Click on the image to view the full video from NTD

Shell’s major oil spill at the offshore Bonga facility in Nigeria is threatening the livelihoods of at least 13 different coastal communities, reports Reuters. As thick crude oil continues washing up on Nigeria’s shoreline, Shell is denying responsibility and claims that “non-Bonga oil” from a third party spill is to blame. A local resident from Bisangbene told the Vanguard newspaper that Shell’s Bonga spill had ruined livelihoods in the fishing village. Mr. Goodnews Gereghewei said:

our occupation is predominantly fishing and our fishermen have withdrawn from the sea because of the massive oil spill due to fear of being roasted alive since they fish mostly at night with local lamps.

The oil spill has coated beaches “in a film of black sludge with a rainbow tint,” sparking angry local protests.

So far, the environmental impact has also killed fish, contaminated drinking water and damaged local fishing boats. Nigerian officials have suspended fishing off the coast due to the threat of heavy oil contamination from Shell’s Bonga spill. Fishers from Akwa Ibom in the eastern Niger Delta have also been affected. A second leak has also been confirmed on Shell’s onshore Nembe pipeline.

SHAKE! reflects the distinctive approach of PLATFORM, which attracted me to them in the first place: challenging the misdeeds of the largest centres of power in the world – corporations and banks as vast as Shell, BP and RBS – using, in part, the resources of creativity and art. One example is standing outside the Stephen Lawrence Centre right now – the Living Memorial to Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his fellow activists, executed for their role in the non-violent resistance to Shell’s abuse of the land and people of Ogoniland in the Niger Delta. A sculpture in the form of a Nigerian bus, it’s just one of the many creative interventions made by PLATFORM in pursuit of social and environmental justice.

So I was naturally excited about the opportunity to get involved with bringing these elements to the sorts of people – indeed, as mentioned, some of the very people – that I work with on a daily basis. And, of course, I was excited about doing it in the Stephen Lawrence Centre, another memorial, this one to the British teenager whose murder was subject to an investigation that led to the Metropolitan Police being condemned as ‘institutionally racist’. The SLC is certainly a living memorial, and I see it as an act of hopeful defiance in the face of hatred, injustice and cynicism.

The bulk of the work done at SHAKE! has been creative. Having been introduced to the stories of Ken Saro-Wiwa and Stephen Lawrence, and having been fortunate enough to meet in person Doreen Lawrence, Stephen’s mother, the participants have responded both personally and analytically, and used these responses to form the basis of what they have produced. There have been three groups – music, video and spoken word, which are beginning to work together. Poems have been spoken over African beats; a roving film-crew is interviewing hopeful DJs. We haven’t reached the end of the course yet, where things will all tie together, but I just spoke to one of the participants. He told me that he didn’t know what to expect, but he’s found an outlet to express himself where there are no holds barred. He has other outlets – sometimes he boxes – but he’s enjoyed a different kind of outlet, one that ‘feels gentle’. The discussions about ways people have challenged injustice led him to tell me that ‘knowing that there are ways of making a difference inspires you’.

I’ve also been touched. Seeing young people feel moved by injustice, and feel grasped by a commitment to act against it, is affecting. We are already talking amongst ourselves about how to continue our connection with the participants, to create an ongoing exploration of all that’s been raised here. I guess this is another way of saying – it’s been a good week so far! But there isn’t a lot more time for all this reflection – there’s work to be done…

C WORDS is an exhibition which tackles some of the most pressing issues of our time – this is climate change seen from the perspective of artists working within the global justice movement. It is about issues where global inequality, race and capitalism interlock.  The combined work of 60 artists, activists and campaigners results an exciting season of events at the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol.

As part of C WORDS on 7th November at 6.30pm, remember saro-wiwa joins forces with coalition partners African Writers Abroad for a night of poetry, performance that is ecclectic, Trans-Atlantic, inspired and dedicated to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa. The next day remember saro-wiwa hosts a discussion with guest speakers on the future of the oil-rich Niger Delta. We hope to see some of you there.

Event programme:

Saturday 7th November

No Condition is Permanent: an event by African Writers Abroad and remember saro-wiwa.

6.30pm – 8.30pm, Arnolfini Bristol, Gallery 3, free admission.

Poetry and performance with Dorothea Smartt, Simon Murray, Zena Edwards, Ross Martin, Edson Burton and others. Hosted by PLATFORM’s remember saro-wiwa project.

Join three performance poets and young writers, on intimate journeys that take you from the frontlines of climate injustice to radical hopes for a sustainable future. The event marks the 14th anniversary since the writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by Nigerian government for his campaign against the impact of oil companies, in particular Shell, on the environment in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Sunday 8th November

What’s the future of the Niger Delta?

2pm – 5pm

Arnolfini Bristol, Gallery 3, free admission.

Join a panel discussion with presentations from artist Sokari Douglas-Camp CBE, human rights campaigner Alice Ukoku, Stakeholder Democracy Network and remember saro-wiwa.

PLATFORM’s C Words exhibition highlights our uncomfortable dependence on Nigerian oil, asking the how can we respond, as artists and activists to the ongoing environmental devastation and injustice, corporate power and conflict? Where is the struggle for justice today, and what lies ahead for the region?

Speakers:

-Alice Ukoku is a campaigner from Delta State, who witnessed to the remarkable protest of hundreds of women who barricaded Shell’s office at Ogunu in July and August 2002 and managed to shut-in 25% of Nigeria’s oil production for 10 days, before the military forced the protestors from the site.

-Sokari Douglas-Camp CBE is a British artist of Nigerian origin and the creator of the groundbreaking Living Memorial to Ken Saro-Wiwa. She has worked with large-scale steel sculpture for over two decades. Short-listed for the Fourth Plinth in 2003, she currently exhibits nationally and internationally, including at the British Museum.

-Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) works to empower those worst affected by the activities of extractive industries in Nigeria and to help them to get a better deal.

-PLATFORM brings together artists, campaigners and researchers for projects driven by the need for social change. For over a decade, PLATFORM has been highlighted the social and environmental impact of the oil industry in key areas, including Nigeria.

My heart is beating?

Many times she sang those words, wrapping up the pain and endurance of Niger Deltans, for years she shook the wall of indifference around her, and finally, we were moved.

On 1st October, NNEKA was awarded this years’ MOBO (Music of Black Origin) prize for best African Artist. NNEKA is an artist of rare achievement, whose outspoken views about the exploitation of the oil-rich Niger Delta burns deep into her lyrics. Her music has lifted the Niger Delta struggle into powerful songs,  charging the airwaves of the BBC and the UK Top 40 with her politics.

Her story begins far away from the media spotlight in the oil-city of Warri, in the Niger Delta. A few years after she arrived on the European music scene she is now clocking up +1.5 million hits on her new music video, ‘Heartbeat’. NNEKA’s success has heightened her awareness of the development denied to her people in the Delta, in spite of the oil wealth extracted from the region.

A long-time supporter of the Niger Delta cause, and a headline artist at remember saro-wiwa events, NNEKA takes every opportunity to remind the West of the heavy cost of Nigerian oil, heaping criticism on the destructive impact of companies like Shell, Chevron and the Nigerian government.

As the BBC reports:

The singer says her influences include Nigeria’s iconic Afro-beat performer Fela Kuti as well more contemporary acts like a US rapper Mos Def.

She also cites Nigeria writer and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa as an inspiration. Mr Saro-Wiwa was executed by the Sani Abacha government in 1995 for his efforts to campaign against corruption in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

“Stand up against; corruption, against injustice, against bribery and hypocrisy…….RAISE UR VOICES,” she says on her MySpace page.

NNEKA

After touring with Lenny Kravitz in Europe, NNEKA, who is originally from the Niger-Delta, plays London’s CARGO on Thursday, showcasing songs from her second Album ‘No Longer At Ease’ which is stirred by the injustices taking place in her homeland.
With support from some truly unique rap artists:
Wanlov the Kubolor:
Afrikan Boy
& DJ Edu

Awareness & outreach from the remember saro-wiwa team.

Discover the next generation of Afropean superstars

Advance tickets £12, Limited £15 tickets on the door.

For tickets visit here, here or call (+44)8700 600 100 (24hr box office)

For more info on the featured artists visit:

http://www.myspace.com/nnekaworld

http://www.myspace.com/wanlov

http://www.myspace.com/afrikanboy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/djedu/