A Critical Reflection on Ideas of African Ecology, Religious and Cultural Ideologies in Ben Okri’s Novel, Every Leaf a Hallelujah

Abstract

This paper discusses the intricate portrayal of African ecology, religious and cultural ideologies in Ben Okri’s novel, Every Leaf a Hallelujah (2021), as a major contribution to the ongoing conversation on ecology, religion and culture. Drawing on Morton’s (2007) Eco Criticism Theory, the paper offers a comprehensive exploration of how Okri’s novel serves as a literary conduit for narrating the relationship between African ecology, religious and cultural framework. The study adopted a qualitative research approach where a purposively sampled novel, Every Leaf a Hallelujah was critically analysed. By closely analysing the narrative, the paper makes two major contributions. First, it argues that ecology and ecological crisis is a major preoccupation of the contemporary African novel, hence focusing primarily on the eco-criticism of the genre in line with the issues relevant to African studies. Secondly, it centers religion as a resource for cultural ideological conflicts, which have had an impact on cultural identity. This, in turn, addresses the problematic religious and cultural ideological differences and acknowledges the most contemporary ecological and cultural sensibilities in order to pave way for a way forward. Significantly, the findings contribute to a deeper comprehension of the nuanced interplay between Literature, ecology, religion and culture in African contexts.