Credit: Friends of the Earth International
Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941-1995) is a Nigerian writer and television producer who in later life became an environmental activist by campaigning against the Royal Dutch Shell Company and the Nigerian government over the oil pollution of the land and water of his native Ogoniland. At the peak of his non-violent campaign, he was unlawfully arrested, detained, and executed by the Nigerian government with the complicity of Shell.
Rather than dampen the struggle his death raised international awareness of the devastating environmental impacts of oil companies in developing countries. It was Ken Saro Wiwa’s campaign that brought to the global reckoning the environmental degradation taking place in the Niger Delta, one of the world’s largest mangrove ecosystems.
After his death, lawsuits against Shell and other oil companies for the environmental degradation in the Niger delta have been successful in Netherlands and United Kingdom. Thus, making a success of Saro-Wiwa’s push to hold major oil corporations accountable for their operations that violate and degrade the environment. His activism has encouraged the decriminalization of environmental activism in many countries.
Credit: Friends of the Earth International