To Love The Planet

Love My Planet is a nuanced contemplation of women’s ascent amidst the intricate tapestry of environmental degradation from oil exploration

Review written by Abidemi Oguntunji. Jan, 2024

Published in 2008 by Kraftsgriots Publishers, Vincent Egbuson’s Love My Planet stands as a formidable contribution to Nigerian literature, meticulously delving into the harmful ramifications of oil exploration in the beleaguered Niger Delta region—a locale tragically symbolic of one of the world’s most ecologically ravaged ecosystems. 

The nine-chapter narrative revolves around Toundi, a young girl whose profound affection for the Earth is palpable. As an archetypal ecofeminist figure, Toundi navigates the myriad environmental tribulations afflicting the Daglobe community, a metaphorical microcosm of contemporary Nigerian society. The gamut of issues explored spans from gas flaring and water pollution to floods and oil spillages, triggering a cascade effect of hunger, poverty, disease, malnutrition, armed robbery, and prostitution. Within the novel, Toundi emerges as an emblematic ecofeminist, skillfully illuminating the suffering and tribulations of women in her society through her educational advocacy and resistance to the patriarchal dominion ingrained in Nigerian societal norms. 

Employing an omniscient narrative technique, Egbuson intricately weaves a tapestry of words to underscore his thematic preoccupations. Augmented by the artistic incorporation of Pidgin English and lexical coinages, terms like “Sinator” and “I-pass-my-neighbor” are an evocative conveyance of the Nigerian predicament. Egbuson’s utilization of “Sinator” functions not only as a phonological realization but also as a scathing commentary on the English word “senator.” The term encapsulates a fusion of two English words—sinner and senator—depicting the morally questionable attributes of the Nigerian senatorial and, indeed, its political class. This linguistic innovation gains resonance from readers’ encyclopedic knowledge of Nigeria’s political context, where the lawmakers’ eccentricities warrant such derogatory characterizations. Similarly, “I-pass-my-neighbor” embodies the Nigerian government’s failure to provide electricity to its populace, thereby augmenting the thematic depth of the novel. 

Love My Planet is a nuanced contemplation of women’s ascent amidst the intricate tapestry of environmental degradation from oil exploration. Egbuson’s work engages in a dialogical discourse with other ecofeminist narratives, such as Kaine Agary’s Yellow-Yellow, Tanure Ojaide’s The Activist,” and Promise Ogochukwu’s Outrage, among others. Egbuson ascends further by casting a critical eye on the various facets of women’s oppression, condemning practices such as “female genital mutilation, child marriages, harmful widowhood practices, the preference for male children, the bride price in Africa, etc. among other pertinent issues. 

The novel undeniably excels in exploring ecofeminist themes, contributing to the broader ecofeminist discourse, which makes the novel an indispensable contribution to the discourse on the Niger Delta issues.

Author’s Bio
Abidemi Oguntunji is an enthusiastic literary critic, a dedicated researcher, and a fervent advocate of African literature.