MEND - Movement for the Emancipation of the Nigerian Delta ______ "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It depends on who is looking at us. To the oppressed impoverished people of the niger delta, we are angels. If we are terrorists to the oil companies and the nigerian government, so be it. Our intention is to chase out the oil companies from the niger delta and if it takes terror to achieve this objective, we will very well employ that option." JOMO GBOMO This Graphic Novel casts light on many bloody shores, depicting war, adversary, anger, hatred, current events, oil crises, war in Nigeria and the plight of the country's downtrodden civilizations over the last 30 years - mostly the story of the People's Militia, corrupt government and Big Oil. The parameters of this graphic novel are endless; The story is from BBC World News, and features unadulterated, direct statements from the MEND militia leader and scholar - who interacts with the outside world under the alias: "JOMO GBOMO." Direct stories from daily updates have been covered extensively by the BBC, and Vanity Fair contributing writer Sebastian Junger. My initial interest from these updates came from my personal use of Mozilla Firefox webrowser's beautifully integrated BBC News in my tool bar. As my interest in the hidden shadows of the struggle between M.E.N.D and their avowed enemies grew, I began to graphically represent the chills running down my spine as I read on and on. Low-resolution, grainy images flowed daily across my screen, alternating between tinged insights and hammering revelations concerning the battles being fought over the world's top oil-producing region - The Nigerian Delta. Mystical powers claimed by members of MEND; such as the ability of the protection given to them by life in the jungle and their cause - exhibited by a leaf worn across the forehead, and other claims of drinking battery acid and emerging unharmed. MEND Is representative of a four month period of my life invested into depicting these stories as told in articles and transcribed from BBC World News, ABC News, The Guardian and various other resources, through to interviews with Jomo Gbomo, conducted via laptop from M.E.N.D's mysterious and elusive campsites, deep in the Nigerian Delta. The more I read in the headlines the more I drew, and I continue to want to do so. These struggles for oil and freedom from oppression - adventurous kidnappings, oil rig seizures, and background stories of the Nigerians lives- they could fill years of reading. With some panels traditional and others abstract, this graphic novel is cohesively designed and aims principally at telling a story of current events in a format that will bring world news to an interesting light for classrooms and adults. Too often, the side of the revolutionary is not told until after the storm has settled and the rights and wrongs have been enshrined in the annals of the victorious. MEND * Formed early 2006 * Close links to militant Mujahid Dokubo-Asari's Niger Delta Volunteer Force * Split into two rival groups late 2006 * Bayelsa State faction leader - Jomo Gbomo * Delta State faction leader - Gen Godswill Tamuno * Demand 100% control of Nigeria's oil wealth * Demand release from jail of Dokubo-Asari being tried for treason * Demand release of impeached Bayelsa governor on trial for money laundering * Operate from creeks of Niger Delta * Communicate with media by e-mail Key Nigeria Facts Population: 128 million Size: About twice the size of California (351,649 sq. mi.) Year of Idependence: October 1, 1960 (from United Kingdom) Capital: Abuja Government: Federal Republic Number of States: 36 and 1 Territory Ethnic Groups: 250 Religion: 50% Muslim, 40% Christian, 10% Indigenous Beliefs Literacy: 68% (2003 Estimate) Life Expectancy at Birth: 46.74 Years Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani Source: CIA World F