Indian rapper uses Nicki Minaj beat to call out Unilever

If you want to put the irresponsible environmental practices of multinational companies under the public spotlight, what do you do? Apparently all that is needed is a viral video cover relaying your message.

The Chennai-based rapper Sofia Ashraf did exactly that by borrowing the catchy tune of Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" and using hard-hitting lyrics to call for Unilever to address its mercury-poisoning situation in the Kodaikanal.

In the video, Ashraf raps with much passion: "Prolonged exposure got many men killed / There's children born being seriously ill / The environment is polluted still / Now that's some toxic sh*t".

Titled "Kodaikanal Won't", the video appeals to Unilever's CEO Paul Polman to "clean up" their mess and "make amends" to the people in Kodaikanal for dumping toxic mercury waste in their city and poisoning Kodaikanal's citizens and its forests.

In 1983, Unilever ran a now defunct thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, India. After accusations of mercury poisoning surfaced in 2001, the company shut down the factory. However, in the past 14 years, it appears that Unilever has not taken any steps to clean up the mercury contamination as the toxic mercury waste continues to impact forests, groundwater and most importantly, the workers' health.

According to the NSW Health, mercury affects the human's nervous system. Exposure to high doses of mercury has the potential to cause permanent damage to the brain, kidneys and developing foetus. In addition to workers who were exposed to mercury, unborn babies, infants and children up to six years of age are most at risk as their nervous systems are still developing. Ashraf asserts that workers cannot afford private healthcare, hence it is imperative that Unilever compensate them for their medical expenses in addition to rectifying the situation.

The video has been making its rounds on social media since it was posted early this week and has garnered over 2 million views till date.

This isn't the first time a multinational company has been accused of poisoning a town. In 2007, the CITGO refinery in Corpus Christi was found liable of endangering the lives of some 800 residents when it left two gigantic oil tanks uncovered, exposing people to cancer-causing air pollutants like benzene. More than 2,500 personal lawsuits have been filed by residents of West Virginia against chemical company DuPont after the company dumped known cancer causing chemicals in local aquifers over a 50-year span. Japanese chemical company, the Chrisso Corporation was involved in a 34-year long contamination of the water supply in the town of Minimata. Mercury waste was dumped into the water of the town causing mass-spread mercury poisoning which lead to serious disease and death.

Big business has a habit of poisoning the land and people that were unlucky enough be close by when they opened up shop, and then leaving without cleaning up their mess once the trouble starts to roll in.

To help Ashraf her goal of 60,000 signatures and further the cause, sign the petition here.

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