African Ecological Spirituality

Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu

Description

In the face of the emerging consequences of anthropogenic activities in relation to the environment, Africa is today united by the consciousness that individual destinies are caught up with the health of natural systems at the national, regional and continental levels. This Book of Readings on African Ecological Spirituality: Perspectives in Anthroposophy and Environmentalism focuses on scholarly and indigenous perspectives regarding the evolution of eco-spirituality in Africa. It provides answers to fundamental questions that have been looming at the horizon of thought for years on the contribution of African spirituality to ecological discourse.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse UK
• Date de parution: 18 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665599634
• Langue: English

Extrait

AFRICAN ECOLOGICAL SPIRITUALITY
PERSPECTIVES IN ANTHROPOSOPHY AND ENVIRONMENTALISM A HYBRID OF APPROACHES
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU
 
 
 


 
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© 2022 Ikechukwu Anthony KANU. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse   06/20/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-9962-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-9963-4 (e)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
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CONTENTS
Dedication
Introduction: African Ecological Spirituality and the Environment
 
1 African Eco-Spirituality: Nature And Sources
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA, PhD
2 African Cosmovision And Eco-Spirituality: Healing The Ecological Crisis In Africa
Anthony Raphael Etuk, PhD
3 African Sacrality And Eco-Spirituality
Jude I. Onebunne, PhD & Nmesoma I. Chijioke
4 Igwebuike As The Operative Condition Of African Eco-Spirituality
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA, PhD
5 The Human Person, Trees And Spirituality In Igbo Cosmology
Ifeanyi J. Okeke, PhD
6 African Mythologies And Eco-Spirituality
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA, PhD
7 African Trado-Medicine And Eco-Spirituality
Jude I. Onebunne, PhD
8 The African Forests In The Face Of The Coronavirus (Covid 19) Pandemic
Emmanuel Osewe AKUBOR, PhD
9 Eradication Of Toxic Wastes And Polutants In Ogoni Land: An Igwebuike Approach
Princess Omovrigho Idialu, Ph.D
10 An Ecological Reminiscence Of The Environment In William Wordsworth’s “Nutting” And Gabriel Okara’s “The Call To The River Nun.”
Dauda Bivan Amos
11 Cybernetic Immortality And Ecological Imbalance: Insights From African Anthropoholist Physico-Spiritual Ecology
Idoko Vincent Edache
12 Conflicting Perceptions Of Traditional Medicine In The Oku Fondom, Bamenda (Cameroon): The Question Of Ecological Context
Nixon Kahjum Takor & Gilbert Mbingek Wensakwiy
13 Green Cultural Practices And Sustainable Business Management
Okanazu, Oliver Okechukwu & Akele, Francis Egberi
14 African Cultural Beliefs And Eco-Spirituality
Jude I. Onebunne, PhD & Success O. Okechukwu
15 Herdsmen/Farmer’s Crisis And Its Effects On Ecology
Atsue Iorliam Isaac
16 Food Security, Technological Revolution And Africa’s Quest For Development In The 21St Century: Examining The Nexus
EGBULE, Philip Onyekachukwu & UZOMAH, Ngozi Louis, PhD
17 Education And The African Environment
OMOJOLA Immaculata Olu, (SSMA), PhD
18 Local Press, Food Security And The Environment In Nigeria: Critical Perspectives
Blessing Arsun DAPOET
19 Role Of The Press In Curbing Ecological Crisis In Nigeria: An Appraisal
Tahna’an Rosemary MOVEN
20 Eco-Media And Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Nigeria: An Empirical Study
Justine John DYIKUK
About The Author

DEDICATION
Celebrating Professor Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA
@40
“…now the text ends, and the commentary and fascination begins”

INTRODUCTION
African Ecological Spirituality and the Environment
The world is currently experiencing the severe consequences of the mismanagement of the environmental. This environmental crisis is posing a serious threat to the existence of the human person alongside other living organisms within the ecosystem as the exploitation of nature is finding expression in deforestation, desertification, extinction of species, forced migration, bush fire, air pollution, soil erosion, oil depletion, ozone depletion, greenhouse gas increase, extreme energy, water pollution, natural disasters, metals and solid minerals depletion, etc., (Gwamna 2016). Chiras (1989) sums up the fears in these words: “Together, the problems of overpopulation, depletion, and pollution have created an ecological crisis – a threat to the integrity of natural systems of which humans are part, and therefore a threat to the survival of human life.” (p. 5)
Regarding deforestation, which involves the removal of forest products, thereby converting the land to a non-forest use, is resulting in the damage of the habitat, biodiversity loss, aridity, etc. As a result of the disappearance of tropical rain forests, ecosystems preserved in these thick forests are facing extinction. Human activities such as digging of the soil and cutting down of plants have led to erosion (Ehrenfed 1978). Thus, nutrients needed by plants are washed away by erosion; there is also the reduction of the quality and quantity of land, the pilling of sediments inside streams, lakes, brooks and other bodies of water, etc., which is not healthy for the organisms residing in these water bodies. There is also the pollution of the air, land and water bodies with toxic substances and noise which impair the normal functioning of the ecosystem by spreading tropical diseases, extreme weather condition, crop failures, poor crop yield, death of living organisms, loss of species, loss of livelihood of fishermen, etc.
Africa currently suffers desertification, resulting from human activities like over-cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and poor irrigation. There is also the problem of the depletion of the ozone layer which results to global warming as manufacturing industries vent smoke and discharge chemicals that pollute the air and water sources. The likely consequence of global warming is that more people might get sick or die from heat and stress related problems due to excessive heat waves in the daytime and warmer temperatures in the nights; there is also the fear about severe droughts, erratic climate conditions as well as increase in natural disasters like earthquakes, tidal waves, hurricanes, tsunami, tornados, flood, and erosion (Emiola 2013). Thus, Nnamani (2005) writes:
Largely through human activity, life on earth faces serious danger of extermination. Since the dawn of modernity, humans have sequentially polluted, degrade and destroyed the very environment which sustains their lives and those of other living organisms. Not only have they succeeded in making the environment hostile to life, they have also turned it into a breeding ground for usual and unusual diseases and sickness (p. 20).
To address this fundamental problem, Francis (2015) and Ruether (1992) hold that there is a need for a new humanism that is capable of articulating relegated perspectives in the service of an integrated vision of the environment and life that is sustainable; a humanism outside of the Western world’s materialism and consumerism (Delaney, 2009) and the mechanistic and capitalistic worldview of the modern man (Schalkwyk, 2011) which are responsible for many intensive forms of environmental exploitation and degradation, leading to the global ecological and environmental crises as we have them today. Pope Francis (2015) articulates the need for a wholistic approach to ecological crisis thus:
We urgently need a humanism capable of bringing together the different fields of knowledge, including economics, in the service of a more integral and integrating vision. Today, the analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated from the analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, nor from how individuals relate to themselves, which leads in turn to how they relate to others and to the environment. There is an interrelation between ecosystems and between the various spheres of social interaction, demonstrating yet again that the whole is greater than the part (no. 141).
This is very important given the place that the human person occupies in the world or the universe. The human person is not just like other existing realities; and this is not in any way meant to disregard the integrity of other existing realities but to emphasize the central place of the human person in the ecosystem. The promotion of urbanization, industrialization and communization at the expense of the human person without whom such a promotion has no value is not sustainable (Delaney, 2009). Focusing on the rights of human persons as equal ‘citizens’ of this earth, Francis (2015) adds that: “human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to life, and happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. So we cannot fail to consider the effects on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the throwaway culture” (no. 43).
Interestingly, in the face of all these, Africa is today united by the consciousness that individual destinies are caught up with the health of natural systems at the national, regional and continental levels. This Book of Readings on African Ecological Spirituality: Perspectives in Anthroposophy and Environmentalism focuses on scholarly and indigenous perspectives regarding the evolution of eco-spirituality in Africa. It attempts at providing answers to fundamental questions that have been looming at the horizon of thought for years on the contribution of