Reclaiming the Natural World: Ecological Unconscious and Anti-Colonial Counter-Discourse in Early African Literature

Abstract

This paper argues that African cultural context is fundamentally grounded in ecological materiality—both spiritual and non-spiritual. It critiques how the notion of “culture” in literary criticism has often obscured the ecological dimensions that underpin African worldviews. By unveiling this ecological substrate, the study repositions nonhuman entities as active participants in traditional African life and in the counter-discursive strategies deployed by early African writers. Previous critical interpretations have treated ecological elements as mere background to cultural practices; this paper challenges that view by foregrounding the ecological imagination as central to early African literary aesthetics. Through an analysis of literary strategies used to rewrite Africa’s image in the wake of colonialism, the study highlights the interdependence between humans and their environments as a site of cultural resilience and philosophical depth. In doing so, it not only exposes the limitations of anthropocentric readings of African literature but also demonstrates how ecological materiality serves as a powerful tool in resisting colonial narratives. Ultimately, this approach offers new insights into the literary and intellectual heritage of the continent by centering nature as a constitutive force in African life and thought.