Abstract
The sermon of eco-activists for long has been about conservation of the flora and fauna, particularly the threatened and endangered species in order to sustain the steady cycle of the ecosystem. However, industrial and economic activities by humans have resulted in the obstruction of the ecosystemic chain. Many Western writers have imposed upon themselves the responsibility of promoting biological and environmental conservation through their art. However, the call for global environmental preservation has been answered weakly by black African writers and critics. This is so because the African writer has been preoccupied with issues of colonialism and corruption. YiroAbari’s In the Absence of Man is set in Jos, the capital of Plateau State of Nigeria. A city that has witnessed massive tin mining activities from the dawn of the 20th century which left vast ponds and infertile lands in the wake of mining. This paper explores the details of the wasted lands due to mining activities. It has become evident in this article that nature has the capacity to re-invent itself through Darwin’s theory of natural selection. The paper therefore posits that nature will always reclaim its lost territories of the earth even after human beings have gone into extinction. It is therefore in man’s interest to protect nature for himself.
Highlights
Ecoliterature and its corresponding ecocriticism deals primarily with man’s interaction with his environment or nature; it explores the relationship between man and nature
Byron Caminero-Santagelo suggests that “ecocriticism might open up some new important ways of looking at African literary texts in terms of environmental concerns and at the same time, how these texts might be linked with recent studies of conservation in Africa” (p. 697)
The writers of this article have found YiroAbari’s “In the Absence of Man” as a worthy text in that it speaks to the health of their immediate environment, the Jos Plateau, which has witnessed environmental degradation owing to tin mining activities for over a century
Summary
English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies ISSN 2640-9836 (Print) ISSN 2640-9844 (Online). Environment Degradation and Nature’s Reclamation: A Study of Yiro Abari’s in the Absence of Man. Bizuum Godwill Yadok, Manasseh Iortyer1 & Vashti Suwa Gbolagun2* 1 Department of English, School of Languages, Federal College of Education Pankshin 2 University of Salford Manchester, United Kingdom * Vashti Suwa Gbolagun, University of Salford Manchester, United Kingdom. Received: December 2, 2019 Accepted: December 22, 2019 Online Published: December 27, 2019 doi:10.22158/eltls.v2n1p1
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