Ken Saro-Wiwa as Symbol of Environmental Activism in Niger Delta Poetry

Abstract

Since the martyrdom of prominent Nigerian writer and environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa by the then military government of Nigeria, the slain activist has attained the status of a symbol of activism in literary works. This paper seeks to explore how selected Nigerian poets engage the name and actions of Ken Saro-Wiwa in representing resistance and in sensitising and rallying the people to demand their rights to basic amenities and safer environments to live in. This is the cause for which Saro-Wiwa lost his life. Three collections of poems have been purposively selected for a qualitative and sociological investigation of the deployment of Ken Saro-Wiwa as a symbol of environmental struggle and of selflessness for the advancement of the common good. The collections are Ojaide’s Delta Blues and Homesongs, Ibiwari Ikiriko’s Oily Tears of the Delta, and Ogaga Ifowodo’s The Oil Lamp. This study finds that while Ken Saro-Wiwa is deployed as a symbol of environmental activism, poets extend what his life and name represent to advance the agitation against the mismanagement of the environment and people of the Niger-Delta region. The study also reveals that Saro-Wiwa is an inspiration for writers to critically commit to advocacy that advances not just the good of society, but their art. This paper concludes that Ken Saro-Wiwa has become a source of inspiration for writers’ commitment to the Niger-Delta environment and a symbol to encourage activism against the continued despoliation of the region.