PhD research: Eco-Orality in Digo Narratives, Kenya

Date
January 2024 to December 2027
Countries
Category
Keywords
oral literature
ecocriticism
storytelling
ecological consciousness
Institutions
University of Nairobi (Kenya)
Research fields
Cultural Sciences
Languages and Literatures

The Digo subgroup are tone of the groups in the Mijikenda community in Kenya. They primarily inhabit the southern coast and interior regions of Kwale, Kenya. The Digo people possess a common Singwaya ancestry with other Mijikenda communities, which forms the basis of their ethnic identity. Their oral traditions form the foundation of this lineage. The Digo people possess a dynamic viewpoint towards inter-ethnic interactions, which arises as a reaction to the ongoing changes in the political and economic environment of the coastal region. Notwithstanding these changes, the ecological principles that the Digo people uphold are acknowledged as a fundamental aspect of their identity. The oral traditions used to narrate their origins and migrations not only express changing ideas about ethnic identity, but also demonstrate a deep bond between people and the natural world. The symbiotic relationship between the Digo inhabitants and their ecological setting is demonstrated through the integration of ecological principles and cultural storytelling. This study seeks to investigate Digo storytelling as a means to trace ecological consciousness.