Hell Bus For Niger Delta

HELL BUS FOR NIGER DELTA

After my visit to the Niger Delta earlier this year, Ogoni climate activists asked me to create a Hell Bus in the Niger Delta to support their activities and provide a backdrop for their protests against the fossil fuel industry.

The next major protest is on the 10th November, a peaceful march to the Shell HQ in Port Harcourt to commemorate the execution of the Ogoni Nine. This march and vigil happens every year, mobilising tens of thousands of Ogoni people.

I have already secured some funding for this project but it's not enough to cover costs + the price of the bus itself.

We ideally need to raise an additional £5k-£7k.

THE BUS

A bus the size of my Hell Bus is prohibitively expensive in Nigeria but it's possible to purchase a smaller minibus for between £10k-£15k. This wouldn't be large enough to fit out the inside as an exhibition but I can produce a vinyl wrap and signage for out the outside of the vehicle as well as fixings for banners like I fitted to Fossil Free London's Hell Bike (see below)

This bus will be gifted to Lekeh Development Foundation (LEDEF), for transporting activists to climate actions and protests, documenting spills and supporting affected communities.

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Hell Bike for Fossil Free London (2023)

DOCUMENTARY OF MY LAST VISIT

I was invited by LEDEF to Nigeria in July 2023 for the Niger Delta's first climate change conference, and as part of the conference I was taken to visit two Shell oil spill sites in Ogoniland. I shot the above video of what I saw and heard while there. It was one of the saddest and most enraging things I have ever seen.

BASIC SKETCH MOCK-UP

On the right is a very basic quick sketch of what I am planning for the bus, the graphics will be different and specific to the situation in the Niger Delta (see below). I'll be working on those images over the next week or so, but wanted to get this crowdfunder up first.

Using the same idea with the Hell Bike, I will fit the bus with the capacity to extend the display space vertically, with a space for banners that can be changed or updated over time.

The side vinyl wrap will be Niger Delta-specific and the windows will still be useable from inside.

I'm focusing on making something that is feasible with the time and resources available. But leaving space to expand on this and add more features in future.

CAMERA/LAPTOP DONATIONS

While in Nigeria I was also asked by local activists if I had a spare camera they could use to document oil spills in their communities, I will be bringing my old DSLR as a donation this time, although it does not record video.

I thought it might be worth also asking if anyone has any old digital (and functioning!) camera / video equipment that they would be happy to donate and I can bring it with me on this trip. The same goes for decent laptops. I will have limited space but will try bring as much as I can. Please email me here: darren@spellingmistakescostlives.com

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