Project Summary

While the human costs of corporate-driven natural resource exploitation are well-documented in existing literature, there remains a critical gap in examining how artistic works—documentary films, novels, and poetry can contribute to reconciliation in conflict-affected mining communities such as Maru in Zamfara State and Birnin-Gwari in Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria. My research explores this peacebuilding potential by analyzing The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara (2022), Fire in My Backyard (2004), and Echoes of Carnage (2021), offering deep insights into their role in addressing resource conflicts and fostering nonviolent solutions and strategies.

Bio

Dr. Joyce Onoromhenre Agofure is a faculty member at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. She specializes in African Literature. She is a recipient of many awards and fellowships such as the Fulbright Foreign Student Researcher Fellowship from the University of Idaho, USA, the American Council of Learned Society of the African Humanities Program Postdoctoral Fellowship (ACLS/AHP) with a Residency grant award at the Rhodes University, South Africa. Her achievements also include the African Humanities Program Mentoring and Application-Preparation Workshop Grant Award, the Social Science Research Council/ African Peacebuilding Network Fellowship, and the International Peace Research Association Foundation among others.

Dr. Joyce’s research interests straddle Environmental Humanities, Postcolonial Studies, Gender Discourse, and African peacebuilding. She has contributed extensively to national and international scholarly discourses through her reviews, journal articles and book chapters towards advancing discussions on socio-political, environmental and gender discourses.