Opinion: Our Environment And The Logic Of The Ghetto

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At eco opinion, we invite environmental doers and thinkers to share their views on what needs to be done to preserve the natural wealth and beauty of the African continent. This week, we hear from Priscilla M Achakpa.

Our dear planet earth and our natural world are in tremendous danger and have been

turned into a place where the logic of the ghetto is at play. What constitutes that logic

You impoverish people, segregate them and prevent them from working as a team,

demoralize them to the point that they stop believing in themselves, and deprive them

of a livelihood so the only way out is to run away.

The logic of the ghetto is usually the result of a series of increasingly poor decisions

that turn small problems into progressively big ones – often to the point where they are

beyond anyone’s control. Those living in the ghetto then blame society for whatever

problems they face and begin to oppress others in the same situation.

How, you might wonder, is the logic of the ghetto linked to planet earth and our

environment? As living beings, “we” are deeply connected with the natural world in

our daily lives, but our destructive human activities are terrorizing it and subsequently

ghettoizing our society.

Our Nigerian environment is faced with a barrage of problems, ranging from drought,

desertification, deforestation, illegal logging, bush burning, over-grazing, industrial,

chemical and oil pollution (which includes spills, toxic waste and gas flaring) to

mining, solid waste management, gully and coastal erosion, sea-level rise, urban

flooding and the drying up of rivers and lakes.

Man-made trauma

Most of these problems are caused by human activity. Likewise, climate and weather

variations are a consequence of how we treat the earth, and they have led to that logic

of the ghetto. People are oppressing each other, which leads to violent conflict, the

search for greener pastures, a shift from rural to urban life, rise in slums, identity

struggles and tussles over political power. And what is the outcome? Terrorism

executed by herdsmen and farmers who see Boko Haram as a way out.

Our planet earth and natural environment have been turned into a battle ground

where the high and mighty are untouchable and the poor are subjected to the logic of

the ghetto. And Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us all, is now crying out

because of the irresponsible abuse and destruction we have inflicted on her.

Based on the theory of the logic of the ghetto, the choice is to kill and oppress

everyone or to run away. But as Pope Francis said: “It is no longer enough to speak

only of integrity of ecosystems. We have to dare to speak of the integrity of human life,

of the need to promote and unify all the great values. Once we lose our humility, and

become enthralled with possibility of limitless mastery over everything, we inevitably

end harming the society and environment.”

I first learnt of the logic of the ghetto from my mentor, Rev.Fr John Patrick Ngoyi and

credit this piece to his wealth of knowledge. – Priscilla M Achakpa, executive director

of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP) in Nigeria.

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