Ala, the Eagle and the Kite: Narratives of Ecological Justice in Igbo Songs

Abstract: Music scholarship in Igboland, southeastern Nigeria pays scant attention to indigenous Igbo ecological conceptualizations enshrined in Igbo music despite acute land degradation in that area and global interest in environmental sustainability. I aim to access how Igbo music explicates spiritual linkage of humankind and environment. Employing Ecomusicological approach, I argue that reciprocity and justice, embedded in the interaction of the proverbial Kite and Eagle, supervised by Ala, the mother-earth goddess, constitute the bedrock upon which conceptualizations of land and wellbeing of Igbo society are situated. This investigation decolonizes anthropocentric approaches to ecology and contributes new paths to global environmental discourse.

Presenter bio: Ijeoma Iruka Forchu, Ph. D. (Ethnomusicology); M. Sc. (Development Studies); M. A. (Ethnomusicology); M.A. (African Studies); B.A. (Music). Senior Research Fellow/Senior Lecturer. Institute for Development Studies/Department of Music, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Research output: African music in sustainable development, focusing on concepts and practices of Nigerian, and particularly Igbo music.

Affiliation: University of Nigeria