Ecological Injustice and Solidarity in the Poetry of Selected Niger-Delta Poets

Abstract

Niger-Delta poetry, since its inception, has been noted for tackling issues about the environment and the people that live in it. Such issues include environmental degradation, marginalisation and injustice stemming from the exploration of crude oil without commensurate recompense for the Niger-Delta environment and her people. This study, therefore, attempts to examine how Nnimmo Bassey, ’Ruvia Idase, Chukwuma Anyanwu, Greene Okome, and Martins Tugbokorowei have been able to engage their art in advocacy for earth’s safety and preservation. This study adopts the second-wave Eco-critical theoretical standpoint which particularly argues that injustices to the environment and the marginalization of the people of the region should be exposed. The poems examined in the study are vocal in exposing the ruined environment of the Niger-Delta region and also aim at reawakening the people’s sense of responsibility towards the need to protect, preserve and redeem the once serene environment.