Ecocide and Rebellion in Chimeka Garricks’ Tomorrow Died Yesterday

Abstract

Human activities such as oil exploration and release of harmful chemicals are instances of the plunder of natural environment. This plunder, in the case of Niger Delta, is occasioned by the collaboration of oil companies and members of host communities, which has resulted in aggrieved individuals taking up arms to stage insurgency and rebellion. Hence, this study examines the nuanced factors responsible for the degradation of natural environment in Niger Delta. For the purpose of this study, postcolonial ecocriticism is employed as a theoretical framework to analyse the novel, “Tomorrow Died Yesterday” selected for this study. This multidisciplinary approach lends strong credence to the harmonisation of postcolonial and environmental issues suitable for a critical analysis of a literary work that makes ecocritical statements. Findings reveal that the Nigerian government, the oil companies and the people of Niger Delta are guilty of ecocide. The study also reveals the horrible human activities that culminate in the social inequalities and environmental injustice that lure the youth of the host communities to take up arms to demonstrate their grievances. The study therefore, concludes that ecocide in Niger Delta manifests displacement, immorality, violence, killing and kidnapping, proliferation of deadly weapons, debauchery and above all, disruption of social and ecosystem.