Eco-narratives and Bukusu Traditional Music through Time: A Linguistic Analysis

Abstract

Music is a powerful tool that speaks to the environment as it fosters human-nature relations for mutual benefit; this is despite its negative effects. Taking a linguistic perspective, the study investigates the place of eco-narratives in ecological im/balance through the Bukusu traditional music, arguing that despite the changing times, this music is still relevant in ecological sustainability. Specifically, the study identifies and discusses eco-narratives that are embedded in Bukusu traditional music, and how they speak to the ecology, it examines how eco-narratives are used in the sustainability of the Bukusu traditional music and Cultural Heritage, and finally, it conceptualises the future of the Bukusu traditional music in the face of change. Primary and secondary data in the form of songs were purposively sampled, translated into English, and analysed using He’s (2021) Ecological Discourse Analysis framework, and Kress’ (2012) Multimodal theory. Findings from the study make explicit how, and for what purpose the Bukusu traditional music is preserved, and they predict the future of the sustainability of the Bukusu traditional music in the shifting environment.