Leiden University Student Repository

Veľasová, Emma (2022)

A Fig Tree Below Mount Kenya: The Relationship between Humans and Nature as Represented in the Gikuyu Myth of Origin

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

Many disciplines have set out to address the environmental crisis as people witness the impact of decades-long negligence and exploitation of nature. In some cases, this directly affects not only their personal health but also livelihoods, security, and development. As the WMO report on climate change from 2021 shows, the distribution of the negative impact of environmental crisis is considerably unequal, and certain communities become much more vulnerable. One such example is the Gikuyu community in central Kenya. This thesis will focus on the indigenous epistemology of the environment by closely studying the Gikuyu creation myths in order to illustrate how these sources of oral tradition represent the relationship between humans and nature, and thus highlight the value of nature in African cultures. The main conclusion leading from an ecocritical analysis of the myth will demonstrate how oral tradition can serve as a propagator of ecological values in a particular community.

Gikuyu people

creation myth

environment

indigenous epistemology

ecocriticism

Author

Veľasová, Emma

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Africa

Supervisors

van der Wal-Remy, A.M

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en