Ken Saro-Wiwa will be remembered for his unflagging and courageous work as an advocate for the rights of the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta, his success as author and producer of the television comedy Basi and Company, his authorship of the linguistically dexterous Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English, his plain volume of poems, Songs in a Time of War, and for the failure of international “statesmen” to act and prevent his “judicial murder.”

Kenule Saro-Wiwa was born on October 10, 1941 in Bori, Ogoni. His father, Chief J. B. Wiwa (b. 1904) was a forest ranger who earned his living as a businessman. His mother, Widu (b. 1920) was a trader and farmer. Saro-Wiwa’s mother tongue was Khana, and his first few yea

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First published 29 August 2003

Citation: McLuckie, Craig. "Ken Saro-Wiwa". The Literary Encyclopedia. 29 August 2003.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3937, accessed 9 February 2010.]