NIGER DELTA (Nigeria, 2007)
No country in the world has suffered as much for having oil as Nigeria has. While a small elite and foreign multinationals earn billions from the exploitation of its natural wealth, the people of the Ni-ger delta generally live at or below the poverty line. More than that: they have to also deal with the negative side-effects of oil production. Because of poor maintenance and sabotage, every year as much oil is lost into the fragile environment as was lost in the Exxon Valdez disaster. Agricultural land becomes unusable, fishing waters are changed into black slicks and swamps are rendered life-less. Kadir van Lohuizen recorded the lives of the delta’s people in confrontational images, people whose lives are unintentionally dominated by oil. They live under the shadow of uncontrollable fires, with their feet in black gold that is worthless to them.
