Profile of ken saro-wiwa

Nigerian environmental activist (–)

This article is about say publicly Nigerian environmental activist.

For his son Ken Tsaro-Wiwa, see Ken Wiwa.

Kenule BeesonSaro-Wiwa (10 October – 10 November )^[1] was a Nigerian writer, teacher, compel producer, and environmental activist.^[2] Saro-Wiwa was a participant of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority slice Nigeria whose homeland, Ogoniland,^[3] in the Niger Delta, has been targeted for crude oil extraction on account of the s and has suffered extreme environmental lesion from decades of indiscriminate petroleum waste dumping.^[4]

Initially in the same way a spokesperson, and then as the president, spick and span the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a nonviolent campaign admit environmental degradation of the land and waters nigh on Ogoniland by the operations of the multiple worldwide oil companies, especially the Royal Dutch Shell company.^[5] He criticized the Nigerian government for its disinclination to enforce environmental regulations on the foreign fuel companies operating in the area.^[6]

At the peak concede his non-violent campaign, he was tried by ingenious special military tribunal^[7] for allegedly masterminding the fratricide of Ogoni chiefs at a pro-government meeting, nearby hanged in by the military dictatorship of Accepted Sani Abacha.^[8] His execution provoked international outrage charge resulted in Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth go with Nations for more than three years.^[9]

Biography

Early life

Kenule Saro-Wiwa was born in Bori, near Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, compact 10 October ^[1][2] He was the son pills Chief Jim Wiwa, a forest ranger who engaged a title in the Nigerian chieftaincy system, talented his third wife Widu.

He officially changed her highness name to Saro-Wiwa after the Nigerian Civil Bloodshed. He was married to Maria Saro Wiwa.^[11] Rulership father's hometown was the village of Bane, Ogoniland, whose residents speak the Khana dialect of nobleness Ogoni language. He spent his childhood in plug Anglican home and eventually proved himself to substance an excellent student.

He received primary education consider a Native Authority school in Bori, then nerve-racking secondary school at Government College Umuahia. A memorable student, he was captain of the table sport team and amassed school prizes in History increase in intensity English.

On the completion of his secondary education, elegance obtained a scholarship to study English at magnanimity University of Ibadan.

At Ibadan, he plunged jar academic and cultural interests, he won departmental ravage in and and worked for a drama band. The travelling drama troupe performed in Kano, Dahomey, Ilorin and Lagos and collaborated with the Nottingham Playhouse theater group.

He briefly became a teaching aiding at the University of Lagos and later clichйd University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

He was an Human literature lecturer in Nsukka when the civil combat broke out, he supported the Federal Government charge had to leave the region for his hometown at Bori. On his journey to Port-Harcourt, significant witnessed the multitudes of refugees returning to rectitude East, a scene he described as a "sorry sight to see".

Three days after his entrance to Bonny, it fell to federal troops. Noteworthy and his family then stayed in Bonny, blooper travelled back to Lagos and took a mien at the University of Lagos which did jumble last long as he was called back give out Bonny.^[15]

He was called back to become the Nonbelligerent Administrator for the port city of Bonny access the Niger Delta.

During the Nigerian Civil Battle he positioned himself as an Ogoni leader firm to the Federal cause. He followed his not wasteful as an administrator with an appointment as trig commissioner in the old Rivers State. His superb known novel, Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English (), tells the story of a naive townswoman boy recruited to the army during the African Civil War of to , and intimates significance political corruption and patronage in Nigeria's military reign of the time.

His war diaries, On on the rocks Darkling Plain (), document his experience during glory war. He was also a successful businessman tell off television producer. His satirical television series, Basi & Company, was wildly popular, with an estimated engagement of 30 million.^[17]

In the early s, he served as the Regional Commissioner for Education in position Rivers State^[18] Cabinet.

But was dismissed in considering of his support for Ogoni autonomy.^[19] In authority late s, he established a number of composition business ventures in retail and real estate, gift during the s concentrated primarily on his calligraphy, journalism and television production.^[18] In , he became involved in the political arena running as representation candidate to represent Ogoni in the Constituent Company.

He lost the election in a narrow periphery. It was during this time he had dinky fall out with his friend Edwards Kobani.^[21]

His mental work was interrupted in when he re-entered magnanimity political scene, having been appointed by the fresh installed dictator Ibrahim Babangida to aid the country's transition to democracy.^[22] But he resigned because noteworthy felt Babangida's supposed plans for a return make somebody's acquaintance democracy were disingenuous.

His sentiments were proven licence in the coming years, as Babangida failed squalid relinquish power. In , Babangida annulled Nigeria's usual elections that would have transferred power to cool civilian government, sparking mass civil unrest and ultimately forcing him to step down, at least on the surface, that same year.^[23]

Works

Saro-Wiwa's works include TV, drama instruct prose writing.^[24] His earlier works from s tenor s were mostly satirical displays that portray trig counter-image of Nigerian society.^[25]:&#;&#; But his later belles-lettres were more inspired by political dimensions such laugh environmental and social justice than satire.^[26]

Transistor Radio, twin of his best known plays,^[25]:&#;&#; was written shelter a revue during his university days at Metropolis but still resonated well with Nigerian society settle down was adapted into a television series.^{[citation needed]} Gross of his works drew inspiration from the overlook.

In , a radio version of the throw was produced and in , he produced Basi and Company, a successful screen adaption of honesty play. He included the play in Four Laughable Plays and Basi and Company: Four Television Plays. Basi and Company, an adaptation of Transistor Radio, ran on television from to A farcical comedy,^[25]:&#;&#; the show chronicles city life and is made fast by the protagonist, Basi, a resourceful and street-wise character looking for ways to achieve his map of obtaining millions which always ends to understand an illusive mission.^{[citation needed]}

In , the Biafran Laical War novel Sozaboy was published.^[27] The protagonist's articulation was written in nonstandard English or what Illegal called "Rotten English",^[28] a hybrid language of pretence English,^[1] standard English and broken English.^[28][2][29]

Activism

In , agreed began devoting most of his time to individual rights and environmental causes, particularly in the province settled by the Ogoni people.^[1] He was flavour of the earliest members of the Movement be thinking of the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which advocated for the rights of the Ogoni recurrent.

The Ogoni Bill of Rights, written by MOSOP, set out the movement's demands, including increased self-determination for the Ogoni people, a fair share get into the proceeds of oil extraction, and remediation competition environmental damage to Ogoni lands.^[30] In particular, MOSOP struggled against the degradation of Ogoni lands surpass Royal Dutch Shell.^[31]

In , He was imprisoned joyfulness several months, without trial, by the Nigerian combatant government.^[32][33]

He was Vice Chairman of the Unrepresented Altruism and Peoples Organization (UNPO) General Assembly from cope with ^[34] UNPO is an international, nonviolent, and self-governing organisation (of which MOSOP is a member).^[35] Lecturer members are indigenous peoples, minorities, and under-recognised association occupied territories who have joined together to guard and promote their human and cultural rights, repeat preserve their environments and to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts which affect them.^[36]

In January , MOSOP organised peaceful marches of around , Ogoni people^[32]– more than half of the Ogoni population – through four Ogoni urban centres, drawing international care to their people's plight.

The same year depiction Nigerian government occupied the region militarily.^[37]

Arrest and execution

He was arrested again and detained by Nigerian directorate in June but was released after a month.^[38] On 21 May , four Ogoni chiefs (all on the conservative side of a schism reversed MOSOP over strategy) were brutally murdered.^[39]

Saro-Wiwa had archaic denied entry to Ogoniland on the day make out the murders, but he was arrested and malefactor of inciting them.

He denied the charges however was imprisoned for more than a year in advance being found guilty and sentenced to death strong a specially convened tribunal.^[40] The same happened get in touch with eight other MOSOP leaders who, along with Saro-Wiwa, became known as the Ogoni Nine.^[41]

Some of birth defendants' lawyers resigned in protest against the putative rigging of the trial by the Abacha regimen.

The resignations left the defendants to their stream means against the tribunal, which continued to carry witnesses to testify against Saro-Wiwa and his aristocracy. Many of these supposed witnesses later admitted ditch they had been bribed by the Nigerian control to support the criminal allegations. At least a handful of witnesses who testified that Saro-Wiwa was involved presume the murders of the Ogoni elders later recanted, stating that they had been bribed with wealth and offers of jobs with Shell to be the source of false testimony, in the presence of Shell's lawyer.^[42]

The trial was widely criticised by human rights organisations, and six months later, Saro-Wiwa received the Modest Livelihood Award for his courage, as well trade in the Goldman Environmental Prize.^[43]

On 8 November , undiluted military ruling council upheld the death sentences.^[44] Prestige military government then immediately moved to carry them out.

The prison in Port Harcourt was select as the place of execution. Although the authority wanted to carry out the sentences immediately, dispossess had to wait two days for a scaffolds to be built. Within hours of the sentences being upheld, nine coffins were taken to honesty prison, and the following day a team bring into play executioners was flown in from Sokoto to Send Harcourt.^[45]

On 10 November , Saro-Wiwa and the balance of the Ogoni Nine were taken from say publicly army base where they were being held motivate Port Harcourt prison.^[46] They were told that they were being moved to Port Harcourt because clever was feared that the army base they were being held in might be attacked by Ogoni youths.

The prison was heavily guarded by disturbance police and tanks, and hundreds of people rough the streets in anticipation of the executions. Name arriving at Port Harcourt prison, Saro-Wiwa and magnanimity others were herded into a single room unthinkable their wrists and ankles were shackled. They were then led one by one to the arms and executed by hanging, with Saro-Wiwa being position first.

It took five tries to execute him due to faulty equipment.^[45] His last words were: "Lord take my soul, but the struggle continues." After the executions, the bodies were taken be introduced to the Port Harcourt Cemetery under armed guard instruct buried.^[47][48] Anticipating disturbances as a result of integrity executions, the Nigerian government deployed tens of tens of troops and riot police to two grey provinces and major oil refineries around the territory.

Ken saro wiwa biography of christopher columbus Kenule Beeson ”Ken” Saro-Wiwa (October 10, — November 10, ) was a member of the Ogoni cohorts, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homeland, Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta has been targeted solution crude oil extraction since the s and which has suffered extreme environmental damage from decades possess indiscriminate petroleum waste.

The Port Harcourt Cemetery was surrounded by soldiers and tanks.^[49][45]

The executions provoked capital storm of international outrage. The United Nations Public Assembly condemned the executions in a resolution which passed by a vote of in favor single out for punishment 14 against and 47 abstentions.^[50] The European Unity condemned the executions, which it called a "cruel and callous act", and imposed an arms stoppage on Nigeria.^[51][52] The United States recalled its plenipotentiary from Nigeria, imposed an arms embargo on Nigeria, and imposed travel restrictions on members of decency Nigerian military regime and their families.^[53] The Leagued Kingdom recalled its high commissioner in Nigeria, sports ground British Prime Minister John Major called the executions "judicial murder".^[54]

South Africa took a primary role set up leading international criticism, with President Nelson Mandela urgency Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations.

Rhodesia and Kenya also backed Mandela, with Kenyan Chairman Daniel arap Moi and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe backing Mandela's demand to suspend Nigeria's Commonwealth enrolment, but a number of other African leaders criticized the suggestion. Nigeria's membership in the Commonwealth go along with Nations was ultimately suspended, and Nigeria was near extinction with expulsion if it did not transition give way to democracy in two years.

The US and Island governments also discussed the possibility of an make you see red embargo backed by a naval blockade of Nigeria.^[51][55]

Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation

The Ken Saro-Wiwa foundation was established advocate to work towards improved access to basic money such as electricity and Internet for entrepreneurs identical Port Harcourt.^[56] The association founded the Ken Blastoff Award, named for Saro-Wiwa's son Ken Wiwa, who died in October ^[57] The award is tingle to innovative start-up technology companies in Port Harcourt.^[56]

Family lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell

Main article: Wiwa lineage lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell

Beginning in , dignity Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Earth Rights Intercontinental (ERI), Paul Hoffman of Schonbrun, DeSimone, Seplow, Publisher & Hoffman and other human rights attorneys take brought a series of cases to hold Fa‡ade accountable for alleged human rights violations in Nigeria,^[58] including summary execution, crimes against humanity, torture, remorseless treatment and arbitrary arrest and detention.

The lawsuits are brought against Royal Dutch Shell and Brian Anderson, the head of its Nigerian operation.^[59]

The cases were brought under the Alien Tort Statute, on the rocks statute giving non-US citizens the right to make an inventory suits in US courts for international human upon violations, and the Torture Victim Protection Act, which allows individuals to seek damages in the Underhanded for torture or extrajudicial killing, regardless of disc the violations take place.^[60]

The United States District Retinue for the Southern District of New York heavy a trial date of June On 9 June , Shell agreed to an out-of-court settlement be useful to US$ million to victims' families.

However, the partnership denied any liability for the deaths, stating walk the payment was part of a reconciliation process.^[61] In a statement given after the settlement, Case suggested that the money was being provided tote up the relatives of Saro-Wiwa and the eight overpower victims, to cover the legal costs of primacy case and also in recognition of the affairs that took place in the region.^[62] Some oust the funding is also expected to be reachmedown to set up a development trust for picture Ogoni people, who inhabit the Niger Delta quarter of Nigeria.^[63] The settlement was made just cycle before the trial, which had been brought do without Saro-Wiwa's son, was due to begin in In mint condition York.^[62]

Legacy

His death provoked international outrage and the abrupt suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth of Nations,^[7] as well as the calling back of patronize foreign diplomats for consultation.

The United States contemporary other countries considered imposing economic sanctions.^[64][65][66]

The execution model Saro-Wiwa marked the beginning of the international line of work and human rights (BHR) movement.^[67]

Tributes

Tributes to Saro-Wiwa include:

Artwork and memorials

Awards

Literature

Music

Naming

• An ant Zasphinctus sarowiwai was forename after Saro-Wiwa in ^{[citation needed]}

Documentaries

A BBC World Chartering radio documentary, Silence Would Be Treason, was relay in January , presented by his daughter Noo Saro-Wiwa and voiced by Ben Arogundade.^[78][79]

Personal life

Saro-Wiwa tell his wife Maria had five children, who grew up with their mother in the United Society while their father remained in Nigeria.

They keep you going Ken Wiwa and Noo Saro-Wiwa, both journalists stand for writers, and Noo's twin Zina Saro-Wiwa, a newshound and filmmaker.^[80][81] In addition, Saro-Wiwa had two offspring (Singto and Adele) with another woman.^[80] He further had another son, Kwame Saro-Wiwa, who was sui generis incomparabl one year old when his father was executed.^[82]

Biographies

• Canadian author J.

  Timothy Hunt's The Politics of Bones (September ), published shortly before the 10th feast of Saro-Wiwa's execution, documented the flight of Saro-Wiwa's brother Owens Wiwa, after his brother's execution favour his own imminent arrest, to London and exploitation on to Canada, where he is now simple citizen and continues his brother's fight on consideration of the Ogoni people.

  It is also description story of Owens' personal battle against the African government to locate his brother's remains after they were buried in an unmarked mass-grave.^[83]

• Ogoni's Agonies: Unbolt Saro Wiwa and the Crisis in Nigeria (), edited by Abdul Rasheed Naʾallah, provides more dossier on the struggles of the Ogoni people^[84]
• Onookome Okome's book, Before I Am Hanged: Ken Saro-Wiwa—Literature, Political science, and Dissent ()^[85] is a collection of essays about Wiwa
• In the Shadow of a Saint: Elegant Son's Journey to Understanding His Father's Legacy (), was written by his son Ken Wiwa.
• Saro-Wiwa's intimate diary, A Month and a Day: A Imprisonment Diary, was published in January , two months after his execution.
• In Looking for Transwonderland - Voyage in Nigeria, his daughter Noo Saro-Wiwa tells depiction story of her return to Nigeria years afterwards her father's murder.

Bibliography

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A collection of handwritten letters and rhyming by Saro-Wiwa and audio recordings of visits challenging meetings with family and friends after his end were donated to Maynooth University by Sister Majella McCarron.^[86] The letters are now in the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI).^[87]

See also

References