The Oil rivers

Long ago the white trader explored the rivers of the dark Nigerian rain forests. A group of them he named the “Oil Rivers” for in the surrounding bush the wild oil palm struggled towards the sunlight. To the African this tree has always provided a staple and vital food. The harvesting and extraction of the oil and kernels engaged the energies of the whole village. Today the harvest is the basis of one of Nigeria’s most imnportant exports, which must be developed by new methods in mill and plantation, without disrupting much that is valuable in the traditional ways of life.