Author ORCID Identifier:
Date of Graduation
7-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Communication (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Communication
Advisor/Mentor
Dionne, Terrell
Committee Member
Corrigan, Lisa
Second Committee Member
Spialek, Matthew
Keywords
African Communication Studies; Climate Talk Podcast; Environmental Sustainability; Metaphoric Criticism; Podcasts; The Energy Talk
Abstract
Nigeria is facing several environmental problems, such as oil pollution, deforestation, desertification, waste mismanagement, and climate change. Podcasts are a new medium that has emerged as an alternative digital channel that bypass state control and journalistic editorial structures to amplify local environmental struggles and highlight community-led responses. This study examines how two popular Nigerian environmental podcasts—Climate Talk Podcast and The Energy Talks—use culturally resonant metaphors to promote environmental awareness and reshape sustainability discourse. Using metaphoric criticism as the main analytical method, the study systematically identifies, categorize, and interprets how local and Indigenous populations in Nigeria use metaphor to resist climate and energy coloniality. Overall, the study demonstrates that digital orality reinvigorates local and Indigenous narratives previously constrained by climate and energy coloniality. By locating how Nigerian podcasters metaphorically frame climate and energy issues, this study is a contribution to epistemic freedom in African communication research, illustrating local and Indigenous discourses as legitimate sources of environmental knowledge.
Citation
Ajala, S. (2026). Decolonizing African Digital Orality: A Metaphoric Criticism of Nigerian Environmental Podcasts. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/6340
