The Green Perspective of the Socioculural Tapestry of Igbo Music

Abstract In response to the growing need for diverse approaches to addressing global environmental challenges, this paper investigates the indigenous environmental knowledge embedded within the musical culture of the Igbo people, located in southeastern Nigeria. It aims to gain insights into the nuanced subtleties and occasional direct expressions of environmental concerns in Igbo music. Using ethnomusicological methods (ethnographic fieldwork, analysis of concepts, musical structures, performance practices, and the social and cultural contexts of selected songs), the study explores how environmental themes and concerns are articulated in Igbo songs. This paper is framed by two Igbo idioms namely, akọ bụ ije (symbolizing wisdom, success, and cooperation) and ọ chaa gbute, ọ chaghị gbute (denoting the relentless pursuit of wealth at all costs). This paper challenges dominant anthropocentric discourses by arguing that Igbo traditional music, in its engagement with environmental concerns, sustains an indigenous ecological ethic rooted in Igbo cultural values, thereby offering a counter-narrative aligned with environmental justice and decolonial scholarship. It highlights how indigenous expressive traditions articulate alternative epistemologies for sustainable human-environment relations. This ecomusicological study contributes novel theoretical frameworks and opens new pathways for examining the intersection of music, environmental sustainability, and societal dynamics through a transdisciplinary lens.