Women and Nature in the Movie, "Black November"

Abstract

Issues about people’s natural environment have undeniably become an integral part of human existence. In this regard, a lot of literary scholars and social critics have unrelentingly written on how to curtail or end the numerous environmental degradations. Despite many studies conducted on environmental concerns in Nigerian literature, only little attention has been given to how Nollywood movies contribute to this cause. Using Jeta Amata’s film, Black November—an outstanding film with environmental underpinnings—this paper argues that there is a gender trajectory to the environmental issues in Nigerian literature. Specifically, in Black November. We find that women possess an innate ingenious heroism, which upstages the notion that the Niger Delta struggle was carried out by men alone. Drawing on an ecofeminist theoretical approach, this essay further explores the affinity between man’s domination of nature and the patriarchal domination of women. Considering the various resilient attributes of women in the movie towards a sustainable environment, the study concludes that women could contribute immensely towards curbing environmental issues if patriarchal authorities would give them more latitude to do so.