Voices of the Marginalized: How Climate Change Knowledge Dissemination Excludes Non-Literate Populations in Nigeria’s Niger Delta

Since the dawn of the Anthropocene, discussions on environmental degradation and climate change issues have largely focused on the activities of man. Interestingly, while these issues affect everyone, associated knowledge has not been equally disseminated due to the use of high level communication approaches. The dominant mode of climate change knowledge dissemination tends to rely mostly on formal communication mediums with little integration of traditional informal approaches, and this clearly marginalizes non-literate populations, especially in rural areas of developing societies like Nigeria. This study deals with the theme “voices of the marginalized,” focusing on how climate change knowledge dissemination excludes non-literate populations in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. It adopts the qualitative method, using in-depth interviews (IDI) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) to capture the perspectives of non-literate farmers and fishers in selected rural communities drawn from three states (Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers). A sample of 93 participants, purposively selected from areas that have been severely affected by environmental degradation and flooding, took part in the IDI and FGD sessions. The data were analyzed using a thematic approach. The findings reveal that although non-literate farmers and fishers are aware of climate change, they lack the knowledge of its causes, nature, and consequences. This is because climate change knowledge dissemination has been mostly through technical conferences, workshops, seminars with outcomes conveyed through radios, televisions and newspapers in English. This clearly marginalizes non-literate farmers and fishers who rely on informal mediums like town-criers and town-hall sessions using Pidgin English and their local languages for their information, leaving them ill-prepared to cope with the adverse effects of climate change. The study recommends an integrated climate change knowledge dissemination approach.