In The Famished Road (1991) Ben Okri rappresenta gli effetti controversi della decolonizzazione in Nigeria, rivelando le conseguenze devastanti delle innovazioni tecnologiche sui paesaggi naturali del paese. Attraverso i movimenti e le percezioni di Azaro, uno spirito-bambino, Okri indugia sulla spietata opera di deforestazione condotta dalle potenze occidentali e mette in evidenza l’incapacita della nazione di ristabilire un’armonia sostenibile con l’ambiente. The Famished Road sottolinea anche i legami ancestrali della foresta con il folklore e l’immaginario Yoruba. Nel romanzo di Okri la distruzione della foresta costituisce l’emblema dell’impoverimento progressivo delle risorse naturali e della vita spirituale della Nigeria postcoloniale. DOI : 10.17456/SIMPLE-63 Bibliografia Achebe, Chinua. 2001 [1958]. Things Fall Apart . London: Penguin. Areola, Olusegun. 1991. Ecology of Natural Resources in Nigeria . Brookfield: Gower Publishing Company. Ashcroft, Bill. 2002. 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