Isidore Okepwho and Inspiring Change: How Novelists Can Play a Unique Role in Bringing about Awareness
Isidore Okepwho, an author from Abraka, Nigeria, is a champion for justice in the Niger River Delta. His novel Tides spreads awareness about the corruption of the area, specifically within the government and through the destruction of the environment. His novel is made up of a letter exchange between two reporters working to tell the story of the Niger Delta in order to bring about awareness and inspire change, much like Okepwho himself seeks in his own life. Furthermore, many of the issues brought up in the novel are issues that are commonly found in literature that can be analyzed using postcolonial criticism, which is a helpful lens to apply to works such as Tides, as many of these issues relate to power differences that came about due to Nigeria's past as a colony of the British.
Government corruption is one of the main issues of the Niger River Delta. Government officials have been known to take bribes and turn their heads from injustices for the sake of the oil companies, who use a sort of colonial ideology to appeal to the Nigerian government: oil will bring about the same prosperity to Nigeria that the West has experienced. Indeed, the oil industry provides a considerable amount of income for the country, but as we see in Okepwho's novel, this leads to issues of corruption and environmental destruction. He provides several examples of corruption relating to the way in which citizens of the Delta are taken away without question and put in jail because they speak out against the government or against the oil industries. Another example of government corruption lies in the fact that there is constant change of who is in power. Therefore not a lot of change ever occurs, because no person has enough time to create change or to be in a position of power long enough to realize change is needed. In the novel, one of the main protagonists, Tonwe Brisibe goes to meet with an old friend who happened to hold a position in the government. When Brisibe made clear his concerns with the drinking water in his town, his friend overlooked his request. This meeting represents the difficulty in creating lasting change for Nigerians.
"You have come to me with a problem, and perhaps if we got down to it we could knock together something that might sort out the problem somehow. But what’s the use? Tomorrow a new governor will be brought to this state, and he might replace me. If you’re still interested in your problem, and the new commissioner is interested, he will want to revise everything we’ve said and done. Tonwe, you’ll find there’s no use fighting for a cause. These are not times for idealism, my friend ." (80)
The issues within the government show its loyalty lies not with the Nigerian people but with the interests of the oil company and in money. Because of this, an additional issue, that of environmental destruction, is born. Okepwho's novel describes the necessity of and livelihood that fishing brings for a majority of people in the Niger Delta. However, the Delta is becoming a dead zone due to oil spills and industry activity near the water where fishermen would normally work. Additionally, many citizens can taste impurities in their drinking water. The government and oil companies, however, attribute this to other causes and refuse to acknowledge the problem. One part of the Okepwho's novel that exemplifies this issue is the instance in which a group of fishermen from Ebima went to visit officials from Atlantic Fuels with a simple request. The search lights that the oil company uses on the water was disrupting the activity of the fish, and therefore the success of the fisherman (11). The company, however, was more concerned with their own interests.
The meeting ended in an altercation between the fishermen and soldiers who were dedicated to protecting the interests of the oil company. Shots were fired, the fishermen were beat, and the oil company ultimately disregarded any upheaval they had caused to the local Nigerians. This is another example in which the government seems to be skimming over genuine concerns of Nigerians and of their environment by allowing the oil companies to partake in the practice of "othering," or, according to the author of Critical Theory Today Lois Tyson, the practice of judging people as less than human. Additionally this example represents the very real problem that Nigerians faced when the British first entered their area and took over their natural resources for personal gain, leading to the loss of the indigenous peoples' experiences and voices. Okepwho's novel brought awareness to both these postcolonial issues and to how truly deep-seeded the issues are in Nigeria."What, he asked, did the inconvenience suffered by a few scruffy fishermen matter to the general prosperity which oil had brought to Nigeria?" (12).
Isidore Okepwho's novel may be a work of fiction, but it is based on very real events, and can give readers a useful insight into the overarching problems of the Niger River Delta. It is interesting to note that Okepwho's choice of exposing corruption in the Niger River Delta was through a novel, but the characters in that novel did it via journalism. Both methods of communication are important in spreading awareness about these issues, but they do so in different ways. Fiction specifically can reach a larger audience over time than other modes of reporting such as journalism. Additionally, fiction often times sparks a sort of interest in people that nonfiction does not inspire. Journalism however is more important in spreading immediate awareness about issues in a local setting. The journalists in Tides brought about so much backlash due to their truthful but astounding reporting on the government and the oil that they were eventually caught and forced to be silent. In this sense, journalism can also spark stronger emotions than a work of fiction can. By combining the two, Okepwho was able to both evoke the serious emotions in his readers that journalists are often times able to as well as spread the story and bring global awareness.
Tides proves how much of an impact Nigerian writers can make by not only putting their country's suffering into words, but also in spreading those sufferings to a broader audience. It is crucial that authors like Okepwho come forth with their stories in order to rally support from the rest of the world. It is in this way that Tides is able to bring about awareness to the issues of Nigeria.
Works Cited
- Okpewho, Isidore. Tides. Burnt Mill, Harlow, Essex, England: Longman, 1993. Print.
- Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-friendly Guide. 3rd edition. New York: Routledge, 2014. Print.
