Toxic Tropics

Join Jessica Oublié as she presents her graphic novel Tropiques toxiques, recently released in English as by Street Noise.

Toxic Tropics is an in-depth work of comics journalism that explores the devastating legacy of chlordecone, a toxic chemical used in banana farming in Martinique and Guadeloupe. In 1975, the pesticide manufacturer LifeSciences shut down its plant after numerous employees were poisoned, and a local river was contaminated. Despite this, farmers in the French Antilles continued to use chlordecone, and even after it was officially banned in 1993, illegal imports and usage persisted. The chemical became so widespread that it contaminated nearly every aspect of daily life on the islands, with its presence in food and water. Today, 95% of the population in Guadeloupe and 92% in Martinique are affected by the chemical, contributing to one of the highest cancer rates in the world.

Through powerful illustrations and personal storytelling, Oublié uncovers the long-running environmental injustice that has devastated the French islands, interviewing local residents, scientists, and government officials to reveal the truth behind the continued use of the pesticide for the sake of global commerce.

Jessica Oublié studied art history and was the editor of the magazine Africultures. She collaborated with artist Marie-Ange Rousseau on a graphic novel about institutionalized West Indian emigration (1920s-1960s), which won the France Culture Student Prize for Political Comics. After moving to Guadeloupe, Oublié became deeply engaged with the issue of chlordecone and its far-reaching impact on the health of both the land and its people.

Aubrey Gabel is Director of Undergraduate Studies and Assistant Professor of French at Columbia University

Images Courtesy of Street Noise Books

Host or Publisher CU Maison Française