On the first day of the Ogale and Bille communities vs. Shell trial, activists and speakers, including King Okabi of the Ogale village, demanded that Shell stop polluting the Niger Delta and pay for the harm they have caused.
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Amnesty International UK, AFRICA: Seen & Heard, and Justice 4 The Crude Madonna, a British-Nigerian artist and activist, performed the stunt “Ecocide Babe” outside the Royal Courts of Justice to kick off the trial in Nigeria.
nearly the past ten years, nearly 13,500 inhabitants of the Niger Delta’s Ogale and Bille communities have filed lawsuits against Shell, claiming that the firm has failed to clean up oil spills that have destroyed their livelihoods and severely damaged the local ecosystem. They are no longer able to fish because their drinking water wells and other water sources are poisoned, and the land is contaminated, killing plants, making it impossible for communities to produce.
The Crude Madonna, a symbol of Niger Delta womanhood and resistance, performed a stunt funded by the organizations mentioned above prior to the trial’s commencement. She wore a traditional Nigerian outfit, held the Ecocide Babe Alera (meaning “it is enough” in the local Khana language) with crude oil congealed around the baby’s mouth, and had shell-shaped medallions painted in gold that said “hell” and “oil” coated in “crude oil.”
The Ecocide Babe was made by artists THE Crude Madonna and THE DnA FACTORY MRSS to represent the terrible effects of Shell’s oil contamination on the region’s fertility, pregnancy, and newborn health as well as its general effects on the environment and community.
Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s Business and Human Rights Director, said:
“This vividly powerful performance highlights the devastation that people across the Niger Delta have suffered for so long. Shell must take responsibility for the poisoning they have caused both directly and indirectly and commit to cleaning up their toxic mess before they leave the region.”Shell must not be allowed to leave without making sure the Niger Delta’s land and water are 100 percent clean of their petrochemical poison. It is vital that the affected communities are properly compensated and that they are fully involved in the legal process and their demands are reflected in the final ruling.”
In the Niger Delta, Ogoniland also saw a protest as the trial got underway. With its headquarters located in London, Shell plc ought to bear legal responsibility for the environmental shortcomings of its Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company.
About The Author
