17 - The Politics of Oil and Development and Visual Metaphors of the Crisis in Nigeria’s Niger Delta

Summary

Introduction

Nigeria’s Niger Delta is an engaging phenomenon in view of its history, complexities, paradoxes, and challenges. Although much has been discussed in the existing literature about the region, it has continued to generate fresh debates and new issues over the politics of representation, the politics of oil, and the appropriation of political space and control of conflict theaters by a select few. With this contextual background, in this chapter I examine the situation of Niger Delta women, especially the rural poor, and how their art mirrors this situation and the oil conflict in the region. I will structure my arguments around five key issues: First, I provide an overview of what is known about the Niger Delta (ND), in particular its history of violence and unrest, and a characterization of the different politics that have marked the region’s struggles. Second, using images that explicate and articulate my arguments, I will identify what is largely ignored in the ND crises to which some artistic representations point, and explain why. The muting of the female voice in the ND, the underdevelopment of women, and their omission or underrepresentation in policy and intervention concerning the region are tangential issues that have not been discussed in the context of resolving the ND crises. Third, I shall underscore the importance of addressing this largely ignored segment of the Niger Delta, and my argument will interface with the conflict economy that has emerged in the region, as well as the amnesty program instituted by the federal government of Nigeria in August 2009 to grant state pardon to militants in the Niger Delta. Fourth, I will attempt to outline the complications that are apparent in the ongoing amnesty project and how the current efforts by the Nigerian government may not abate the crisis in the area. Finally, I will discuss the fragility of hope in the region, the implications of compromising and undermining significant vulnerable groups, especially women, in the Niger Delta population, and the overarching importance of this phenomenon for globalization and sustainable development. The issues of peace, development, and the influence of globalization in the region cannot be comprehensively addressed without factoring women into the overall equation.