Exploring Bodily Metaphor and Rhetorics of Dissent in Niyi Osundare's and Joe Ushie's Poetics

Abstract

The escalating climate crises and socio-economic instability in Africa underscore the urgent need for a reimagined relationship between humanity and the environment. The works of Joe Ushie and Niyi Osundare, prominent figures in African ecopoetry, offer a compelling lens through which to explore this intersection. While existing studies have examined the use of environmental themes in African literature, there is a dearth of research focusing specifically on bodily metaphor, revolutionary temper, and the call for sustainable development in osundare and ushie's poetics. Previous analyses have primarily concentrated on traditional aesthetics or political power without fully exploring how bodily metaphors and revolutionary poetics are employed to critique environmental degradation and systemic oppression. This study addresses this gap by providing a nuanced analysis of how both poets deploy visceral imagery to advocate for environmental justice and systemic change. Grounded in Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), ecocriticism (Glotfelty & Fromm, 1996), and postcolonial theory (Fanon, Said), this study reveals how Joe Ushie and Niyi Osundare use bodily metaphors and revolutionary poetics to critique environmental degradation and systemic oppression. Ushie’s Hill Songs and Song of the Dead employ metaphors of parasitism and bodily violation to expose exploitative capitalist structures, while The Hills Will Rise Again presents a narrative of resilience against ecological and economic plunder. Similarly, Osundare’s works, such as Our Earth Will Not Die and Ours to Plough, Not to Plunder, denounce industrial pollution and advocate for sustainable practices through urgent, revolutionary rhetoric. By engaging with African ecopoetry as a mode of literary activism, this study highlights how Ushie and Osundare’s works contribute to contemporary discourses on sustainability, governance, and resistance. In an era of escalating climate crises and socio-economic instability, their poetry remains profoundly relevant, urging a reimagined relationship between humanity and the environment. Furthermore, by examining how these poets frame environmental justice as an extension of political resistance, this research underscores the role of African ecopoetry in mobilizing social change and advocating for sustainable futures. The findings of this study contribute to existing scholarship by demonstrating the power of literature to inspire ecological consciousness and challenge systemic injustices, offering a nuanced understanding of how poetry can serve as a tool for environmental activism and political mobilization.