Ken Saro-Wiwa in Few Lines
Kenule "Ken" Beeson Saro-Wiwa, born on October 10, 1941, was a Nigerian author, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award 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 targeted for crude oil extraction since the 1950s and which has suffered extreme and fortuitous environmental damage from decades of unsystematic petroleum waste removal.
Initially as spokesperson, and then as President, of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a nonviolent campaign against environmental degradation of the land and waters of Ogoniland by the operations of the multinational petroleum industry, especially Shell. He was also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government, which he viewed as reluctant to enforce environmental regulations on the foreign petroleum companies operating in the area.
At the peak of his non-violent campaign, Saro-Wiwa was arrested, quickly tried by a special military tribunal. He was found guilty and hanged in 1995 by the military government of General Sani Abacha, all on charges widely viewed as entirely politically motivated and completely groundless. His execution provoked international outrage and resulted in Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years.
His literary contributions
Ken Saro-wiwa is credited with the publication of a number of literary works including the following:
- In the Shadow of a Saint: A Son’s Journey to understand His Father’s Legacy. (Memoirs).
- A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary (Journal).
- Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English (Fiction).
- A Forest of Flowers (Short stories).
His best known novel, Sozaboy, tells the story of a naive village boy recruited to the army during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970; it informs also about the political patronage and corruption in Nigeria's military regime of the time. His war diaries, On a Darkling Plain, document Saro-Wiwa's experience during the war. Saro-Wiwa was also a successful businessman and television producer. His satirical television series, Basi & Company, is purported to have been one of the most watched soap operas in Africa.
During the 1980s Saro-Wiwa concentrated largely on his writing, journalism and television production. His intellectual work was interrupted in 1987 when he re- entered the political scene on appointment by then Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, to aid the country's transition to democracy. But Ken soon resigned because he felt Babangida's supposed plans for a return to democracy were insincere.
In his satirical piece, Africa Kills Her Sun first published in 1989, Ken foreshadowed his execution in a submissive, sorrowful mood. This came to pass few years later, precisely on November 10, 1995 when he was hanged by the then military rule.
Ken Saro-Wiwa in Popular Culture and Academic Circles
In recognition of the role of Ken Saro-Wiwa in the development of African literature and culture, many cultural bands as well as members of the academia have dedicated their works to the memory of this great Nigerian author, television producer and environmental activist: The Finnish band Ultra Bra dedicated their song "Ken Saro-Wiwa on kuollut" (Ken Saro-Wiwa is dead) to the remembrance of Ken Saro-Wiwa. The Italian band Il Teatro degli Orrori devoted their song "A sangue freddo" (In cold blood), to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa. An academic book on trade, health and human rights has also been dedicated to Ken Saro- Wiwa. In the same vein, the folk duo Magpie included the song "Saro-Wiwa" on their album "Give Light," crediting it as Words and Music by Terry Leonino and Ken Saro-Wiwa. It includes lines from Saro-Wiwa's poem “Dance” .
Ken Saro Wiwa's extermination is quoted and used as an inspiration for Beverley Naidoo's 2000 novel “ The Other Side of Truth” . Another novel, “Eclipse”, which is based on the events in Nigeria, was published by Richard North Patterson in 2009 to celebrate Ken Saro-Wiwa and his movement.
Additionally, Guitarist and composer, Robin Flower and musical partner, Libby Mc Claren included Saro-Wiwa as an example of a cultural "Angel of Change" on a 2003 recording of the same name. Hip Hop duo Reflection Eternal: Talib Kweli & HiTek, in their 2010 album, “Revolutions Per Minute”, describe in their song "Ballad Of The Black Gold" the activities of Saro-Wiwa and his group as nonviolent, and therefore deserve commendation.
“A Forest of Flowers”: A Short Review
“A Forest of Flowers” is a collection of nineteen short stories divided into two parts. The first deals with the happenings in the backwater village of Dukana, where fallacy, dishonesty, and ignorance often have tragic consequences. The second part transports us to the city, where we find these same common human flaws rampant and thriving. In the book, Ken Saro-Wiwa is unrepentantly criticizes the government, the church, and fellow Nigerians. The stories show the bad sides of mankind. In a figurative style, Saro-Wiwa touches on many issues ranging from adultery to violent ethnic clash to public lethargy. But from within this ocean of gloominess comes a sporadic story about an immaculate soul, ready and determined to fight the current.
Each story occupies an average of eight pages, and is quick to the point. They stimulate a wide range of emotions. Some stories cause laughter while some provoke anger. And others are very pitiful. They can be easily read, with a very limited use of “pidgin” English, which may necessitate consulting the glossary. But despite the obscure nature of many of the stories, “A Forest of Flowers” contains heart-touching stories.
Some of the titles featuring in “A Forest of Flowers” include the following:
- Home, Sweet home
- The Overhaul
- A Death in Town
- A Legend on Our Street.
Conclusion
Ken Saro-Wiwa was a celebrated Nigerian writer, television producer and political activist, who as a result of his campaign for the rights of his people, the Ogoni, was arrested, imprisoned, tried and hanged in November 1995 by the Nigerian military dictatorship headed by Late General Sanni Abacha. “A Forest of Flowers” is one of the fictional writings of Saro-Wiwa in which he embraces with passion various issues ranging from the socio-political, economic, and cultural to feminism, themes of alliance, conflict between the individual conscience and society at large.
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