A Critical Reflection on African Ecology, Religious and Cultural Ideologies in Ben Okri’s Novel, Every Leaf a Hallelujah

Abstract

This paper discusses the intricate portrayal of African ecology, religious and cultural ideologies in Ben Okri’s novel, Every Leaf a Hallelujah (2021), as a major contribution to the ongoing conversation on ecology, religion and culture. By closely analysing the narrative, the paper makes two major interventions. First, it argues that ecology and ecological crisis are a major preoccupation of the contemporary African novel, hence it focuses primarily on the eco-criticism of the genre in line with the issues relevant to African studies. Secondly, it centres religion as a resource for cultural ideological conflicts, which have had an impact on cultural identity. This, in turn, addresses the problematic religious and cultural ideological differences and acknowledges the most contemporary ecological and cultural sensibilities in order to pave the way for a way forward. Drawing on Morton’s (2007) eco-criticism, the paper offers a comprehensive exploration of how Okri’s novel serves as a literary conduit for narrating the relationship between African ecology and its religious and cultural frameworks, by mapping three core concepts: dark ecology, hyperobjects, and ecological entanglements. Dark ecology is used to trace the ambivalent “haunted” landscape that Okri depicts, revealing how ecological degradation coexists with spiritual reverence. Hyper objects guide the identification of the novel’s persistent, globally-scaled threats (climate change, resource depletion) that surface through localised, phenomenological experiences of characters. Finally, the notion of ecological entanglement informs a close reading of the interweaving of flora, fauna and ritual practice, demonstrating how ecological relations are inseparable from religious symbolism and cultural memory. The paper adopted a qualitative research approach where a purposively sampled novel, Every Leaf a Hallelujah, was critically analysed. The data gathered was presented in the form of thematic concerns: ecological crisis as a narrative engine, religion as an ideological conduit and cultural identity negotiated through ecological and spiritual terms. The findings contribute to a deeper comprehension of the nuanced interplay between Literature, ecology, religion and culture in African contexts.