This is a presentation, delivered on 20th February, as part of the NUI Maynooth History Seminar Series.

1. The Death-Row Correspondence of Ken
Saro-Wiwa: Creating a Book and Audio
Archive from a Unique Library Collection
Helen Fallon,
Deputy Librarian, NUI Maynooth
Helen.b.fallon@nuim.ie

2. Background
• November 2011
– Donation of 28 letters and 27 poems written by
Ken Saro-Wiwa to the Library at NUI Maynooth
• November 2013
– Publication of “Silence Would be Treason: Last
Writings of Ken Saro-Wiwa” edited by Íde Corley, Helen Fallon
& Laurence Cox
– Launch of “Ken Saro-Wiwa Audio Archive” produced
by NUI Maynooth Library and Kairos Communications

6. Ken Saro-Wiwa
• leading Nigerian and African
writer novelist, playwright, nonfiction writer, children’s
books and television writer
• Businessman
• Major figure in Nigerian
politics; his support for the
autonomy of the Ogoni
people led to his removal
from office in 1973

9. Founder of MOSOP
Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni
People (MOSOP)
highlighted the issue of environmental
survival in the face of massive oil and gas
extraction in the Niger Delta and the
associated oil leaks, gas flaring and other
environmental crises threatening livelihoods

15. The Recipient of the Letters – Sister
Majella McCarron (OLA)

16. Nigeria

17. Sister Majella McCarron
• Born Derrylin Fermanagh
• Joined Our Lady of Apostles (OLA)
Congregation
• Science Degree (UCC)
• Nigeria – 1964
• Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network
(AEFJN)
• 1990 Met Ken Saro-Wiwa

18. MOSOP
• Sister Majella (OLA) & Fr. Tommy Hayden
(SPMS) – Leadership Training
• Discussions in Lagos office
• 1993 January - MOSOP mobilised 300,000
Ogoni people (60% of the total population) in
a peaceful march

20. Detention
• MOSOP challenged those who benefitted from
the oil: the oil and gas multinationals and the
Nigerian military government
• Ogoni occupied by the Nigerian military;
destruction of villages; an estimated 750
people killed and 30,000 left homeless
• Saro-Wiwa and held for a month and a day

22. Destruction of Ogoni settlement,
Port Harcourt

23. Ogoni Fishermen from Kaa
fishing village survey broken
canoes .

25. Destruction at Kaa Market

27. 1994 May – Saro-Wiwa re-arrested, together
with eight other activists, on trumped-up
charges of involvement in the deaths of four
Ogoni chiefs despite the fact that police had
refused him entry to Ogoniland on the day
of the killings

28. Military Detention
May 1994 - November 1995
• 28 Letters
• 27 Poems
• Smuggled out of detention in
breadbaskets

31. Sister Majella
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1994 Returned to Ireland
Campaign to save lives of the Ogoni Nine
Ogoni Solidarity Ireland
Trócaire
Nobel Prize Nomination
1995 10th November – Ken Saro-Wiwa and
eight others executed

34. Sister Majella
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Mary Immaculate College
Garvaghy Road Conflict
Shell to Sea Campaign
Fracking in Leitrim

35. Shell Settlement
2009, June -Shell
settled out of
court for over
$15 million with
relatives of the
“Ogoni Nine”

36. 1995-2011
• Sister Majella kept the letters, poems and
artefacts in her personal possession
• Met NUI Maynooth student – MA on Societies in
Transition
• Link with Library
• 2011 November handover to mark anniversary of
execution
• https://vimeo.com/80802123

39. Letters
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Mostly handwritten
Detention conditions
Family
MOSOP – leadership etc.
Sr. Majella’s work
His writing
Awards
The Trial

40. Book Concept
• Three main presentations
– Helen Fallon (Library), Dr. Íde Corley (English), Dr.
Laurence Cox (Sociology)
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Massive international media coverage
Idea of bringing letters to a wider audience
Team of three set out to edit letters
2 years from handover to publication

45. The Ken Saro-Wiwa Archive
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28 letters
27 poems
Artefacts – cap, flag, badge, T-shirt
Ephemera – flyers, pamphlets etc

46. Copyright
• Copyright of letters lies with the letter writer
or if deceased with the estate
• Letter as artefact
• Ken Wiwa Junior
• Sister Majella/Dr Owens Wiwa
• Copyright of poems
• Permissions

47. Finding a Publisher
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Book Proposal
Major Publishers
Daraja/CODESRIA headquarters in Senegal
Not-for-profit
Distribution Rights in Africa
Links (Action Aid India)
Good Relationship with Owner
Trócaire Grant

48. Legal Issues
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Risk
People who are still living
Shell
Legal advice
Contact with publisher
Costs

49. The Letters
• Reading Text
• Typing text
• Annotating letters to give context and
meaning
• Meetings
• What to leave out

51. 13/7/94
Dear Sr.,
I got your letter, and many thanks. I don’t remember what I wrote to you, I
think I wrote in a very great hurry and so was not able to express myself clearly, maybe.
Of course, I know that you are all with me in spirit and am very encouraged
thereby. Nor did I imagine that you were doing nothing. But I have no access to
newspapers or radio, and I was in chains—which was quite depressing. The chains now
sit on my table, a reminder that they can go on at any time.
My condition is not very bad. I have an air-conditioned room to myself, and
the electricity has only failed once. I can write and only yesterday succeeded in
smuggling my computer into this place. I can cook (though I cannot cook) for myself
and from time to time, I can smuggle out letters. The only thing is that family
members, lawyers and doctor are not allowed to see me. The military doctor came just
once and wrote a recommendation that I be sent to the University Teaching Hospital.
The Military Administrator [Lt.-Col. Duada Musa Komo] has ignored the
recommendation which makes me believe that he wants me dead. I’ve also seen the
scurrilous things he’s said about me in Quality magazine. It’s annoying! In my first
month here, I had only the Bible for reading. I decided to read it from cover to cover. I
was very disturbed by the violence in the book of Joshua. The soldier who owned the
Bible has taken it away. I had gotten to the lamentations of Jeremiah. Of course, the
Bible is a great book. I’ve since had access to other books and my mind is wellnourished. With the computer now here, I think I’ll be quite busy.
My worry, as ever, is the Ogoni people. With all MOSOP people out of the
way, the protection which we offered the people is gone.

52. 20/10/93
Dear Sr. Majella,
Thanks for your note. I’m really quite happy to have EC [European Commission]
help pass through the Catholic Church. You’ve all been so supportive and
MOSOP will be right glad to have such friends or supervisors. Please do not have
any doubts whatsoever on that score. We are so swamped with responsibilities
that having some of it off our necks is sheer relief. I’ll tell UNPO [Unrepresented
Nations and Peoples Organization] about the Brussels connection. They will be
able to drum up support from other European countries.
4.30 on Sunday is okay - more so as my last rally is at Bori at about that time.
I’m in Lagos until Friday morning. If there is anything to discuss with me, ring on
[telephone number provided]. The other tel. no. is dead.
Regards,
Ken.

53. The Poems
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27 Poems
Most had been published
Copyright lies with estate
Poem for Sr Majella McCarron
Permission granted
Poem written by Sister Majella included

54. Contents
• Annotated letters
• Poems
• Contextual essays
– Archives, oil, literature
• Foreword
• Archival classification
• Bibliography &
Resources list
• Bursary

55. The Ken Saro-Wiwa Audio Archive
• Making the recordings – 14 to date
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Copyright
Corresponding with the family
Role of University
Disclaimer
Relationships
Sensitivities

56. Home for the Audio Archive
• Editing and organising
• Size
• Options
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Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI)
University repository
HEAnet
iTunes
• SoundCloud

57. Soundcloud
www.soundcloud.com
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Audio hosting solution and social media network
Annual subscription
Unlimited space for audio files
Album covers
Keywords/tagging
Link from website via “Electronic Resources”
Google search
Statistics

61. Statistics 3 February 2014
• Total of 454 plays
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Ireland 387
United Kingdom 16
United States 26
Nigeria 12
Netherlands 3
Germany 3
Senegal 3
Norway 2
Brazil 1
India 1

62. Getting the message out
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Journal Articles
Magazine/Newspaper Articles
Online Publications/Newswires etc.
Radio
Social Media
Presentations

63. Book and Audio-Archive Details
• Silence Would be Treason: Last Writings of Ken
Saro-Wiwa, edited by Íde Corley, Helen Fallon
& Laurence Cox. Senegal:
Daraja/CODESRIA, 2013. isbn 9782869785571
• Ken Saro-Wiwa Audio Archive
http://library.nuim.ie/electronicresources/ken-saro-wiwa-audio-archive
Click on disclaimer