Abstract:
Popular culture is the primary way of understanding, reinforcing, and modifying the circumstances of
people’s lives. Increase in population and our irresponsible utilization of nature and behavior towards
nature has left an environment that threatens our survival. We are facing an ecological crisis which is
characterized by global warming, shortage of natural resources, extinction of many species and the
emergence of strange physical and mental diseases. Popular songs play a critical role in enabling
human survival to climate change. It is one of the most powerful mediums to communicate
environmental messages to people irrespective of gender, age, race, status or religion. Its content is
educative with the aim of ensuring a sustainable lifestyle towards the environment. Using eco-criticism
and functionalism, this study examines the ecological perspectives in popular songs from Anglophone
Cameroon. It sets out to ascertain the extent to which popular songs from Anglophone Cameroon
provide information about the ecosystem, information about the relationship between living organisms
and their environment, enable us to better understand the world around us, and provide means through
which the environment can be regenerated. The study is based on the contention that popular songs
play a major role in shaping environmental behaviour. We conclude that as presented in the popular
songs, nature is overwhelming and should be respected and that man is part of nature so should strive
to maintain harmony with nature |
