FOSTERING ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT THROUGH AFRICAN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE: THE EXAMPLE OF SELECTED IBIBIO FOLKSONGS

Environmental catastrophe is a real threat to the ecosystem and sustainable livelihood today and in the future. However, the global call for environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation appear only to adopt models from only science and technological thinking without input from indigenous ecological knowledge. This paper titled Fostering Environmental Communication and Human Development through African Indigenous Knowldege: The Example of Selected Ibibio Folksongs takes a look at how the folklores and songs of Ibibio people of Akwa Ibom State Nigeria are incorporated into performance signification of environmental information and education and its implication in the globalised environment of the twenty first century and the current crusade for environmental sustainability in Africa. The paper concludes that a careful study through content analysis of selected folksongs and wise sayings from the Ibibio society and assessing their application to community education and development communication for sanitation and environmental awareness can support ongoing global call for the application of indigenous knowledge systems in solving environmental challenges in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper recommends the integration of traditional folksongs and local ecological knowledge in environmental awareness and development communication programmes through the documentation, translation and incorporation into the reading materials in the schools, creative education syllabus and contemporary media programme content.