‘Yellow’ Environment and Women as Allegorical Despoliation: A feminist Ecocritical Reading of Kaine Agary’s Yellow Yellow

Abstract

Environmental degradation and preservation have become a topical issue in academic and non- academic discourse. African literary critics, especially Niger Delta writers have responded to the discourse by deploying their works towards exposing environmental damages in the region, and to seek intervention for the Niger Delta people. This study examines the dual aesthetics of environmental despoliation and sexual exploitation, and demonstrates the women’s responses to such anomalies. The representative novel of Kaine Agary’s Yellow Yellow is explored to discuss women’s experiences in the region, when the environment is degraded. The author utilizes the ecofeminist framework to elucidate the nexus between environmental exploitation and sexist oppression, and recommends ways to promote an egalitarian society for women, and respect for the natural environment. Keywords: Niger Delta, sexism, ecofeminism, environment