Courtesy of Street Noise Books, today we have an exclusive preview of Toxic Tropics, the upcoming graphic novel by writer Jessica Oublié and artist Nicola Gobbi.
The graphic novel explores the use of the chemical Chlordecone on the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, even after it was discovered to be toxic to people and wildlife. Originally produced by a company called LifeSciences in Virginia, the chemical was used in pesticides in the 1960s and 1970s, until the company shut down after it was found they were poisoning the James River. But in the French Antilles, farmers continued to use the pesticide even after it was banned there in 1993. Oublié learned of the chemical’s impact when she moved to Guadeloupe and has interviewed scientists, government officials and locals about the decision to keep using it.
Check out the preview and more information provided by the publisher below, along with a video featuring Oublié discussing her work. Toxic Tropics will arrive in stores on Dec. 10.
Toxic Tropics
Jessica Oublié and Nicola Gobbi
Street Noise Books
An in-depth piece of comics journalism exploring the persistent use of the deadly chemical Chlordecone to support the banana crops in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
In 1975, pesticide producer LifeSciences closed their plant that produced the chemical chlordecone, after numerous employees had toxic chemical poisoning, and the local river had been polluted. But in the French Antilles, farmers continued to use the pesticide. Even after it was banned in 1993, planters continued to illegally import and use it. Chlordecone use became so widespread that it was in almost everything people on the islands ate and drank.
Today, 95% of the inhabitants of Guadeloupe and 92% of the inhabitants of Martinique are contaminated by the chemical, and the islands have one of the highest cancer rates in the world.
In this richly illustrated work, the author brings her personal experience and connection to the story as she interviews scores of local people as well as scientists and government officials to uncover the true story behind the decision to continue poisoning the water and the soil for the sake of global commerce. We, as global citizens, are urged to consider the decisions we are making through our consumer choices and how they affect the health of the planet and the survival of communities throughout the world.
About the creators
Jessica Oublié studied art history and was the editor of the magazine Africultures. She worked with artist Marie-Ange Rousseau to create a graphic novel on institutionalized West Indian emigration from the 1920s to the 1960s, which won the France Culture Student Prize for Political Comics. After settling in Guadeloupe, she discovered the impact of chlordecone on the health of the people, the land, and the water, and is working to bring it to the attention of the world. Follow the author on Instagram @jessicaoublie.bd
Nicola Gobbi has created several graphic novels and children’s books in Italy, and then she moved to Paris, where he lives now and continues to make books. Follow the artist on Instagram @nicola_gobbi
