Oil companies are reaping the rewards while the people of nigeria are suffering. The new generation of twentyfirstcentury african writers have now come of age. Rufus, a cub reporter for a port harcourt newspaper, pursues the. Oil on water by helon habila in the oilrich and environmentally devastated nigerian delta, the wife of a british oil executive has been kidnapped. This article examines the literary representation of the ecological, economic and social destruction of the niger delta in helon habilas novel oil on water 2011. Oil on water follows two journalists keen, young rufus and ageing, cynical zaq as they. In a story rich with atmosphere and taut with suspense, oil on water explores the. Oct 31, 2010 as the toll of damage caused by the oil spill in the gulf of mexico continues to be assessed, helon habilas latest novel, oil on water, is both timely and compelling. The atmospheric evocation of place in oil on water is matched by deft characterisation that makes is possible to empathise with baddies as well as goodies. Oil on water by helon habila narrated by a junior nigerian journalist who wishes to write the story of the deltas plight, this is a much celebrated piece of topical literature. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Helon habila s new novel, oil on water is a confidently crafted and absorbing, in parts totally gripping, chronicle of human ambitions, tragedies and failures, but also of love, friendship and perseverance of the human spirit. As the toll of damage caused by the oil spill in the gulf of mexico continues to be assessed, helon habilas latest novel, oil on water, is both timely and compelling. This paper, therefore, examines helon habilas oil on water as a testament to the environmental mindfulness of nigerian novelists. Oil on water by helon habila in the oil rich and environmentally devastated nigerian delta, the wife of a british oil executive has been kidnapped.
The longterm impact of global market challenges and oil. Bernadine evaristo, who has nothing to say about habilas language or characters, wrote, oil on. This paper, therefore, examines helon habila s oil on water as a testament to the environmental mindfulness of nigerian novelists. Oil on water by helon habila overdrive rakuten overdrive. Helon habila is the author of oil on water, measuring time, waiting for an angel, and the chibok girls. Oil on water quotes showing of 3 you must take a year off, one of these days, before youre old and tired and weighed down by responsibility. It was a bit violent is places but habilas tone seems to soften the blow.
This paper will, in section tw o, analy ze ecocriticism as its t. Oil on water 2011 takes place in the southern delta state. Helon habila is the author of the novels, waiting for an angel, measuring time, oil on water, and travelers and a nonfiction book, the chibok girls. I found helon habila to be a great storyteller and the book held my attention.
Although formally independent since 1960, nigeria is still embedded in unequal neocolonial relationships under the guise of globalization. He is associate professor of creative writing at george mason university and lives in virginia with his wife and three children. They are searching for a kidnapped white woman, isabel floode, who finds herself made a bargaining chip in the war between the government of nigeria and its people. His father, habila ngalabak, started out his career. Oil on water, by helon habila, is a novel that takes in nigeria where oil has become the main concern. This paper therefore seeks to explore the issues of environmental degradation and its attendant consequences like the rise of militancy, kidnapping, bunkering, oil theft in the region using helon habilas oil on water as the focal text. Just send us an email and well put the best up on the site. Apr 23, 2018 this article examines the literary representation of the ecological, economic and social destruction of the niger delta in helon habilas novel oil on water 2011.
Representing the neocolonial destruction of the niger. It makes for particularly thoughtprovoking reading when the fallout from bps calamitous oil spill off the coast of florida is still frontpage news. He worked as a lecturer and journalist in nigeria before moving in 2002 to england, where he was a chevening scholar at the university of east anglia, and now teaches creative writing at george mason university, washington, d. Please read our short guide how to send a book to kindle. Supposedly trying to protect the environment from the oil. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have see numerous period for their favorite books later than this oil on water a novel helon habila, but stop going on in harmful downloads. May 31, 2011 for all the outrage directed at bp after last years oil spill, the destruction wreaked by the oil industry in the niger delta goes unchallenged.
One of the major principles of systemic linguistics is that the exploration of the transitivity properties processes, participants, and circumstances inof a text can give a full insight into how the writer encodes experiential meaning therein koussouhon. Two journalists a young upstart, rufus, and a oncegreat, now disillusioned veteran, zaq are sent to find her. Nigerian author helon habila mixes oil and water in new. This book shows the conflict and damage that the oil companies have done to the niger delta in nigeria. Nigerian author helon habila mixes oil and water in new novel. They wouldnt have convinced me to read the novel, since they treated oil on water as only the sum total of its political, postcolonial, and racial content. A novel by helon habila available from rakuten kobo. The new generation of twentyfirstcentury african writers have now. As in habilas two previous novels, waiting for an angel and measuring time, the protagonist of oil on water is a young writer with a strong faith in the power of words. Pdf this study looks at helon habilas novel, oil on water 2012 in its engagement of the destruction of the landscape and reflection of the.
Oil on water, a novel by helon habila the culture of. Evoking the rich and beautiful yet fragile environment of the delta, that is slowly being devastated by the greed for oil and money, habila perceptively guides his. He is the author of the novels waiting for an angel, measuring time and oil on water, and has won literary prizes including the caine prize and the windhamcampbell literature prize. While searching for a foreign hostage, two reporters witness the despoliation of nigeria in habilas measuring time, 2007, etc.
This article aims at applying some of the principles guiding systemic functional grammar sfg to helon habilas oil on water 2011. Oil on water helon habila pdf ebook download gidibooks. May 05, 2012 oil on water by helon habila in the oilrich and environmentally devastated nigerian delta, the wife of a british oil executive has been kidnapped. Environment, oil theft, militancy, kidnapping, bunkering degradation, vandalization, spillages 1. They are searching for a kidnapped white woman, isabel floode, who finds herself made a bargaining chip in the war. Environmental degradation, militancykidnapping and oil theft.
Bernadine evaristo, who has nothing to say about habila s language or characters, wrote, oil on water brings to light this overlooked story of. Literary militancy and helon habilas oil on water project muse. It was a bit violent is places but habila s tone seems to soften the blow. Helon habila ngalabak born november 1967 is a nigerian novelist and poet, whose writing has won many prizes, including the caine prize in 2001. In the oilrich and environmentally devastated nigerian delta, the wife of a british oil executive has been kidnapped. Two journalistsa young upstart, rufus, and a oncegreat, now disillusioned veteran, zaqare sent to find her. A young journalist, rufus, travels into the niger delta along with his hero, a famous reporter named zaq. Exploring ideational metafunction in helon habilas oil on. Habila, himself a nigerian, describes a sad and sorrowful scene to the reader. Helon habilas oil on water 2011 powerfully and engagingly captures the ecological and. Online library oil on water a novel helon habila oil on water a novel helon habila thank you unquestionably much for downloading oil on water a novel helon habila.
The choice of oil on water is informed by the fact that there is a dearth of serious scholarly research on the novel. Emmanuel dongala in the oilrich and environmentally devastated nigerian delta, the wife of a british oil executive has been kidnapped. His writing has won numerous awards including the caine prize, the commonwealth short story prize and the windhamcampbell prize. The stink of oil and the orange light of gas flares emanate from this graphic account of a nation ruined by the extraction of its natural resources, in a narrative that is part political diatribe, part detective story. Doesnt harm the white woman isabel floode or the nurse gloria he says they dont rape people. Thats when the militant group starts fighting back, and one of the ways they do so, is by kidnapping important people and family members of the oil company.
There is a shimmering waterlike quality to the rhythms, cadences and fluidity of habilas precise prose. Buy oil on water by helon habila online at alibris. The novel itself, highlighting as it does the role of the journalist as observer and witness, amounts to an act of literary activism, since it provides testimony concerning the destruction of the region. Research in african literatures, volume 48, number 4, winter 2017, pp. Bernadine evaristo, who has nothing to say about habilas language or characters, wrote, oil on water brings to light this overlooked story of. Helon habila is a nigerian novelist, poet and academic. Early life and educationhabila was born in 1967 to a christian tangale family in kaltungo, gombe state, in the northern middlebelt region of nigeria. The oil companies are buying up villages and destroying the environment. In helon habilas oil on water, we see two journalists, elderly zaq and youthful rufus, embark on a journey through the niger delta in search of a kidnapped woman. Helon habilas new novel turns these certainties on their head.
The modern environmentalist movement as it emerged first in the late nineteenth century. Helon habilas new novel, oil on water is a confidently crafted and absorbing, in parts totally gripping, chronicle of human ambitions, tragedies and failures, but also of love, friendship and perseverance of the human spirit. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read oil on water. Environmental degradation, militancykidnapping and oil. In this country, the very air we breathe is politics. Provided to youtube by zebralution gmbh oil on water, chapter 145 helon habila oil on water. Gordon continued from previous page jon gordon teaches writing studies at.
Seen as a crazy man who will kill a man in cold blood 4. Thanks to didi for asking me to participate and check out the black. Helon habila s new novel turns these certainties on their head. A study of helon habilas oil on water and kaine agarys yellow yellow with abstract, chapters 15. Oil on water, the most recent novel by nigerian writer helon habila, explores the consequences of more than fifty years of oil extraction in the niger delta.
The paper seeks to proffer solutions to this agelong problem if socioeconomic and political growth is to be met in the niger delta region of nigeria. Representing the neocolonial destruction of the niger delta. Helon habila is a nigerian poet and novelist whose debut novel, waiting for an angel, won the 2003 commonwealth literature prize for the best first novel by an african writer. Seen as a crazy man who will kill a man in cold blood. Aug 01, 2010 oil on water, by helon habila, is a novel that takes in nigeria where oil has become the main concern. Although formally independent since 1960, nigeria is still embedded in unequal neocolonial relationships under the. Animals lie decomposing, drowned in oil, the poisoned river water is foul and sulphurous, abandoned villages have an indefinable sadness in the air, as if a. Pollution in the sense of contamination caused by certain industrial processes could be said to be the central theme of this novel by the nigerian author helon habila his third. The local people are poor and undernourished, always looking over their shoulder violence seems to be everpresent now and their once rich soil is seeping black, dirty oil.
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