AJOFIA IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S METAPHORICAL PRESENTATION: A CASE FOR SACRED SPACES IN IGBO TRADITIONAL ECOSPIRITUALITY

Abstract

This work viewed Ajọ Ọhia from the prism of its ecological value which translates to religious, social and economic benefits and from the etymological and morphological significance of the words that make it up – “Ajọ” and “Ọhịa”; and gave a dimension that has always missed out in the understanding of that space among the Igbo. It also explored through literary analysis, the metaphor of Ajofia, the chief masquerade among the Egwugwu of Umuofia in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The conceptual framework of the research is taxonomical, in a sense that it weighed Ajọ Ọhia in the scale of the entire conservation and preservation systems among the Igbo using socio-religious tools and in other cultures of the world which are empirically proven. The work understands “Ajọ Ọhia” as an Igbo code name to designate a space whose preservation is critical to the survival of species and the integrity of the human environment as could also be found in many ancient cultures, like the “The Cedars of Lebanon” and “The rain forests of Amazon”. Ajọ Ọhia is the most imposing symbol of Nsọ among the Igbo, whereas Nsọ is the nucleus of Igbo morality and spirituality. True to its African-ness, all aspects of Igbo life are dependent on human-spirit dynamics. The work, therefore, questions “Evil Forest” as the proper translation of “Ajọ Ọhia” and averred that the elimination of Ajọ Ọhia is predicated upon a mistranslation/misunderstanding and spells the devastation of Igbo ecospirituality. Data collected from literatures and reading of the human and environmental codifications in the Igbo environment was accessed through participant observation, consulting with existing texts and oral interviews; assessed through textual analysis and multidimensional approach.