Ken Saro-Wiwa

Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa (Bori, October 10, 1941-Port Harcourt, November 10, 1995) was a writer - candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature -, television producer and activist. Nigerian environmental. He was a winner of the Right Livelihood Award for his 'exemplary bravery in the non-violent struggle for civil, economic and environmental rights'. and the Goldman Environmental Prize.

Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homeland, Ogoniland in the Niger Delta, has been the target of oil drilling since the 1950s and which has suffered environmental damage caused by decades of indiscriminate dumping of oil waste. Initially as spokesperson, and later president, of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a non-violent campaign against the environmental degradation of the land and waters of Ogoniland for the operations of the multinational oil industry, especially the Royal Dutch Shell company. He was also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government, which he considered reluctant to enforce environmental regulations on foreign oil companies operating in the area.

Biography

Beginnings

Born Kenule Tsaro-Wiwa, Saro-Wiwa was the son of Chief Jim Wiwa, a forest ranger who held a title in the Nigerian chieftaincy system, and his third wife, Widu. He officially changed his name to Saro-Wiwa after the Nigerian Civil War. He was married to Maria Saro Wiwa. His father's hometown was the town of Bori, Ogoniland, whose residents They speak the Khana dialect of the Ogoni language. Saro-Wiwa spent his childhood in an Anglican home and proved to be an excellent student; He received primary education at the Native Authority School in Bori, then attended secondary school at Government College Umuahia. Saro-Wiwa, was a distinguished student, captain of the table tennis team and amassed school prizes in history and English. Upon completion of secondary education, he was awarded a scholarship to study English at the University of Ibadan. In Ibadan, he immersed himself in academic and cultural interests, winning departmental awards in 1963 and 1965 and working for a theater company. The traveling theater company performed in Kano, Benin, Ilorin and Lagos and collaborated with the Nottingham Playhouse theater group which included Judi Dench. He was briefly a teaching assistant at the University of Lagos and later at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Saro-Wiwa was a teacher of African literature in Nsukka when the civil war broke out, he supported the federal government and had to leave the region for his hometown of Bori. On his journey to Port-Harcourt, he witnessed crowds of refugees returning east, a scene he described as 'a pitiful sight'. Three days after his arrival, nearby Bonny was liberated by federal troops. He and his family then stayed in Bonny, he traveled back to Lagos and took up a position at the University of Lagos which did not last long as he was called back to Bonny.

He was recalled to become the Civil Administrator of the port city of Bonny in the Niger Delta and during the Nigerian Civil War he positioned himself as an Ogoni leader dedicated to the federal cause. He continued his work as an administrator with a appointment as commissioner in the former Rivers State. His best-known novel, Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English, tells the story of a naive village boy recruited into the army during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970, and hints at political corruption and patronage of the Nigerian military regime of the time. Saro-Wiwa's war diaries, On a Darkling Plain, document his experience during the war. He was also a successful businessman and television producer. His satirical television series, Basi & Company, was tremendously popular, with an estimated audience of 30 million.

In the early 1970s, Saro-Wiwa served as Regional Commissioner for Education in the Rivers State Cabinet, but was dismissed in 1973 due to his support for Ogoni autonomy. In the late 1970s, he established a number of business ventures in the retail and real estate sectors, and during the 1980s he concentrated primarily on his writing, journalism and television output. In 1977, he became involved in politics by running as a candidate to represent Ogoni in the Constituent Assembly. Saro-Wiwa lost the election by a narrow margin. It was during this time that he had a fight with his friend Edwards Kobani.

His intellectual work was interrupted in 1987 when he re-entered the political scene, having been appointed by the newly installed dictator Ibrahim Babangida to assist in the country's transition to democracy. But Saro-Wiwa soon resigned because he felt that Babangida's supposed plans for a return to democracy were false. Saro-Wiwa's sentiments proved correct in the following years as Babangida did not relinquish power. In 1993, Babangida annulled Nigeria's general election that would have transferred power to a civilian government, sparking massive civil unrest and eventually forcing him to resign, at least officially, that same year.

Jobs

Saro-Wiwa's works include television, theater and prose. His early works from the 1970s to 1980s are mostly satirical displays that portray a contrary image of Nigerian society, but his later writings were inspired more by political themes such as social and environmental justice than satire.

Transistor Radio, one of his best-known works, was written for a magazine during his university days in Ibadan, but it still resonated well in Nigerian society and was adapted to a series of television. In 1972, a radio version of the play was made and in 1985 he produced Basi and Company, a film adaptation of the play. Saro-Wiwa included the play in Four Farcical Plays and Basi and Company: Four Television Plays. Basi and company, an adaptation of Transistor Radio aired on television from 1985 to 1990. A farce comedy, the show chronicles the life of the city and the protagonist, Basi is an ingenious and streetwise character who looks for ways to achieve his goal of obtaining millions, which always ends up becoming an illusory mission.

In 1985, the Biafran Civil War novel Sozaboy was published. The protagonist's language was written in non-standard English or what Saro-Wiwa called "Rotten English", a hybrid language of pidgin English, standard English, and broken English.

Activism

In 1990, Saro-Wiwa began devoting most of his time to human rights and environmental causes, particularly in Ogoniland. He was one of the first members of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which advocated for the rights of the Ogoni people. The Ogoni Bill of Rights, written by MOSOP, set out the movement's demands, including greater autonomy for the Ogoni people, a fair share of revenues from oil extraction, and remediation of environmental damage to Ogoni lands. In particular, MOSOP fought against the degradation of Ogoni lands by Royal Dutch Shell.

In 1992, Saro-Wiwa was imprisoned for several months, without trial, by the Nigerian military government.

Saro-Wiwa was Vice President of the General Assembly of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) from 1993 to 1995. UNPO is an international, non-violent and democratic organization (of which MOSOP is a member). Its members are indigenous peoples, minorities and unrecognized or occupied territories who have come together to protect and promote their human and cultural rights, preserve their environment and seek non-violent solutions to the conflicts that affect them.

In January 1993, MOSOP organized peaceful marches of around 300,000 Ogoni people - more than half of the Ogoni population - through four Ogoni urban centres, drawing international attention to the plight of their people. The same year, the Nigerian government occupied the region militarily.

Arrest and execution

Saro-Wiwa was arrested again and detained by Nigerian authorities in June 1993, but was released after a month. On May 21, 1994, four Ogoni chiefs were brutally murdered. Saro-Wiwa was denied entry to Ogoniland on the day of the murders, but he was arrested and charged with inciting them. He denied the charges but was imprisoned for more than a year before being found guilty and sentenced to death by a specially convened court. The same happened with eight other MOSOP leaders who, together with Saro-Wiwa, became known as the Ogoni Nine.

Some of the defendants' lawyers resigned in protest against the alleged manipulation of the trial by the Abacha regime. The resignations left the defendants to fend for themselves against the court, which continued to bring people to testify against Saro-Wiwa and his companions. Many of these alleged witnesses later admitted that they had been bribed by the Nigerian government to support criminal accusations. At least two witnesses who testified that Saro-Wiwa was involved in the murders of the Ogoni elders later recanted, stating that they had been bribed with money and job offers with Shell to give false testimony, in the presence of Shell's lawyer.

The trial was widely criticized by human rights organizations and, half a year later, Ken Saro-Wiwa received the Right Livelihood Award for bravery, as well as the Goldman Environmental Prize.

On November 8, 1995, a military government council confirmed the death sentences. The military government immediately moved to carry them out. Port Harcourt prison was selected as the execution site. Although the government wanted to carry out the sentences immediately, it had to wait two days for a makeshift gallows to be built. Within hours of the sentences being confirmed, nine coffins were brought to the prison and, the next day, a team of executioners was flown from Sokoto to Port Harcourt.

On November 10, 1995, Saro-Wiwa and the rest of the Ogoni Nine were transferred from the military base where they were being held to Port Harcourt prison. They were told that they were being transferred to Port Harcourt because it was feared that the military base where they were detained could be attacked by Ogoni youths. The prison was heavily guarded by riot police and tanks, and hundreds of people lined the streets in anticipation of the executions. After arriving at the Port Harcourt prison, Saro-Wiwa and the others were taken to a single room and their wrists and ankles were handcuffed. They were then led one by one to the gallows and executed by hanging, Saro-Wiwa being the first. It took five attempts to execute it due to faulty equipment. His last words were "Lord, take my soul, but the fight continues." After the executions, the bodies were taken to the Port Harcourt cemetery under armed guard and buried. Anticipating unrest as a result of the executions, the Nigerian government deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and riot police to two provinces in the south and in the main oil refineries throughout the country. The Port Harcourt cemetery was surrounded by soldiers and tanks.

The executions provoked a storm of international indignation. The United Nations General Assembly condemned the executions in a resolution that was approved by 101 votes in favor, 14 against and 47 abstentions. The European Union condemned the executions, calling it a "cruel and insensitive act", and imposed an arms embargo on Nigeria. The United States withdrew its ambassador from Nigeria, imposed an arms embargo on Nigeria, and imposed travel restrictions on members of the Nigerian military regime and their families. The United Kingdom withdrew to its high commissioner in Nigeria, and British Prime Minister John Major called the executions a "judicial murder. South Africa took a leading role in leading the international criticism, and President Nelson Mandela urged to Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations. Zimbabwe and Kenya also backed Mandela, with Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe backing Mandela's demand to suspend Nigeria's membership in the Commonwealth, but several other African leaders criticized the suggestion.. Nigeria's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations was eventually suspended, and Nigeria was threatened with expulsion if it did not transition to democracy within two years. The United States and British governments also discussed the possibility of an oil embargo backed by a naval blockade of Nigeria.

In his 1989 short story Africa Kills Her Sun, Saro-Wiwa, in a melancholy and resigned mood, foreshadowed his own execution.

Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation

The foundation was established in 2017 to work towards better access to basic resources such as electricity and internet for entrepreneurs in Port Harcourt. The association founded the Ken Junior Award, named after Saro-Wiwa's son, Ken Wiwa, who died in October 2016. The award is given to innovative technology start-ups in Port Harcourt.

Family lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell

Beginning in 1996, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Earth Rights International (ERI), Paul Hoffman of Schonbrun, DeSimone, Seplow, Harris & Hoffman and other human rights lawyers have launched a series of cases to hold Shell accountable for alleged human rights violations in Nigeria, including summary executions, crimes against humanity, torture, inhuman treatment, and arbitrary arrests and detentions. The lawsuits are filed against Royal Dutch Shell and Brian Anderson, the head of its Nigerian operation.

The cases were brought under the Alien Tort Statute, a 1978 statute that gives non-U.S. citizens the right to sue in U.S. courts for international human rights violations, and the Alien Tort Victims Protection Act. Torture, which allows people to claim damages in the United States for torture or extrajudicial execution, regardless of where the violations occur.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York set a trial date for June 2009. On June 9, 2009, Shell agreed to a $15.5 million out-of-court settlement for the families. of the victims. However, the company denied any responsibility for the deaths, stating that the payment was part of a reconciliation process. In a statement given after the settlement, Shell suggested that the money was being given to Saro-Wiwa's relatives and the eight other victims, to cover the legal costs of the case and also in recognition of the events that occurred in the region. It is also expected that part of the funding will be used to establish a development trust for the Ogoni people, who inhabit the region of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. The agreement was reached just days before the trial, which had been presented by Ken Saro-Wiwa's son, began in New York.

Legacy

Saro-Wiwa's death sparked international outrage and Nigeria's immediate suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as the recall of many foreign diplomats for consultations. The United States and other countries considered imposing economic sanctions. Other tributes to him include:

Works of art and memorials

• On 10 November 2006, the London Platform organized a monument to Saro-Wiwa in London. It consists of a bus-shaped sculpture and was created by the artist born in Nigeria Sokari Douglas Camp.

Prizes

• The Nigerian Authors Association sponsors the prose Ken Saro-Wiwa Award.
• He is named writer hero by The My Hero Project.

Literature

• Saro-Wiwa's execution is cited and used as inspiration for Beverley Naidoo's novel The other side of the truth (2000).
• Richard North Patterson published a novel, Eclipse (2009), based on the life and death of Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Kenule Beeson Polytechnic Saro-Wiwa

• Rivers State Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike changed the name of Rivers State Polytechnic by Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Maynooth University and Ken Saro-Wiwa

A collection of letters handwritten by Ken Saro-Wiwa were donated to Maynooth University by Sister Majella McCarron, also in the collection are 27 poems, recordings of visits and meetings with family and friends after the death of Saro-Wiwa, a collection of photographs and other documents.

The letters are now in the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI).

The Ken Saro-Wiwa Archive is held in the Special Collections of Maynooth University.

Music

• The Italian band Il Teatro degli Orrori dedicated his song "A sangue freddo" ("A cold blood" - also the main theme of his second album) to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa.
• The Finnish band Ultra Bra dedicated its song "Ken Saro-Wiwa on kuollut" ("Ken Saro-Wiwa is dead") to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa.
• Saro-Wiwa's execution inspired the Canadian band King Cobb Steelie's "Rational" song.
• The rapper Milo yells at Ken Saro-Wiwa in the Zen Scientist song.
• The punk rock band Anti-Flag talks about him in his song Mumia's Song.
• Nigerian singer Nneka refers to Ken Saro-Wiwa in her song and music video "Soul is Heavy".

Movies

Aki Kaurismäki's 1996 film Drifting Clouds includes a scene in which the main character learns of Saro-Wiwa's death on the television news.

Ken Saro-Wiwa is still alive! - directed by Elisa Dassoler (BRAZIL). 2017, colour. 82 min. The film is available on the Internet.

Streets

• Amsterdam has named a street in honor of Saro-Wiwa, the Ken Saro-Wiwastraat.

Personal life

Saro-Wiwa and his wife Maria had five children, who grew up with their mother in the United Kingdom while their father remained in Nigeria. Among them are Ken Wiwa and Noo Saro-Wiwa, both journalists and writers, and Noo's twin, Zina Saro-Wiwa, a journalist and filmmaker. In addition, Saro-Wiwa had two daughters (Singto & Adele) with another women. He also had another son, Kwame Saro-Wiwa, who was only one year old when his father was executed.

Works

• - (1973). Tambari. Ikeja: Longman Nigeria. ISBN 978-0-582-60135-2.
• —— (1985). Songs in a Time of War. Port Harcourt: Saros. ISBN 978-978-2460-00-4.
• - (1986). Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English. Port Harcourt: Saros. ISBN 978-978-2460-02-8.
• —— (1987). Mr. B. Port Harcourt: Saros. ISBN 978-1-870716-01-7.
• —— (1987). Basi and Company: A Modern African Folktale. Port Harcourt, Nigeria: Saros. ISBN 978-1-870716-00-0.
• —— (1987). Basi and Company: Four Television Plays. Port Harcourt, Nigeria: Saros. ISBN 978-1-870716-03-1.
• - (1988). Prisoners of Jebs. Port Harcourt [u.a.]: Saros. ISBN 978-1-870716-02-4.
• - (1989). Adaku " Other Stories. London: Saros International. ISBN 1-870716-10-8.
• - (1989). Four Farcical Plays. London: Saros International. ISBN 1-870716-09-4.
• - (1989). On a Darkling Plain: An Account of the Nigerian Civil War. Epsom: Saros. ISBN 1-870716-11-6.
• —— (1992). Genocide in Nigeria: The Ogoni Tragedy. London: Saros. ISBN 1-870716-22-1.
• - (1995). A Forest of Flowers: Short Stories. Burnt Mill, Harlow, Essex, England: Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-27320-7.
• - (1995). A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary. New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-025914-8.
• - (1996). Lemona's Tale. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-026086-1.
• ——; Adinoyi-Ojo, Onukaba (2005). A Bride for Mr B. London: Saros. ISBN 1-870716-26-4. The reference uses the obsolete parameter |coauthors= (help)

Sources

• Doron, Roy; Falola, Toyin (2016). Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821422014.
• Davis, edited by Christine Matzke, Aderemi Raji-Heylade, Geoffrey V.; Raji, Rami; Davis, Geoffrey; Ezenwa, Ohaeto (2006). Of minstrelsy and masks: the legacy of Ezenwa-Ohaeto in Nigerian writing. Amsterdam: Rodopi. ISBN 9042021683.