While watching the 7 p.m. London News Network I heard one of the women report that “the price of oil has risen slightly over the course of the week.” I have had trouble thinking about anything but oil since my last trip to Nigeria. I saw first hand the damage all these oil companies are doing to the environment and local communities. I can not image the price of oil ever being high enough to compensate for the true cost of producing, shipping and using oil. I guess it wouldn’t even matter if the price of a single barrel was a million pounds because the companies all would keep for themselves. Well maybe they would use it to pay for another ransom.

I had to quit the first job I got when I returned. I worked at the aquarium right next to the Thames by the Eye of London. Most people would have liked to have my job. I got 10£ an hour to work at the ticket window that faced the river, but that river terrified me. Anytime I saw a branch or large piece of trash I would have flashbacks to seeing arms floating along side the boat.

Not even my friends are willing to change their opinion on oil. I think it is because they never once learned in school about the science behind oil, but I can not blame them because neither did I. I learned everything on my own only after my time in Nigeria. Have you ever tried to explain to a construction worker that oil is bad? He laughed at me. They always laugh at me. You should have seen their faces when I told them even using google would use oil.

I’m afraid that no one will learn until it is too late. That people will only realize it is too late when the petroleum pump runs dry. But if we wait until the holy nozzle is unable to provide, then the environment at large may already be ruined.

Isabel Floode

I was taken aback when our class was asked about our willingness to make lifestyle changes if we were given a list of concrete actions that would help the environment. Intellectually, I wanted to say that I would absolutely be willing to make sacrifices and alterations, but internally, I knew that a combination of laziness, selfishness, and unwillingness to acknowledge or admit the impact that my tiny life has on the world around me. I remain far removed from the effects of climate change both at Duke and back in Tennessee, and I still struggle with finding a sense of proximity to these issues.

Theoretically, this is when fiction and storytelling becomes most important. Although I may not live out an environmental crisis in my suburban surroundings, I can witness their effects on others on the page or onscreen. Yet even these experiences are difficult for me to truly relate to. I am neither an immigrant, nor a journalist, nor a farmer, and while I can feel sympathy for these individuals and their struggles, at the end of the day, I am unable to muster up the deep connection and sense of responsibility that their tales ought to invoke.

Oil on Water made me feel guilty about the impact of American greed on Nigerians and its ecosystems, but internally, I am able to redirect the blame onto oil companies and large companies rather than myself, a single student. “The Petrol Pump” also induced a sense of concern for an unavoidable future when we have exhausted our oil resources, but again, I perceive the responsibility for finding a solution to be that of scientists and businesses, not myself. And while the world depicted in Pumzi is rather frightening, it is different enough from the world I experience every day that I do not feel the sense of urgency or concern that it might arouse if I felt more of a personal connection to the story.

Climate change and environmental degradation may be a process measured in years, but action and change must occur now if we are to avoid a catastrophic future. Writers, directors, producers, artists, and especially scientists and academics must work together to find a way to catch, and more importantly, to hold the attention of the public. I consider myself to be more interested in sustainability issues than the average person, and even I tend to view such problems as belonging to either a time or a place far removed from where I am today.

If fiction is to be a pathway for spreading messages about the importance of solving climate challenges with adequate speed, it has to start being more direct and vivid in its stories. It should worry less about being artistic or having allegorical messages, and not shy away from the frightening, the painful, and the taboo. It must be willing to confront its audience personally, speaking to them individually and in terms that will strike them with a sense of responsibility and urgency. I need to hear the stories that are brutal, that are ugly, that are inconclusive. But most importantly, they must feel very, very real. In a society where we are too often numb to real tragedy and horror in our media, it is the responsibility of those who want to make an impact on people to find a way to cut through the fog and strike directly at our hearts. Then we may get the message, and I hope it won’t be too late.

Works Cited:

Calvino, Italo, and Tim Parks. “The Petrol Pump.” Numbers in the Dark: And Other Stories. New York: Pantheon, 1995. 170-75. Print.

Habila, Helon. Oil on Water: A Novel. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Dodocutepoison. “Pumzi”. Youtube. Youtube, LLC. 2013

Buying Nature

When I was in elementary school, my mom topped off each bag lunch with a plastic water bottle. Only used once. When the clay soil in my backyard wasn’t conducive to plant growth, I bought better soil from the plant nursery. It came in a plastic bag. When my friend sent me a picture from her college, it was of the oxygen bar that just opened on her campus. She paid money to breathe ‘better’ air. While these experiences are my own, they are not unique. As Wanuri Kahiu said, “I am not so unique that my story is relevant only to myself.” The bottling and purchasing of natural resources happens worldwide.

In her TEDx Talk, Kahiu, who directed Pumzi, said that she thinks the idea of bottling nature and selling it for profit is ridiculous. She asked, “where does the idea of buying natural things end?” And her question is a difficult one, because the short term answers are very different from the long term ones. For short term end points, bottled water is convenient, bagged soil creates life, and canned air is entertaining. Natural resources under this mindset are continuously consumed and thrown away, without regard to the effects and ethics that the distribution of these products can have in the long run.

Regarding the long term, buying natural things can end in instability and poverty for entire nations of people, as depicted by the Nigerian oil conflicts in Oil on Water. The sequestration of nature can also have psychological repercussions, like the plaguing paranoia that the nature we take advantage of will one-day cease to exist, and take us with it, as exhibited in The Petrol Pump. Kahiu, through Pumzi, presents perhaps the bleakest long term outcome of them all: the eradication of hope.

My personal experiences buying nature are not unique, and neither are the experiences of the millions of people who have to face the long term repercussions, like those mentioned above, daily. Their stories are not so unique that they are relevant only to themselves. Buying natural things does not end at the checkout counter; it ricochets around in the lives of others around the world.

Sources:

Kahiu, Wanuri. “No More Labels.” TEDx Talks. Feb 4 2014. Web. Feb 8 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4–BIlZE_78

The readings and short film showed the exploitative nature of mankind. In some shape or form, the reader was struck by greed and the consequences of the emotion: destruction, pain, and limiting-reign.  All the works looked at the exploitation of natural resources which are limited and being used unsustainably by powerful nations.

Oil on Water revolved around the use of oil in Africa, specifically Nigeria, and the war on the environment. The story followed a journalist, Rufus, and his mentor/friend, Zaq, as they attempted to find a kidnapped woman. While looking for the woman, Rufus and Zaq became witnesses to a system of abuse and exploitation of resources and people. Big oil companies take from the land at the expense of the people. While the company made money, water was being poisoned: killing the plants, animals, and people in the area. Militants attempted to fight off the oil companies to help the environment but, while they fought big companies, innocent people were caught in the crossfire and some used the mission of others to make money.

The short story, The Petrol Pump, and the film, Pumzi, were works showing the exploitation of people in a first person point of view. In the short story, the reader sees a character who is living in a world facing a oil crisis. Desperation to find oil is felt and the protagonist leads the reader to wonder about a world without this resource they rely heavily upon. In the film, the audience sees the effect of losing a resource. The protagonist shows a world were there is no water and the desperate measures that must be taken to keep a civilization alive.

The exploitation observed in the works bring into question the system society has created. We have decided to take all we can without reserve or concern for others. Now the works ask, what is the consequence for our actions and when will we be punished?

Works Cited

Calvino, Italo, and Tim Parks. “The Petrol Pump.” Numbers in the Dark: And Other Stories. New York: Pantheon, 1995. 170-75. Print.

Habila, Helon. Oil on Water: A Novel. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Dodocutepoison. “Pumzi”. Youtube. Youtube, LLC. 2013.

https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/n/natural_resources.asp

Blog 2/10/17

Kevin Bhimani Blog #4

The book Oil on Water presented an interesting take not only on the issues of pollution and degradation resulting from oil extraction in Nigeria, but it also gave a look into how this was not simply just a black and white conflict. There are multiple factors stemming from the geopolitical atmosphere that need to be taken into account as this is such a complex situation. The novel revolves around a reporter, Rufus, and his quest to find a missing woman along with his friend and mentor, Zaq. This led to a journey filled with encounters that shed light on the issues of land control, corporate greed, hypocrisy, and more. My main take away from this story was the huge cultural disparity between how people in other countries view the environment versus how we in the United States and other 1^st world countries do. The natives in the book had such a deep connection to their land which is why they were so passionate about protecting it, whereas in the U.S. we simply view it as something that is there for our disposal—just another tool that can make our lives easier. There is a fundamental difference in ideology, which is expounded upon in this research paper. The notion of protecting our Earth as humans won’t come to fruition until there is a common sentiment amongst all people and cultures. Our land and natural resources are something that we should preserve and cultivate so that we can use it for generations to come, not something that we exploit.

Additionally, the short story The Petrol Pump and the short film Pumzi were to me the two most intriguing things that we have been exposed to in the course thus far. The dystopian nature that they gave off was something likened to Netflix’s Black Mirror, a show in which different scenarios are presented in which the world has a significantly twisted, and sometimes bleak view. The idea of producing no waste, or not having any sign of life outside the bubble that has been created to further the human race are notions that seem all too distant now, but very soon we may realize that this is not so far off. I believe the objective that Italo Calvino is going for when describing the last bit of gas being pumped into that sports car or Wanuri Kahiu is representing when depicting a hypothetical world after WWIII “The War of Water” is that we won’t be focusing on the trivial aspects of life anymore when the very basic needs of our planet cease to exist. If we run out of gas, water, food, etc. then our entire dynamic as a society fundamentally changes, and it is interesting to see directors, artists, and more take this topic on and give it their own view. Films such as Mad Max, Blade Runner, and books like Fahrenheit 451 are all other examples of this genre that I personally find to be fascinating.

Works Cited

Calvino, Italo, and Tim Parks. Numbers in the Dark: And Other Stories. New York: Pantheon, 1995. Print.

Habila, Helon. Oil on Water: A Novel. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/run-out-of-water.htm

http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1070&context=orpc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror

The film Pumzi, the novel Oil on Water, and the short story “The Petrol Pump” all were inspired by the unsustainable actions of mankind and set out to deliver warnings or raise awareness of this vast issue. Nevertheless, each story had its own unique way of portraying the urgency of its message. Therefore, each story also differed in how it made me feel and want to act moving forward.

Pumzi takes the viewer into the future to a time following a devastating war over water. It is the story of a young woman who fights to conserve what may very well be the last living plant in the world. In the end, she values the plant over everything and gives her life to it upon a treacherous journey in the desert where the tree can grow and prosper away from the fatal human touch of her civilization. This film instilled a strange sense of remorse and guilt in me. I say strange because this story is about a society in East Africa far from my home and an entire World War into the future. Nevertheless, it still made me recognize the need for change because this distant future did not feel so far. Specifically, it made me want to tell my government to change their policies right now before it is too late.

Oil on Water by Helon Habila had a similar effect on me as Pumzi did. Through the story of a journalist observing the fight over oil between Nigerian militants and oil manufacturers, Habila shows very clearly the destructive effects of the unsustainable practices of the developed world, such as the exploitation of oil-containing lands. The novel is full of emotion, devastation, and most importantly, truth. It is a fictional story yet this destruction is happening in Nigeria today. As I read the novel, I again yearned for my government to simply fix this – to stop all their ruinous practices and help the Nigerians. As unlikely as my appeal may be, it still made me look towards change. In fact, it was even more effective in grabbing my attention than Pumzi was because it raised concerns about the present rather than the future.

Lastly, “The Petrol Pump” had an entirely different effect upon me. By focusing on the thoughts of a single individual as he pumps his gas and contemplates sustainability, I too focused on my own actions. The short story made me question how I react when I am driving and my fuel reserves get low. In this case, I was not considering what society needed to do to avoid a disastrous future or alleviate the problems of the present. Instead, I realized that maybe I should be the one changing my unsustainable ways. Thus, I found “The Petrol Pump” to be the most effective story in producing change towards sustainability in the mindset of the reader.

Works Cited

Calvino, Italo, and Tim Parks. “The Petrol Pump.” Numbers in the Dark: And Other Stories. New York: Pantheon, 1995. 170-75. Print.

Habila, Helon. Oil on Water: A Novel. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Dodocutepoison. “Pumzi”. Youtube. Youtube, LLC. 2013.

Humans are notorious for multiple behaviors in our short history: categorizing, assigning value, and declaring ownership of things both human and nonhuman. Borders, along with who and what resides within them, are distinct examples of the history of human interaction with each other and with their environment. The three pieces of discussion this week hinge on these human ideals. They center on the division of natural resources and discuss this issue through numerous storytelling techniques.

In the fictional novel Oil on Water, authored by Helon Habila, two Nigerian journalists set out on a mission to rescue the wife of a British oil engineer from her kidnappers, Nigerian militants. The theme of this story is power; who has the right to control their environment? In the famed Berlin Conference of 1885, leaders of European nations gathered to draw borders and allocate sections of Africa among themselves. Following this event, Great Britain officially colonized Nigeria. Many believe that the conference was the precursor for present day strife in areas such as Nigeria, where civilians fight for the right to keep their land, the government fights for the right to trade oil with other nations, and the environment suffers as a result of both sides. If native ethnic groups were able to draw their own borders, perhaps the conflict over oil and natural resources would have occurred anyways, but perhaps native people could have remained in symbiosis with their environment, such as the island community in the novel who continue to worship their environment.

“Belgium’s King Leopold II divides up the spoils and takes the Congo as his own private state.”
http://www.dw.com/en/130-years-ago-carving-up-africa-in-berlin/a-18278894

Similarly, the short story The Petrol Pump by Italo Calvino discusses the rationing of oil. He creates a compelling tale through the use of poetic language woven into real-world events. Calvino personifies his automobile while also directly comparing it to the environment in the way that they are both running out of oil. I initially interpreted the story as set in the future, so with the price of crude oil at eleven dollars per barrel in the story, I couldn’t help but wonder what international crisis had led to the economy plummeting so steeply. This interpretation of the story is very pertinent to the state of oil today and how local prices and opinions about gas are directly impacted by the state of the international relations. Borders hereby impact not only countries in Africa affected by colonialism, but also has effects on the world in its increasing state of globalization.

Lastly, in the short film Pumzi I was struck by the lack of water present in a futuristic African territory. The film is set after a third World War entitled “The Water War”, and this setting supports an interpretation that nations began withholding water resources from one another. The concept of conflict over water rights is nothing new, and in many cases, land that contains the source of bodies of water is highly valued. Sources and their respective bodies of water that lie between man-made borders are in complete control of the nation that claims the source. The power that one country could have in the ability to decimate the environment and people living in another country is astonishing.

As a result of this discussion, I’m believe that we must continue to view the environment as part of one large ecosystem that we all thrive in. Victor Davis Hanson of the LA Times stated, “Borders are to distinct countries what fences are to neighbors: means of demarcating that something on one side is different from what lies on the other side.” However, this “demarcating” of people and resources is extremely harmful and confusing when it comes to environmental issues. As an increasing number of humanitarian organizations name themselves [Insert occupation] Without Borders, I can’t help to wonder, would it be more helpful in solving environmental issues to consider the environment to be beyond borders?

Works Cited

Calvino, Italo, and Tim Parks. “The Petrol Pump.” Numbers in the Dark: And Other Stories. New York: Pantheon, 1995. 170-75. Print.

Dodocutepoison. “Pumzi”. Youtube. Youtube, LLC. 2013.

Habila, Helon. Oil on Water: A Novel. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Hanson, Victor Davis. “Why Borders Matter — and a Borderless World Is a Fantasy.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2017. <http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hanson-borders-20160731-snap-story.html>.

Time has been but a silent witness to the increasing need, exploitive acquisition and externalities due to the human dependency on oil. Countries have gone to great lengths, to acquire the capacity to either produce or be assured the free-flow of oil. People have been subjected to war, to conflict, and to enmities that find the root in this dependency. But a greater problem is engendered. One that’s oft ignored- the devastation and damage that is caused to our Environment. In our imperceptive manipulation and blind greed for oil we have, and are rapidly eroding the very source of our being.

In this light, neither Habila nor Calvino could have chosen a more pivotal topic to write about. Both stories, although disparate in their writing styles, are analogous in the way they interweave the impending issue of oil production and use. Habila entwines the deleterious, yet labyrinthine politics of Oil in Nigeria, with Petro-dollars, the government and the plight of the people. The story is enveloped by a nuanced human essence, that calls to our attention, as to how and where the problem begins. “The oil industry has been associated with corruption, violence and bloodshed, wreaking ecological devastation on the Niger Delta region and its fishing and farming communities, which benefit little from the enormous profits involved, fueling ethnic conflict and guerrilla activity. At the same time as local lives and livelihoods are constantly endangered, the kidnapping of foreigners for ransom has proliferated over the years, with opportunists vying with self-selected freedom fighters.”(The Independent)

A young Nigerian reporter- Rufus is the protagonist of Habila’s first-person narrative. In his book “Oil on Water”. Rufus is paired on a mission with his mentor, acclaimed journalist Zaq. Zaq although an alcoholic, still has erudition to impart. In their pursuit to find a kidnapped British woman, being held hostage by militants, they expose many more realities- to themselves and the reader. The exploited peoples, the militants fighting to protect their environment from oil companies, the army with its own vested interests and the oil companies themselves. Habila shows how journalism is a tool that not only can challenge a government, but also give a voice to the faceless people in a country. In “The Petrol Pump”, Calvino elicits an impactful, yet nuanced confluence. He envisions oil’s ubiquity and its inadequacy in the face of human wants. From the millennial time scale for oil’s creation, to the nexus flows of money, power, and technology that make the current global economy- fueled by oil. He highlights in his allegorical short story, that although time and oil are running out, our needs and wants are not. Both stories bring to the forefront the unseen issues in the production and exploitation of Oil. They appeal to the reader to no longer be ignorant towards the calamity we are now facing, a problem we have created for ourselves. They impart a sense of urgency for us to do something, anything- to save our planet, its resources and its inhabitants- before its too late.

Works Cited

Calvino, Italo. “卡尔维诺中文站.” The Petrol Pump – 卡尔维诺中文站. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

“Environmental Impact of the Petroleum Industry.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

The Independent. “Oil On Water, By Helon Habila.” Ed. Margaret Busby. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

Novel. Short story. Film.

Oil on Water. “The Petrol Pump.” Pumzi.

This past week, we have examined three literary pieces crafted in three different forms of media.

One, Oil on Water, a novel written by Helon Habila and published in 2010, takes us on a tumultuous journey through the war-torn and oil-drenched jungle that is the undeveloped region of Nigeria. From the eyes of a hopeful reporter, Rufus, we flash forward and backward in time before fully grasping the complexities of not only the kidnapping of a rich British petroleum engineer’s wife, but also the many power struggles within the country – racial, socio-economic, cultural – all of which find their root in a common evil: oil. In it’s vivid imagery and diction which fairly bring the inky stench of oil to life, Oil on Water provides a startling anecdotal rendition of the very real oil wars that occurred in Nigeria nine short years ago and the struggle several countries undoubtedly still face. More significantly, this novel is up close and personal. Real pain is experienced; real strife is endured.

Two, “The Petrol Pump” is a short story written by Italo Calvino in the 1970s but set in a dystopian society in which there is a severe oil shortage, such that crude oil costs $11.00/barrel and there are only certain hours in which oil is sold. The piece which captures only a small sliver of time, an instance of banal everyday existence for a speaker whose identity remains enigmatic, takes on a wonderfully lyrical tone as the first-person speaker muses to himself of the history of the oil shortage, punctuating his idle contemplation with powerful statements like: ” Money and the subterranean world are family and they go back a long way.” At the root of the dystopic world lies one uniting factor: oil.

Three, Pumzi, a short film written and directed by Kenyan Wanuri Kahiu, depicts a Kenya from far in the future, one post-WWIII, the River Wars. In under twenty minutes, Kahiu establishes a futuristic world of complete destitution, one in which humans have lost all traces of individuality but rather survive mechanically, similar to machines in a world full of metal. Though they have adopted sustainable practices, they have lost the vitality of life, with even unconscious dreams crushed by the system’s “dream suppressor” drugs. One lone woman breaks from the norms of the future’s reality to take the role of Mother Earth. She cares for and protects a young seedling, ultimately prioritizing it above her own life as she selflessly gives the last of her precious water source to the plant.

Though the media through which each piece is presented differs, all three works provide emotional, vivid stories of what could, can, and will happen if we humans continue to squander the earth’s natural resources. Perhaps the ultimate uniting factor of the three stories is their universality – all messages are not limited to one culture group or people, but rather can and should be heard and acted upon by all.

Works Cited

Calvino, Italo, and Tim Parks. “The Petrol Pump.” Numbers in the Dark: And Other Stories. New York: Pantheon, 1995. 170-75. Print.

Dodocutepoison. “Pumzi”. Youtube. Youtube, LLC. 2013.

Habila, Helon. Oil on Water: A Novel. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Prompt: Critical or creative response to Oil on Water, Pumzi, and “The Petrol Pump”

Watching Pumzi in class today sparked some thinking about existentialism. If humans could start anew, living in a bounded area, couldn’t any animals (even besides humans) have begun civilization in a similar manner? An even better question might be: couldn’t such disaster, whether leading to full extinction or not, have happened before?

After all, the earth is very old. Some say it is hundreds of millions of years-old, but we truly do not know how it came to be. Due to the abundance of time and natural disturbances, how can we possibly conclude that another civilization, in human or other form, did not occupy the earth just as we do or did not make the same technological advances as us? Whatever sparked life as we know it on earth could potentially ignite it again, especially long after humans become extinct.

Furthermore, an article that appeared last year in the New York Times examined the possibility that civilizations may have existed on other planets. Almost all stars (such as the sun) host a solar system including planets, and about a quarter of those planet contain sufficient liquid water for life to form. As a result, the probability of other life is much higher than initially imagined.

This brings about a laundry list of questions: How would we interact with other civilizations? What would be our rationale for communicating with them? What could we learn about life, and do we want to learn it?

We cannot help but wonder about life and its origins. What we do know, however, is that humans have tried to manipulate almost everything that they have come across. Thus, we should keep in mind that if we do ever learn about life or other civilizations, we should do so with extreme care.

Works Cited:

Frank, Adam. “Yes, There Have Been Aliens.” New York Times, 16 June 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/opinion/sunday/yes-there-have-been-aliens.html?_r=0.