A Month And A Day & Letters
A decade has passed since Ken Saro-Wiwa was judicially murdered on trumped-up charges by the military dictatorship of the Nigerian ruler Sani Abacha. He was hanged, together with eight other campaigners, for defending the rights of the Ogoni people, despite worldwide condemnation and a concerted campaign led by his fellow writers and prominent world figures.
To mark the anniversary of this barbaric act and to celebrate the life of a remarkable man, the estimable Ayebia Clarke publishing house has brought out a new edition of the ‘Detention Diary’ Saro-Wiwa wrote in July 1993. Also included in this volume are a series of clandestine letters to friends, written during Saro-Wiwa’s imprisonment, his final statement to the military tribunal that condemned him (which he was not allowed to read out) and, movingly, two letters written by his son Ken Wiwa to his late father.
In his writing and his activism, Ken Saro-Wiwa was steadfast in his defence of the oppressed and dispossessed Ogoni people. He is scathing in his contempt for the brutal and corrupt dictatorship and the complicity of the oil transnational Shell, whose pursuit of profit has left Ogoni lands polluted and despoiled. This excellent book outlines for the general reader the struggle of the Ogonis against global corporate power allied to military tyranny. It also gives us a glimpse into the daily life of a man whose commitment to honesty and justice so irked Nigeria’s despots that they were obliged to murder him.
- Product information
- by Ken Saro-Wiwa
- Publisher
- Ayebia Clarke Publishing
- Product number
- ISBN 0 9547023 5 2
- Star rating
- Product link
- www.ayebia.co.uk
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
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