Reimagining the Niger-Delta Environment in Albert Otto's Letters from the Earth

Abstract

Environmental despoliation in the Niger-Delta has been extensively engaged by writers from the region to expose the wanton depredation and destruction that characterise the region. Scholars and creatives have both engaged artistic strategies to promote environmental sustainability. This study investigates reimagination as a strategy to counter the marginalisation of the Niger-Delta environment in Albert Otto’s Letters from the Earth. The paper explores how the poet reimagines the Niger-Delta environment, contrasting its dire realities. Grounded in an ecocritical theoretical framework, this research employs qualitative content analysis to interpret nine selected poems from the collection. The poems are purposively selected as they depict the images of a reimagined Niger-Delta environment. The study found that Otto’s reimagination of the Niger-Delta environment embodies an environmental renaissance, where sustainability and justice prevail. Ultimately, the reimagined environment serves as a catalyst for environmental justice, inspiring hope for the people and equipping the fight against ecological exploitation with tangible possibilities.