ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the awareness of the fragility of our environment and that of human life are the two sides of the same coin of the human condition. The argument is structured in three steps: (a) discussion of the environment as an integral part of the common good and a moral responsibility for all; (b) analysis of the sociocultural philosophy of Wangari Maathai, Africa’s preeminent environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner; and (c) examination of the colonial mindset that guides the relationship between developed and developing nations concerning ecological violence. It concludes with the discussion of the works of African writers who position ecological violence as a quest for justice. They include Gabriel Okara, Tanure Ojaide, Ogaga Ifowodo, Nnimmo Bassey, and Helon Habila.
