An African Ecocritical Consciousness: A Reading of Amma Darko’s Faceless

Abstract

In Faceless, Amma Darko creates ecological consciousness through the representation of human and non-human forms, and their responses to the environment or nature. This study contributes to debates on the global ecocriticism, which ostensibly finds its origins in the Anglo-American literary tradition. In understanding the pivotal role environment plays in literary studies, this study explores how Darko presents the concept of displacement in a typical Ghanaian environment with Accra setting as a case in point. Through a qualitative content analysis, the study looks at issues on ecocultural imaginaries and analyses how culture and environment conflict in the novel, Faceless. It also unveils the correlation that exists between humans and nonhumans and the changing environment as symbols of the African environment. The findings of the study reveal the relevance of environmental sensitivity in the way Darko creates the orientation of her characters on environmental issues and how it impacts the surroundings and the population. The paper concludes on the benefits of environmental sustainability and the need to promote consumption and production in the lives of the citizenry.  The study further initiates debates on the relationship between the role of ecocritical thoughts and Ghanaian consciousness.