Casement's Maps of the Niger DeltaAuthor(s): Angus MitchellSource: History Ireland, Vol. 14, No. 4, Ireland & Africa (Jul. - Aug., 2006), pp. 50-55Published by: Wordwell Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27725489Accessed: 21/04/2010 17:25
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available athttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unlessyou have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and youmay use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.
Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained athttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=wordwell.
Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printedpage of such transmission.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Wordwell Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to History Ireland.
http://www.jstor.org
SOURCES
B^^H^HB&feli??11:'^!^^^^''! t ' >*./ F " :j. .; *?ff ;fe ̂ IX-,';...-.".-':- t' ___?_1??l11.' '
? ???; .?.?L., - : '(&**&';'? &: .. .: I, flj_*ff* . . : jij?ste ;|VJ
eSHHNkR?R?^. :'! ,. '.''*>* ? 1,-I-?fei.' . '? -' -
'^^F^njL'? " '
\"~ & / > ' , ?J^r*^r j* ':' j?Pr ?'. ??i "!',: , ,;S "'f.;:'.-. Jx. a^. ' -i?' <~ *.' ' /?jM????F*. f?Ui??A-' ,'-'' - Sifc, *
l^^^w^^^^^^BIP^^^?^^^- ' : ""j^^^^S^MJBB^^y^^^^K
" CL _d?^> i_ *j^jC?fis?J - i*** ?as?? **"""";
Among the different
instruments of power wielded by empire builders, maps might be
considered as special forms of evidence in state formation:
symbolic representations of expanding colonial influence. The mapping of
Africa is synonymous with its
conquest and domination. From the
fifteenth century, when the
Portuguese first navigated the West
African coast, cartographers imposed order upon empty space?terra
incognita?while simultaneously
encoding secret knowledge vital to
commercial advantage, military
strategy and colonial settlement. In
Western eyes, land was only rendered
meaningful once it had been mapped, and, as recent critical theory has
demonstrated, the appropriation of
territory by spatial description lies at
the dark heart of imperial expansion.
50 History IRELAND July/August 2006
. ...... ...
64:? "i4i IS known AD
5,2id.: "'A j
Tx
RO'ger Casement-s thro'yea.rs,:
t h, e NigerCoast P rite";' rc
92 5.).,-A a- S thelew docum(m;ji t have surv e ies of'
d M:aps d-escs,, bin9 .... ....... .. ... . ...... .... ..... ...............
re5pnniaissan'' meys ----h n -nT O ld - i o the:" 'i' tl r1an'd aar'O"'
CaMabar. . . ..... .. .... .
0 6 IL
mpg* ............. .. . .... ....
0 a 0
...... ....
0 ;S
I
.. ........
... ..... . .....
Places with people without history But for all the information maps
include, they are simultaneously tools
of deception. Consider, for instance, how they desocialise space and
occlude the tidemarks of history. To
most readers, the Niger delta is
geopolitically unfamiliar. The old
History IRELAND July/August 2006
slaving ports and coastal markets at
Brass, Bonny, Opobo, Old Calabar and
Forcados, defining the coastline
between the Bight of Biafra and the
Bight of Benin, are places with people without history. Maps of the Niger delta, whether ancient or modern, do
not reveal the successive waves of
either exploitation or development
defining the historical changes in this
region.
The delta was once an integral part of the Luso-Britannic West African
trading sphere. Liverpool merchants
long profited from a slave trade
supplying the plantations of the
51
*
?Mb*
lericas.
batlantic sla1
swrajh?<jk to
'legiiraate coi
in able?^k
b Barrels of^alm constituent in the
necessary for
cleanliness of the
the new indusi
Euroge. For most of
the British Foi
tjklet comm<
Bf 1879 one
George Taubman ?oldie, of a highly profitable
monop^V in the palm oil
trade: Rivalry in Africa in
le early 1880s between
in outlawed
in 1807 they was termed
:e', and the trade
replaced by the principal
ction of soap
taining the
king classes in
heartlands of
nineteenth century Office was content
govern.
ireneur,
ntrol
and^ftarice grew unsettled with the
; of the Ge man flag
|roon in July 1884.
lati?itthe of the Berlin
an conference,
?dance of Otto
lfuroP9?ft? a series
?.m 0*1
LU O,
forcing local chiefs to
with an 'X' and theteby their ancestral lands.
As British commercial
initial treaties
sign away Gwato
reluctantly obliged administrative commi
information was i<
primary reason for
shortcomings of pol and an efficient
officer, Major transferred
CromSr's) to und?
gather^
"Right: the mouth of
Below: Map 3--tfom Calabar up the fe
^aftleyof the Opss River -****?? ?
r
k )
7^ _mu????????B?SSS??m
Of THt COCHTRT BKTWEIN TBK lAttBR op nu ora? aro c?oss river.
*W???
region, or Oil Rivers Protectorate, as it
was originally called.
Roger Casement, survey officer
Having demonstrated his competence, Macdonald established his consular
headauarters at Old Calabar and
recrufted an administrative team of
mainly Irish and Scottish officers to
his side. Among them were Henrj^?
Gallwey, Kenneth Campbell
Ralph Moor, a former RIC officer,^ in 1900 became the first
Left: Map 4?across
the Cameroon border. _
\.S oho
P I SL i t'J S mmhm
>u
UL*.
commissioner ?for
the t?tptsst??aX&of
Southern Nigeria. The?foungest ?id most able of
hijs recruits was a 28-ye
old Irishman, Roger Casement, who"
joined up as a survey officer,
time of his appointmer
years irr AMca;; working in
History mELA$$) July/August 2006 %%
capacities as a colohial officer, civil
missionary and labour recruiter on the
Matadi-Leopoldville (Kinshasa)
railway. He was a
around.
The first few
admiaktration
e hub
scussion on
Among a line of
the place was
inan to have
of Macdonald's were relatively
;ular residence r a very animated st African affairs,
languished visitors
F. D. Lugard, the
penal ara^nistirat?r, later credited
with defining ihcj polic? rule, and the unorthodc
yda^yKingsley, *"
Macdonalds', vi
Old Calabar )B&S&m*B?alN>io t African
__^ji ;ars~ hi'the Niger
relatively
pfJg&5?ct r?explorer
joftl|e r?l weeks
x.
voz torete are
jtrZf
SOURCES
unknown. Few documents have
survived from this formative period of
his consular career. The most valuable
material is a series of reports and maps
describing short reconnaissance
journeys he made into the hinterland
around Old Calabar. Together they are
an important testament to various
'technologies' he had leamt and the
role of topographical information in
-the process of economic and
administrative contrpl. By then, he
could navigate by the stars and take
accurate astronomical readings .with
ronqpeters. Casement's reports c?spiayj/ a
remarkable diligenc^?^if^ypKally Victorian curiosity about the natural
world. Descriptive passages ?Wake reference to local
sypeptijk>n, economic exchange langwges^and
H
', .P,%^ri)om%
' Y\ M l?M/V, . ..
tabora ?f V? .//><? hen
Il ? loca?x^uSency, methods of farming,
resources^botanicai observations and
^ie culturkEioipac%f European trade
on indigenous ways Of/life. His keen
eye for ethnographic and
anthropological \ d?tail reveals
important dynarjjits of colonial
authority and a sympathy
for Africans, unusual for whifc| colonials of his ilk.
His brief from((Macdonald was to
explore commer|iaJ possibilities in the
region, make pei?e?uP?^ritact
with
local chiefs, and survey theT?i|itory in
and around Old Calabar asfftM? first
step towjj?ds opening overlaid xo^tes between coastal ports and interior
arkets. <?*x ^
Map 1: from m to Us? and Ibiaki
The fftst map accompanied a repol
narrating a journey from Itu to Us^
and Ibiaku, along; gereute from
Cross Riv^r valley overland tci
Opobo Riv^r and the lands o<(the
Ogoni peopl?. The expedition quic ran into prol^ems. At a village hpst! to the presenc?of white men, aY
^
of bees was let * ~
party and fMmq?% with his life. He
trying to negotiate ?
territory, but event
abort the journey.
Map 2: from Opo^ViaEket to the mouth of the Cross R?yer \SaJt The. most detailed^&ap illustratesWo
sep?rate journey? undertaken inn
effort to connect the vice-consulab
and market at Opobo with the mouth%
of the Cross River via Eket. Casement
produced two reports from this
journey, recording Ijiis efforts to find a
path through the ??angrove swamps and the coastal flo?dplains. The first
part of the journey, from Opobo to
Eket, was successful. The second
journey was largely unsuccessful^ hampered by heavy rain and
' jjg?8
inundation of the swamps.
Map 3: from Calabar up the valley of the Cross River
A third sketch-map illustrates a
journey north from Calabar up the
valley of the Cross ?River, through an
area that was about to be exploited for
palm oil. and untapped extractive
rubber resources. Ah increased global demand for latex, vital to the
i a. <y.
%ft^f/residerifc? at Old Calabar in
?anuar^Jt?f^J^?srJ^i^pJ^ail)
ufacture of rubber tyres and
1 electrical ?sulation, had transformed
A?H& Wost inaccessible ??ica and S<
^During regime in the
brutally coercing
opportunit
Leopold IPs 4 Free State was^
central Africa
^O^nmunities into collectfeg*r\$ber to
finance his lavish building projy back in Brussels?a crime >?gair
humanity that Casemeu?f?^WMft
officially investigate a fej/y?are 't?Bpo/i
imilar and largely unr|?o|ded crimes
being committecl4]^u^ 's tropicaLb?fi^
Map 4:
ttt
the Cameroon border
M^ggp^panylng an
it.^|cribes the route of ?
"$s? journey across the Cameroon
border into\the forested highlands
delimiting: tHkfrontie? between the
Niger Coast Protectorate and German
Cameroon. This, w% was a point of 7
constant diplomatic%nsion during these years.
Composite map: the Ni? Protectorate
Mucfi/t^^^lmMi??^'and/eetail contained in these
cartography^ sketches was
subsequently^
;UGw?t.0.s f^l?a
r )duuJ pla^t, t?r Ben /?. )
Incorporated onto a large-scale map of
^^j?^Hgf i?past Protectorate published in 1894 under Macdonald's name. The
drawing of the map, enabling more
accurate negation, put an end to
these few years of relative calm. In
early 1895 the men trap the city of
Brass revolted agato? the|r0coloni^k masters. It was an&ct j^aefiap?tae:8Aet by force., Gu?]poat?R%re d? '""""* ''"
"?e ground'.
^
lowed in 1897 toW? was swiftly f( le decimation
andflE^^ sale of its"
/collection of bronze
(5tures and t court art, now
iCmk$b$ie in museums id the world;
w
r i
4
'his
vil Jervjpef ihe commented
hough administration had
fcut with the intention of tion it 'quickly developed and
protecting pQwer ultimately
mejr^iaf?h?xing power'. The
reflects his disillusionment e divide between the ideals of
grfip?fialism and the reality of
ie on the spot.
e^djest fragments
j^j?tiim a
|ev
?efeTto y^ Irelarior^efer"to
official appointment The LS
|Ms?' geographical
K criptiorj^^with ?$ ethnographical
?ervrf Co^ar administration
ir\Hhe;>v draa *
is summarised as
experience of ritual
v|0- c?r\uJ)erstition and sacrifice
?nventurog\ tteyond the threshojdicj diploniatio/exchange into
' ~ J
the uiifi^able. Qls b f1
withfean alms
$?hd ?"Almighl
Till a c
prosea histor .
utterance I m?|e theit?^
hangin^bn 3 At?gust t?Mros the
ion i
h?n and Biaf ra
54 \ History JRELA^f^y/August 2006
announced a $23 billion harvest.
Respectively they were the highest recorded profits in American and
British business history. Yet, in spite of
the vast returns, the Niger delta
remains socially ghettoised?few of
the trappings of modernity have
reached this place. Since the Biafran war (1967-70), when it tried to break
with the federal government, its
history has been defined by famine,
oppression and successive waves of
resistance met by ever-increasing
levels of state-sponsored terror and
violence. The delta region?or eye of
the earth?once the home of fishing communities, is now indelibly scarred
with the refuse of the petrochemical
age: circuits of pipes rust in the foetid
delta, and gas is blithely flared into
the atmosphere. Transnational
corporate savagery rules.
A decade ago, the writer, publisher and environmental activist Ken Saro
Wiwa was hanged in Port Harcourt,
along with eight other activists, for
their peaceful campaign to expose Shell Oil's environmental record in
the region, Saro-Wiwa's statement of
SOURCES
H
sixteenth Irish revolutionary to be
executed for his part in the Easter
Rising, the Niger delta entered its
latest phase of interference. The
discovery of huge deposits of oil and
gas in the Niger delta region has left a
ruthless legacy of violations against human and environmental rights. Those same areas that Casement
traversed and mapped are now the
demesne of transnational oil
corporations. In recent decades, the
crumbling locations of slave traders,
palm oil dealers and ivory hunters
have been strategically reactivated by British and US petrochemical
companies. Because of its low sulphur content, 'Bonny Light', the name for
Nigerian crude, is prized by Western
refineries, where environmental
guidelines are strict. Shell has a huge oil terminal at Bonny. Eket is the site
of Exxon Mobil's Qua Iboe terminal, soon to be joined by another massive
refinery, financed by private investment from Texas.
At the start of this year (2006) Exxon Mobil recorded bumper profits of $32 billion. A few days later Shell
Above: Map 5?oil extraction in the
bights of Benin and Biafra today. (NASA)
21 September 1995 to the Ogoni Civil
Disturbances Tribunal bore many resemblances to Casement's speech from the dock 80 years earlier. Both
men were convinced that ultimately
history would absolve them. Neither man doubted that their resistance to
authority was rooted in a deeper ethical duty towards humanity and a
universal responsibility to fight for
environmental justice. These are facts
the maps fail to record, x
Angus Mitchell lectures in history at the
University of Limerick.
Further reading:
J.C. Anene, Southern Nigeria in
transition 1885-1906 (London
1966). I. Okonta and O. Douglas, Where
vultures feast: Shell, human rights and oil (London, 2003).
History IRELAND July/August 2006 55
Top Related