Synopses & Reviews
In late 1995, the little-known Ogoni region in Nigeria became a fable for our times. Ken Saro-Wiwa, a renowned poet and environmentalist, was campaigning to protect his Ogoni people against the encroachments of Shell Oil and a brutal dictatorship. He was imprisoned, tortured, brought to trial on trumped-up charges, and executed.
At the heart of the public campaign to save Ken Saro-Wiwa was another Ken Wiwa—the author's son—who travelled the world lobbying world leaders and mobilizing public opinion, so that his father was recognized as a hero and a symbol of the struggle for environmental justice. The Saro-Wiwa name became global currency for righteousness.
Ken Wiwa has embarked on a book that tells the story—from a human, anecdotal perspective—of what it means to grow up as a child in the shadow of such extraordinary men and women. In the end, it's about Ken's attempts to make peace with himself and his father—following his journey as he reaches toward a final rendezvous with the father who was snatched by the hangman.
About the Author
Born in Nigeria and educated in England, Ken Wiwa now contributes to newpapers, including The Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Ottawa Citizen, The Toronto Star, The Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, the Independent, the Independent on Sunday and the Observer. Internationally his journalism has appeared in South Africa, Holland, Germany and Spain and in a weekly column for Vanguard in Nigeria. Ken was also Internet editor for The Guardian for nearly two years. He now lives in Canada with his family and is Senior Resident Writer at Massey College in the University of Toronto.
Table of Contents
CONTENTSPreface
1. Home
2. Who's Afraid of Ken Saro-Wiwa?
3. My Father's House
4. On a Darkling Plain
5. Hidden Names, Complex Fate
6. The Shadow of a Saint
7. Ken Saro-Wiwa's House
8. 1993
9. The Trials of Ken Saro-Wiwa
10. Rumours of Rain
11. Darkness at Noon
12. The Singing Anthill
13. On the Death of Ken Saro-Wiwa
14. The Shadow of a Saint
15. Unfinished Business
16. Burma: Running in the Family
17. The Labyrinth of Solitude
18. Home…
Postscript