The last few months have been a bumpy ride over rough roads for HOMEF. Nevertheless, we are holding steadily on the pathway delineated by our vision and your support, which strengthen our resolve to never rest until we get to our destination of restoring our lands and regaining our dignity. Stay with us on this journey.
In April this year, our team visited Ayetoro community in Ondo State, Nigeria, a community heavily plagued by coastal erosion and environmental degradation. We conducted two exercises in this community, namely engaging them in educational training sessions and a dialogue, both resulting in very thoughtful resolutions. We bring you a story on these encounters in this edition.
We also hosted a Climate Justice Assembly in the same month during which we highlighted the campaign to “Yasunize and Ogonize” the World. These terms, derived from Yasuni and Ogoni peoples, speak deeply to the struggles and survival of marginalized groups who are taking bold stands against extractivism in their communities. You may have heard of the epochal session of our School of Ecology on Ecological Justice and Resilience. It was a torrent of power-packed sessions, with insightful instigation and sharing of knowledge for action. Participants ranged from university students, journalists, activists and community members.
Another highlight of this reporting season was our maiden Poetry Day with the renowned eco-poet, Prof. Tanure Ojaide. As part of our culture and environment work, the Poetry Day was designed to raise environmental awareness through the instrumentality of poetry in recognition of the power of poetry to motivate, inform and critique. A large number of literature students and professors participated in the readings and critical discussions on the works of Prof. Ojaide. The thought-provoking keynote presented by our guest poet is included in this edition.
The Fourth Niger Delta Alternatives Convergence (NDAC) was another significant event that unfolded in the quarter. NDAC was used as an opportunity to denounce the ecocide visited on the region by oil companies and to demand the implementation of the demands of the NDAC manifesto, which was adopted in 2022 Meanwhile, as we deliberate on stopping ecocide in the Niger Delta, oil spills continue to occur with alarming regularity and spate. Notable among these is the oil spill that occurred at B-Dere, a community in Ogoniland. We bring you a glossary of photos from the scene to give readers a pictorial idea of the amount of carnage caused by these oil spills in the region. As usual, we bring you reports of activities, events and stories that were of great significance to our common struggles in the first quarter of the year. We also highlight some books we think you should grab and read.
We never stop looking forward to receiving your feedback, stories, articles, poems, or photos. Continue to share with us at home@homef.org.
Until Victory!
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