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Ken Saro-Wiwa

Novelist Helon Habilal on Ken Saro-Wiwa, the writer, television producer and environmental activist who was hanged by the Nigerian government in 1995.

Ken Saro-Wiwa was a writer, television producer, human rights and environmental activist.

He was hanged by the Nigerian government in 1995 after a hearing John Major described as fraudulent.

He campaigned for the rights of the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta who found their land devastated by the pollution caused by oil extraction. They saw little financial benefit from the vast oil and gas resources and suffered from oil spills, gas flaring and water contamination.

Helon Habila is a Nigerian novelist and professor of creative writing at George Mason University in Virginia. His novel Oil on Water dealt with the human cost of the oil industry in Nigeria.

Producer: Natalie Steed
Series Editor: David Prest
A Whistledown production in association with The Open University.

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Sun 26 Sep 2021 14:45

Broadcasts

  • Mon 20 Jan 2020 13:45
  • Sun 26 Sep 2021 00:15
  • Sun 26 Sep 2021 14:45

Hear our ‘Stories of Change’ interviews with various experts and campaigners for further in depth discussions.

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