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8 Issue 81 / 2015 GUESTLIST guestlist.net bad history: ken saro-WiWa BAD HISTORY: Essential enlightenment into world events - this is what they should have taught you at school On the 20th anniversary of his execution, a large proportion of the generation reading this publication will have no idea who Ken Saro-Wiwa is, or why he was killed. His importance as both a political activist for an indigenous tribe in Nigeria, as well as a poignant mark in time highlighting the atrocities of huge multi- national oil corporations, should make him a key historical figure, yet he lacks much contemporary coverage or apparent significance other than in today's news. Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged by a military court in 1995 for his leadership role in a peaceful uprising of 300,000 Nigerian Ogoni people, who protested against Shell's rampant pollution in Ogoniland. His execution sparked global outrage, and led to Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth, with Shell later paying compensation fees of over $15 million, despite denying any links to his death or any violence in the region. In his final statement on the mistreatment of his country Saro-Wiwa calls on his Ogoni people and the people of Nigeria to stand up against the oil company's might and greed by repeating, "We all stand before history". Why it's important TODAY: At a time where Nigeria have sacked the head of anti-corruption agency Ibrahim Lamorde without giving reason, as well as their blighted history concerning dodgy dealings, there's reason for detecting a whiff of bullshit concerning Shell's claims of 'lack of involvement' in the past. That's why everyone should be supporting and raising awareness for Nigerian protesters in their threats of strike to disrupt transport and oil supply, unless a British artwork/memorial depicting Shell's atrocities is released from Nigerian customs in Lagos. The bus serves as a memorial to Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni people, made by artist Sokari Douglas Camp in 2006. It is emblazoned with a notable Saro-Wiwa quotation on the side, "I ACCUSE THE OIL COMPANIES OF PRACTISING GENOCIDE AGAINST THE OGONI". Today, the oil companies do not wield the same coercive power that they did at the time of his murder. Now, climate change is viewed as inevitable by even the staunchest of former deniers, and the bus serves as a symbolic reminder of the destructive power that the oil companies have in their locker.