Environmental Despoliation and Women’s Strategies of Resistance in May Ifeoma Nwoye’s Oil Cemetery: An Ecofeminist Perspective

Abstract

The natural environment sustains life, yet its continual despoliation through oil exploitation has generated devastating consequences for communities in the Niger Delta. The destruction of farmlands, rivers, and forests has not only disrupted the ecological balance but also pushed the people into cycles of poverty, unemployment, sickness, and insecurity. While much scholarly attention has been given to the ecological disaster and its political-economic underpinnings, less focus has been directed at how women, who bear a disproportionate share of the burden, have actively resisted the violation of their land and heritage. This study interrogates May Ifeoma Nwoye’s Oil Cemetery from an ecofeminist perspective, highlighting the centrality of women’s resistance strategies in the struggle for environmental justice. The novel provides a vivid fictional reconstruction of the lived realities of the Niger Delta, where the feminine body and the ecological body are simultaneously exploited yet equally become sites of protest and renewal. Through close textual analysis, the study explores how female characters, particularly Rita and her allies, mobilise both traditional and modern strategies of protest, including litigation and nude demonstrations, to challenge the excesses of multinational oil corporations and the complacency of patriarchal leadership structures. It also demonstrates that while male-led resistance often collapses under the weight of corruption, greed, and violence, women’s collective strategies foster solidarity and generate meaningful concessions from oppressive systems. By drawing attention to the symbolic and practical power of women’s agency, the paper argues that environmental protest in the Niger Delta would yield more sustainable outcomes when women’s voices and actions are foregrounded. The study concludes that ecofeminism offers a compelling lens for appreciating both the literary representation of women in Nwoye’s work and the broader struggles of Niger Delta women whose resistance embodies the demand for justice, dignity, and ecological renewal.