiences. The imaginative literature has a special sensitivity and affinity to trauma, offering insights into the survivors’ mentality. Moreover, it can offer reparative practices that can lead to healing. The cognitive richness and suggestive power of literature can serve as a complex medium of trauma representation. There are diverse ways of professionally dealing with trauma. Ecological modes of engagement characterized by ecological connectivity and reconstruction, lead to holistic healing for traumatized individuals. This study examines how trauma victims engaged or inter-meshed with nature are healed quickly and how the experience of nature becomes an active component of their rehabilitation.  In Leslie Marmon Silko’s literary masterpiece, Ceremony, the intricate interplay between war trauma, culture, and the environment is delicately examined to unravel the profound ways in which nature serves as a healing agent in the present world. By creating a nature-based ceremony, Silko’s novel showcases how Indigenous cultures use their ecological knowledge leading to holistic healing, that transcends individual pain and trauma.

Keywords: trauma, healing, indigenous, cultural ecology, victimization.

Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Life on Land

Citation: Sini Jacob, S. & Mylamparambil, B.K. (2024). Indigenous Festivals and Climate Sustainability in India: A Case Study of Cultural Practices and Performances. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.04 

Indigenous Festivals and Climate Sustainability in India: A Case Study of Cultural Practices and Performances

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Ayan Mondal1*   & Maya Shanker Pandey2
1Research Scholar, Department of English, Banaras Hindu University. *Corresponding author.
2Senior Professor, Department of English, Banaras Hindu University.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.03
[Article History: Received: 30 December 2023. Revised: 03 February 2024. Accepted: 04 February 2024. Published: 05 February 2024]
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Abstract

With the inadequacy of the Western frameworks in addressing climate change, there is a need to integrate indigenous knowledge systems into the global framework to harness climate sustainability. The historical marginalization of the indigenous people in India in the colonial era has continued through the present postcolonial era, leading to environmental exploitation and social dislocation of the Adivasis. This has resulted in a severance of the transmission of sustainable practices embedded in the tribal cultures into the global framework. Advocating for the integration of indigenous ecological wisdom into global strategies, this paper will highlight the significance of tribal festivals like ‘Sarhul,’ ‘Baha,’ and ‘Kunde Habba’ in reinforcing climate resilience. Indian tribal festivals have traditionally popularised sustainable practices and rituals to stay in harmony with nature, and the sacred sites located in the indigenous communities function as sites for rituals and festivals fostering ecological sustainability. This paper explores how tribal art forms like ‘Warli’ and ‘Gond’ art imbue communities with ecological consciousness and resilience, and through storytelling and artistic expressions, it raises awareness about climate issues and empowers communities to safeguard ecosystems vital for all life forms. This paper asserts that traditional performance cultures, manifested through rituals, dances, and art, serve as catalysts for sustainable practices, biodiversity conservation, and community resilience, and advocates for a recentring of the indigenous performances to resist Anthropocentric and Capitalocentric practices.

Keywords: Anthropocene, climate crisis, ecological sustainability, indigenous knowledge, tribal performances

Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Life on Land

Citation: Mondal, A. & Pandey, M.S. (2024). Indigenous Festivals and Climate Sustainability in India: A Case Study of Cultural Practices and Performances. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.03 

Resisting Eco-colonialism Through Indigenous Epistemologies and Performances in Nigeria

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Stanley Timeyin Ohenhen1* & Princewill Chukwuma Abakporo²
¹,² Theatre Arts Programme, Bowen University, Iwo Osun State, Nigeria. *Correspondng author. 

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.02
[Article History: Received: 01 December 2023. Revised: 01 February 2024. Accepted: 02 February 2024. Published: 03 February 2024]
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Abstract:

The lands and natural resources of indigenous communities in the Global South have been severely exploited thereby leading to a major decline in the ecosystem, following centuries of colonization.  The research intends to investigate and demonstrate the relevance of indigenous cultural epistemologies and traditional performances, in challenging and reversing the ecological degradation brought about by colonialism in Nigeria. Relying on the postcolonial, and environmental justice theoretical frameworks, an examination of the literature and case study centred on the indigenous populations in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria will be deployed. Through an exploration of the traditional performances of the Ogoni people, which are deeply rooted in their indigenous cultural epistemologies, encompassing their customary knowledge structures, rituals, and worldviews, this study aims to illuminate the deep ecological understanding that has supported this Nigerian, Niger Delta community for several generations. Additionally, it aims to acknowledge the vital role that indigenous peoples play in maintaining a variety of ecosystems as well as their deeply ingrained spiritual and cultural ties to the natural world. The study examines creative practices and effective eco-restorative projects led by the indigenous people of Ogoniland that defy the colonial-era models of resource extraction and industrial development. The research intends to contribute to the current global conversation on decolonization, environmental stewardship, and the importance of inclusive and diverse viewpoints in sustainable development. The research concludes that indigenous cultural epistemologies and traditional performances provide vital resources for engaging the ecological issues that Ogoniland and other locations in Nigeria for that matter, face by elevating the voices and knowledge of indigenous peoples.

Keywords: Indigenous cultural epistemologies, colonialism, ecological degradation, Global South, Ogoniland, Nigeria, environmental stewardship, decolonization, inclusive perspectives.

Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Life on Land

Citation: Ohenhen, S.T. & Abakporo, P. C. (2024). Resisting Eco-colonialism Through Indigenous Epistemologies and Performances in Nigeria. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.02 

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Indigenous Ecologies in Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow

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Antara Saha
Assistant Professor in English, Dukhulal Nibaran Chandra College, Aurangabad, Murshidabad.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.01
[Article History: Received: 31 December 2023. Revised: 18 January 2024. Accepted: 25 January 2024. Published: 31 January 2024]
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 Abstract

Designating the connection between literature and environment this paper highlights Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow from the standpoint of postcolonial ecocriticism where it highlights how the survival of the tribal is ecologically related and how much they are concerned about their own ecology. As a mother of a sustainable society, Mahasweta Devi shows her anxiety for the tribals. She binds their history and their closeness and bonding with nature in such a way that it may explore their involvement in constructing a sustainable environment as she believes that an author must have a social responsibility. Postcolonial ecocriticism not only just echoes history rather it has also brought changes in the physical environment they belong to. Here Mahasweta Devi focuses on how on one hand, the exploitation of the tribals at the hands of the landowners brings ecological degradation physically, socially, and psychologically and on the other hand she explores how that degradation is alleviated through the tribals’ sense of responsibility and their ecological wisdom and the empowerment they achieve through the culture of archery.

Keywords: Mahasweta Devi, ecocriticism, tribals, ecologies, sustainable environment, ecological degradation.

Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Citation: Saha, A. (2024). Indigenous Ecologies in Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.01 

Digital Literacy as a Meta-Cognitive Component of Younger Students’ Intellectual and Creative Potential in Foreign Language Lessons

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Aliya E. Balgabayeva1 , Tatiana O. Karataeva2 , Irina S. Karabulatova3 , Roza M. Aitzhanova4 , Aigul A. Zhumadullayeva5 & Dina M. Zharylgapova6
1Department of Preschool and psychological-pedagogical Preparation, Faculty of Pedagogy, Academician E.A. Buketov Karaganda University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan, 
2PhD, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, Altynsarin Arkalyk Pedagogical Institute, Arkalyk, Kazakhstan,
3Dr of Philological Sciences, Professor, RUDN-university, Lomonosov MSU, Bauman MSTU, Moscow, Russia. 
4Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Preschool and psychological-pedagogical Preparation, Faculty of Pedagogy, Academician E.A. Buketov Karaganda University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan,
5Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Preschool and Primary Education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkistan, Kazakhstan,
6Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Mathematics, Institute of Natural Sciences, Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan,

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.01g
[Article History: Received: 30 October 2023. Revised: 07 January 2024. Accepted: 08 January 2024. Published: 12 January 2024]
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Abstract. The article reflects on the results of the digital literacy study in the structure of the meta-cognitive component of the intellectual and creative potential of younger schoolchildren in foreign language lessons. The team of authors substantiates the relevance of approaches to understanding digital literacy as an element of meta-cognitive skills and its increasing role in the development of language education in modern conditions of electronic information society. The scientific and analytical baggage of scientific and pedagogical research of Kazakhstani and foreign authors made it possible to identify the features of universality and meta-subjectivity inherent in the psychological and pedagogical phenomenon of digital literacy. Hypothesis: self-mastery of a foreign language in the modern information and communication space acquires the features of meta-subjects under the influence of digital literacy of students. The revealed similarity of skills and knowledge of speech-thinking activity and digital literacy as metacognitive categories and aspects of meta-knowledge form the intellectual and creative potential of a student’s personality. The results of the study prove that digital literacy as an element of the meta-cognitive component of the intellectual and creative potential of students has an intensifying effect on the development of speech-thinking skills in younger schoolchildren. The results obtained are based on experimental data confirming that the integration of techniques, methods, and means for the development of digital literacy acts as an intensifier of speech-thinking processes, increasing the effectiveness of teaching a foreign language in primary school. Among the defiantly difficult is the task set by the author’s team: to create a universal psychological and pedagogical algorithm to improve the meta-cognitive component of the intellectual and creative potential of a younger student with the actualization of the methodology of digital literacy in the humanities of the language cycle (state languages, literature, foreign languages, social studies, history, etc.). The training sample consisted of data obtained in the course of ascertaining and modeling experiments from real texts written by schoolchildren. Each text was checked and marked up by two experts in accordance with the levels of psychological, pedagogical, and subject competencies, which made it possible to determine the dynamics of digital literacy of younger schoolchildren in the structure of metacognitive activity of students learning foreign languages, which makes it possible to verify it as the core of the intellectual and creative potential of the student. The authors believe that the digital literacy of a modern student is a “soft power” of a new type of linguodidactics since it allows reformatting the speech and behavioral value matrix of the younger generation under the influence of the translation of priority standards of behavior in a particular ethnic society. Digital literacy is an unconditional way to expand the possibilities of developing an individual system of metacognition, determining the significant potential of its integration with the content of the foreign language teaching program in elementary grades.

Keywords: digital literacy, meta-knowledge, meta-knowledge, intersubject, intellectual and creative potential, language education, “soft power”

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