Ouagadougou: Nitin Bruno Oulon presented his unique doctoral thesis in Arts and Humanities, Modern Literature track, specializing in African Cultural Studies at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, this Tuesday, January 6, 2026, exploring an innovative place in the field of African cultural studies.
According to Burkina Information Agency, through his analysis of Kasena arts and traditions, Nitin Bruno Oulon shows how this people has placed elements such as water, trees, and animals at the heart of their cultural practices, calling on humans to adopt responsible, respectful, and ethical behavior towards them.
Entitled 'Arts, Tradition, and Ecology among the Kasena of P´,' this thesis occupies an innovative place in the field of African cultural studies. Unlike other previous works that primarily analyze how the environment inspires artistic production, Nitin Bruno Oulon proposes a bidirectional approach.
He demonstrates, on the one hand, that the environment nourishes Kasena cultural practices and, on the other hand, that these same practices constitute genuine mechanisms for protecting their living environment.
'There are many Kasena practices that contribute to environmental protection. In folktales, for example, there are many messages conveyed in favor of protecting nature. Sacred groves are mostly well preserved, promoting good ecology, which is necessary for development,' said candidate Nitin Bruno Oulon.
For the chairman of the jury, Professor Salaka Sanou, the document is very important insofar as it helps to strengthen work in African cultural studies. "This work leads us to reflect on our own cultural heritage and to make it an object of research in order to understand and explain it well so that we can analyze it," he stated.
According to Dr. Souleymane Ganou, thesis director, this work reveals that traditions had erected barriers in order to protect the environment. 'When we look at folktales, they contain themes that aim to draw man's attention to the importance of the elements of the environment that surround us and their contribution to our well-being. These are elements like water, trees and even animals,' continued Dr. Ganou.
He also made recommendations to policymakers, urging them to pay closer attention to environmental issues, reminding them that the very survival of humanity depends closely on these non-human elements. He demonstrated how the Kasena place the arts at the heart of their practices and called upon humankind to behave with respect towards these elements.
This thesis thus constitutes a major scientific contribution, highlighting the relevance of endogenous African knowledge in contemporary thinking on environmental protection and global ecological challenges. At the end of the defense, Nitin Bruno Oulon was judged worthy of the degree of Doctor with the highest distinction.