We were about to leave when Mama (possibly in her 80s) held onto us… with a strange-looking substance in her hand. At first, I thought it was juju (a magical substance). The minister in me immediately started pleading the blood of Jesus. But as she kept beckoning us to listen, we looked closer.
It was an old snail shell.
We had just spent about two hours in the town hall with the women and elders of Otuabagi community, Oloibiri clan, Bayelsa, the place where oil was first discovered and explored in Nigeria, as far back as 1956. We heard terrible tales of abandonment and suffering; what more did mama want to tell us.
Mama wanted to speak. She wanted to tell her story.
We listened intently as her shaky hands held up the snail shell. And then, she told us one of the saddest stories I have ever heard in my quest for climate and environmental justice.
I have visited over 30 communities in the Niger Delta. I have heard and re-echoed heartbreaking stories. But this? This was the saddest so far.
Mama didn’t just tell us, she brought evidence.
She showed us something that explained everything.
In my next post, I will share her full story.
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6 w
This so heartbreaking. How much more evidence is needed for justice to prevail? Mama spoke, and it’s on all of us to keep amplifying her voice until something changes.
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6 w
Embracing intergeneration will help us learn a lot. Mama knows more and can teach us more.