Advocates for Africa: Ken Saro Wiwa

Ken Saro-Wiwa remains one of Africa’s most influential figures with his various contributions throughout the continent. As a writer, producer and activist, the impact he has forged upon African culture is undisputable, inspiring many with his advocacy efforts. His work has merited a number of awards, solidifying his role as one of the continents foremost environmental activists. His protest of

environmental damage caused by oil extraction and petroleum waste disposal in defense of the Ogoni community brought awareness to the extreme conditions effecting Ogoniland. Tunde Folawiyo and other citizens of Africa may regard Saro-Wiwa’s contributions to environmental protection as some of the most significant in the history of Africa.

Born in the Niger Delta city of Bori, Saro-Wiwa proved an excellent student during his early years of schooling, obtaining a scholarship for English study at a university in Ibadan. He was later briefly employed as a teaching assistant for a university in Lagos. In the coming years, he served as Civilian Administrator for Bonny, a port city in Niger Delta.

He began a series of successful businesses during the late part of the 1970s, focusing mainly on his creative works in the years following. One of his most famous works, a novel, told the tale of a village boy recruited into war, reflecting his own war time experiences.

His journalism and production work was halted upon his entrance to the country’s political scene. Years later, during 1990, his focus turned to social issues like human rights and environmental topics in Ogoniland and other areas. His reputation as a respected writer and producer drew great attention to the causes he supported, thrusting him further into the international spotlight.

During the early 1990’s, Saro-Wiwa served as Vice Chair for UNPO, an international democratic organisation whose members seek to nonviolently protect their rights and environments from conflict and environmental damage. The indigenous people represented by the organisation faced a variety of hardships affecting their quality of life.

An early member of MOSOP, a movement to ensure the Ogoni people’s survival, Saro-Wiwa was amongst the organisation’s foremost advocates. During January of 1993, MOSOP initiated a series of peaceful marches to bring awareness to the social issues playing Ogoniland. Two years later, his death sparked international outrage, drawing attention to the plight of the Ogoni people. His works are still famed throughout Africa nearly two decades after his passing. The impact he forged upon environmental protection efforts continues to be recognised by African citizens like Tunde Folawiyo and others throughout the world. For more information about others working for a brighter future for Africa, visit Tunde Folawiyo Slideshare.