Weaning and Healing from Fossil Addiction: Eco-Investigator No. 44

Quarterly Newsletter from Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)

Our partner HOMEF released its quarterly newsletter in June. Among the many pieces of news and analysis was a powerful poem by our staff member Boaventura Monjane, Solidarity Program Officer for Haiti and West Africa. We include the poem below and the editorial letter from Nnimmo Bassey and HOMEF.

Guided by the ‘Culture of Life,’ which is our theme this year, we continue to escalate our advocacy on the urgent need to wean the world from fossil addiction and heal our communities from the pollution and devastation brought upon us by fossil extraction, which has been ongoing for almost seven decades in Nigeria. The report from one of our School of Ecology (SoE) sessions dedicated to this cause is shared with you here.

The burning issue of divestment, especially the recent announcement by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPCD) to sell off the company to Renaissance, a consortium of five companies, is featured in this edition. If Shell’s divestment plan sails through, it would see the multinational leave the country without addressing the decades of destruction of farmlands and contaminated water bodies. It would mean gross abandonment of impoverished communities and failing livelihoods and public health wrecked by decades of inhuman extractive onslaught on communities by the oil companies.

Civil society organisations, including HOMEF and other concerned Nigerians, on Tuesday, 21 May 2024, protested the SPDC’s planned divestment at SPDC’s head office in Lagos State. Coincidentally, the next day, on Wednesday, 22 May 2024, the House of Representatives took the highly commendable step of adopting the motion that oil multinationals exiting Nigeria be disallowed from divesting their assets without remediating environments degraded by their years of oil exploration and exploitation in the country. These issues are critically evaluated in articles published in this exciting edition.

This edition also discusses other Big and Hot Topics of interest to our readers. For example, in light of the forward leap in the fight against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), this 44th edition features articles that explain how GMOs are connected to issues of biosafety, human rights, and the hunger crisis. Armed with these evidence-supported insights, we reiterate that agroecology remains the viable solution to the hunger crisis. Similarly, this edition contains an article on bush burning and its link to the impoverishment of soil and the mounting food shortages in our local communities.

One of the articles details the story of a youth from Makoko, a challenged fishing settlement in Lagos, Nigeria, who shares her experience as a participant in the April 2024 ‘One Ocean Week’ event held in Norway, outlining her action plans going forward. We also share with you a report from the last general strategy meeting of the Africa Climate Justice Collective, in which HOMEF participated.

As you know, we never leave you without some hope-filled pieces. Enjoy the poems and the exciting story “Animi and the Fatalities in Orira” that continues from the 43rd edition of our Eco-Instigator.

In Africa’s history, a tale unfolds

By Boaventura Monjane

In Africa’s history, a tale unfolds, of
invasion, plunder, and stories untold.
Colonial powers, with greed as their guide,
Robbed the land of its riches, with no
place to hide.

From the shores of the Atlantic to the
depths of the Nile,
Africa’s wealth was looted in a ruthless
style. Knowledge and resources, stolen
away,

Leaving behind scars that still mark
today. But amidst the darkness, a light
did shine,

As thinkers and leaders rose in their
prime.
Du Bois and Garvey, voices so strong,
Nkrumah, Nyerere, who knew right
from wrong.

Lumumba, Cabral, fighters so brave,
Makeba, Samora, Thambo, whose
spirits we crave. Men and women, in
equal measure,

Fought for justice, for freedom, for
treasure.

Women leaders, buried in history’s
fold, Brave and wise, their stories
untold.
From resistance to occupation and
strife,

Their contributions shaped Africa’s life.
Their voices echoed through slavery’s
chains, Challenging patriarchy,
breaking its reins.

Against colonialism, they stood tall, In
their strength and wisdom, they gave
their all.

Through struggles and strife, they
fought to reclaim,
Their land and their dignity, no longer
the same.
Triumph they did, independence at
hand,

Liberation and democracy, spreading
across the land.
But the journey was far from over, you
see,
For Africa still faced adversity.
Neoliberal capitalism, neo-colonial
chains,

Resource grabbing, leaving scars and
stains.

Yet in the face of these challenges,
there arose,
Progressive intellectuals, who boldly
chose,
To stand up and resist, to fight for
change,

To build a future where all can arrange.

From the bustling cities to the
savannah’s expanse,
Africa’s beauty, it continues to dance.
With abundant sun and fertile lands,

And wealth in its resources and its
people’s hands.

So let us rise, with hope in our hearts,
For a future where justice never
departs.

We will triumph, we will prevail, and
build a world where all can set sail.
Africa will thrive, its people and nature,
in harmony and peace, shaping the
future.

So head up, my friend, and let it be
known, We’ll create a world where all
can be shown.
Head up, my friend, heap up my
Comrade!