The Indigenous Abaluhyia Worldview in Communicating Conservation of Kakamega Forest, Kenya

Abstract

The indigenous Abaluhyia worldview is an important reserve whose practices, value systems, and knowledge are critical for the effective communication of the conservation of Kakamega Forest. To ascertain the role played by the indigenous Abaluhyia worldview in communicating conservation of Kakamega Forest, this paper sought to examine the indigenous Abaluhyia worldview’s strategies in communicating conservation of Kakamega Forest. Guided by the Worldview in Intercultural Communication Theory, the study employed a descriptive study design and used simple random sampling to select 200 respondents drawn from the 2000 registered members of the Mwileshi Forest Community Association. Data was collected using interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed thematically. The results showed that the indigenous Abaluhyia worldview has channels for communicating conservation of the forest as well as climatic events. These strategies have withstood the test of time since they touch on the very core of the Abaluhyia beliefs. Indigenous Abaluhyia people communicated conservation of the forest through songs, wise sayings, prohibitions, folk tales, and cultural ceremonies. The study concluded that the indigenous Abaluhyia worldview’s strategies for communicating conservation of Kakamega Forest have the potential to enhance effective communication. This study recommended that indigenous Abaluhyia worldviews be incorporated into communicating the conservation of Kakamega Forest since the community would resonate with the communication approaches.