Constructing environmental degradation and (in)fertility in Yorùbá orature

Abstract

AbstractEnvironmental degradation has been found to have a significant impact on human health. Although scientists and clinicians are at the forefront of understanding these complex links, it is also necessary to investigate the potential insights that the humanities can provide. Building on existing scholarship, this study argues that African indigenous knowledges are replete with mechanisms for understanding the nature of the problem and in procuring lasting solutions. Specifically offering an in‐depth content analysis of Ifá religious corpus among the Yorùbá of Southwestern Nigeria, this study argues that Ifá corpus contains significant historical references to epistemological sources for understanding the relationship between environmental degradation and (in)fertility. I demonstrate that Odù Ọ̀sá Méjì, an Ifá corpus, explains the interlayers of Yorùbá notions on environmental degradation, drought, forest burning, displacement of animals, and famine as causes of health‐related issues such as decrease in sperm count and quality, absence of menstruation, post‐term pregnancies, and decreased lactation. Relevant metaphors and hermeneutical tools are employed to uncover valuable insights from Ifá corpus on the nexus between a healthy environment and human fertility.