Addressing Colonialism and Climate Change
The Nigerian National Workshop, in November 2016, was a mouthful—a multi-flavoured, meaty, chewy, nutritious mouthful!
Barbara Love asked us what we wanted to talk about, and we suggested colonialism, the environment, corruption, women and youth work, child abuse, and COP22. We set up support groups for each of these (except colonialism, which we tackled together). I led the women’s support group; it was heartening to have group sessions with my wonderful sisters.
Barbara’s handling of colonialism was a mind opener. It was staggering to realise how much we in Nigeria continue to labour under the burden of internalised colonialism. It affects our intelligence as a people, our patriotism, and our sense of self-worth. We looked at how we’ve downgraded or discarded our languages, customs, religions, ideals of beauty—our very essence! I made up my mind [decided] to keep contradicting the historical recordings of inferiority, to use my brilliant mind to affirm the beneficial aspects of our way of life, to profess that change should be made for the purpose of progress, not for the sake of conforming to foreign cultures.
Barbara also discussed the connectedness of climate change and colonialism. I teach Environmental Law at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik) and know that the Global Majority suffers most from the pollution caused by European and North American industrialisation, but I had never made the connection to colonialism. Wow!
We counseled on how climate change has impacted us personally. Some of us have abandoned small-scale farming in our villages due to unpredictable weather. Because of drought and deforestation in the north, Fulani herdsmen have led their cattle farther south to forage for food, right inside individual and community farmlands. This has greatly contributed to ethnic tensions, an ever-increasing death toll (entire villages have been burnt and people slaughtered), and, of course, to the near-famine state in which we find ourselves as a country.
I feel organised and energised to keep building my Community, to keep having sessions, and to be a voice and a force for liberation. Thank you, RC.
Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
(Present Time 187, April 2017)