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American filmmakers arrested in Niger Delta

Posted at 4:58 PM on 15 Apr 2008

Four Americans working on the documentary Sweet Crude, about the impact of the petroleum industry on the economy and environment of the Niger Delta, were arrested in Nigeria this weekend and are still being detained. A Nigerian man accompanying them was also seized. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil exporter and the fourth-largest exporter to the United States, and its petroleum industry is infamous for pollution, injustice, and corruption.

sources: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse

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Comments: (3 comments)

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Another Olympic Protest

We are the 4th, but China is the largest importer of Nigerian crude.

If anyone is to blame in Africa for problems such as Sudan and Niger, it's the Chinese government.

Tibet is just a feather compared to the tons of impacts China -- who has what seems to be zero international conscience -- has on the world.

Protest China.
Protest the Olympics.

by jabailo at 6:19 PM on 15 Apr 2008

Don't Forget American Oil Companies

While China does a lot of evil stuff, the U.S. is home to the oil companies mostly to blame for what's been going on in Nigeria over the past decade or two. Chevron especially is guilty of much destruction and death in that area.

by Wolverine at 7:57 PM on 15 Apr 2008

Glass Houses as the saying goes...

America was only able to mask many of its unpleasant foreign entanglements because, at the time, there wasn't much of an international conscience. Now that the spotlight's a bit brighter on everyone we should be working with- not fighting against China.

Even though they're the first and we're the fourth, that doesn't mean that we have any less say in what goes on in Nigeria. In fact, as Wolverine pointed out, we host their head offices. I think the American public needs to start talking to members of its own nation before wagging its finger at others.

by dayla2000 at 5:18 AM on 16 Apr 2008

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