The European Capital of Culture will be hosting a series of events from April 23 - April 25 2008, including a Living Memorial to Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian steel bus, created by artist Sokari Douglas-Camp CBE, which will be visiting the International Slavery Museum.
The bus has toured across England for the last year in order to raise awareness about the continuing environmental and human rights crisis in the Niger Delta, the oil-producing region of Nigeria.
Saro-Wiwa was executed along with eight of his collegues on November 10 1995, following a campaign to stop the environmental devastation that was taking place in the Ogoni area of the Niger Delta by multinational oil giants such as Shell and Chevron.
Organised by the Remember Saro-Wiwa project and its Liverpool partners, the memorial bus, commissioned by the arts organisation PLATFORM, will be supported by a programme of live African music and performance poetry at Tate Liverpool, and workshops at the International Slavery Museum.
The 12ft high and 18ft long memorial vehicle has a direct quotation from Ken Saro-Wiwa carved on it which reads: ‘I accuse the oil companies of practising genocide against the Ogoni’. The quotation is accompanied by the names of Saro-Wiwa and his eight colleagues.
The events are hoped to raise questions about the problems that the people who live in these oil-producing regions have to face, such as oil spill, 24-hour gas flaring and severe poverty, while the developed world reaps the benefits.
David Bailey MBE, project curator said: "Remember Saro-Wiwa succeeds in bringing together a melting pot of people, from those interested in African music and issues, to students, artists and environmental activists."
Sokari Douglas-Camp will be giving a talk at the International Slavery Museum on Thursday April 24.
