Abstract

This study examines the rural landscape in Mongo Beti’s Mission to Kala as an active character rather than a passive backdrop, using an ecocritical approach to explore its symbolic and functional roles. The objective is to analyze how the village of Kala critiques colonial modernity, highlights cultural dislocations, and preserves communal values and traditions. The methodology involves detailed textual analysis of human-nature interactions, focusing on the juxtaposition between Kala’s rural authenticity and Medza’s alienation as a product of colonial education. Main findings reveal the rural environment as a repository of cultural continuity and resistance against colonial disruptions, contrasting with the perceived artificiality and alienation of urban life. The study concludes that Beti’s portrayal of Kala enriches ecocritical discourse in African literature by demonstrating the intricate links between environment, identity, and socio-political critique in post-colonial narratives.

Keywords: Landscape, Post-colonial ecocriticism, Cultural identity, Human-nature interactions