Poison Fire

Documentary from the Niger Delta. See poisonfire.org

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Nigeria
• Oil
• Gas
• flaring
• Niger
• Delta
• environment
• grassroots
• outreach

[skycoolgurl]

It's a shame that only the quality of the video compells you to comment. And although you did say you were going to comment back after watching the video, you never did. It doesn't take 11 hours to watch a 30 minutes video. The point of the video was not to show its quality but how the Introduction of Shell to the Niger-Delta has demoralized the lives of the her countless inhabitants. I was wondering instead of just taking Shell to court, is there a way to sue them for money like they do in US?

[maweni]

They've been there, done that. In 2004 the Nigerian senate ordered Shell to pay 1.5 billion dollars in compensation to communities. Shell refused. In 2006 the high court upheld the ruling. Shell appealed and, like in several hundred smaller cases against the oil companies, no money is ever paid. The appeals process drag on for years. Many Nigerian lawyers argue that the oil companies are above the law in Nigeria.

[GREATFUTUREFILMMAKER]

i like this film ! there's lots to talk about there apart from the subject matter, suffering of the people, and great message that it puts across .

i love the style of the documentary, the music, the feel of the whole piece, the pace ! choice of locations and the content.

the narrative voices were nice ...and some great interviewees and pleasant cinemaphotography which i'll talk about later once i've finished watching the the other 20 miniutes of the film.

from gil

[maweni]

Thanks Gil... please go on :)

[strykkerr]

As a consumer of oil, I feel guilty and embarrassed that this is going on. I for one will never buy my fuel from a Shell gas station.

[Mostdef]

@LifeIsTheGreatest This video and almost everyone in the comment section thinks the sole fault goes to Shell. I did some basic research and found that Shell doesn't even own a majority stake. I don't understand why people put so much faith in Government.

Business is nothing without a consumer but government can do what ever it wants

[LifeIsTheGreatest]

@Mostdef

Thankyou for the comment. It provides a source of new information on this issue plus mention of Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (which I was not previously aware of). It is corrupt. Corruption never helps.

saharareporters (dot) com - search for 'KPMG report oil subsidy'.

Your other comment plus the Bloomberg article you refer to seem to imply that Shell is blameless here. Bloomberg does not write about the locals. Documentary: 'The Corporation'. Long but worth it.

[qu33ncat11]

@DobermannPharaoh In Britain we live in a society where very few of us we have the means or knowledge to sustain ourselves any more. Most big employers- supermarkets, oil companies, banks- have disgraceful ethics, but we depend on them for sustenance & it's very hard to just stop dealing with them.

Still, we can do everything within our power...we need to return to self-sustainability.

Shell are lawless pirates.

Really good video, I will pass it on.

[DobermannPharaoh]

I wonder how ordinary poeple can work for companies polluting, making Cartels, using slave labour etc. I guess its because of selfishness and the desire to be wealthier and own more.

how can for instance poeple work on shell gas stations selling their fuel, if poeple wanted to stop companies ruining our planet for more profit - they should stop working, stop voting and stop paying taxes to powermungers who do not care for anyone but themselves and their own bankaccount.

[stopYOURdumshyt]

where's jeannot bullet this century? the richest 1/10 of 1% needs to be reminded what happens to those who encroach on what is sacred. where, now, is a benevolent force for local empowerment in africa, like che or castro? how long are we gonna drive this hooptie on 4 flats before we get off our asses and change the goddamn tires? hurts me to see my people diluted into believing,relying, and accepting the "rule of law" given by lawmakers and benefactors of billions to trick us into submission

[stopYOURdumshyt]

our species needs to resolve to stick together and cut the balls off of global fascism in all its corporate forms and physically get proactive and put an end to this goddamn awful hungry hungry hippo bullshit that's cheating this planet and all future generations out of any semblence of nature. we must get over our novel and modern but pathetic and paltry conveiniences. we all recognize the futile unsustainability and the dimented sinister underpinnings from which these modernances are contrived

[glennirish]

Disgusting

[Mostdef]

this video is a couple years old but looks like they are working on the problem now

bloomberg com/news/2011-10-21/shell-plan­s-to-boost-nigeria-gas-product­ion-next-year.html

and looks like the government is holding out big profits after all:

Shell operates a joint venture in the nation where it holds a 30 percent stake and state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. owns 55 percent. Total has a 10 percent stake and Eni has 5 percent.

[Mostdef]

Shell is there for a reason it's called a contract. These people need to hold their government responsible but it's probably too corrupt.

[xDarthur]

I feel really sorry for all these people! Our society relys on oil to nearly everything! I hope the find a way to solve the issue!