Ken Saro-Wiwa commemoration in Dublin

international | environment | feature

Tuesday November 13, 2007 23:50

by Tadhg McGrath

November 10th 2007

Yes, the Revolution Will Be Televised,
But on the Wall of Shell Oil HQ

A large crowd braved the cold evening weather to attend the first Irish screening of the documentary on the trial of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight - "Don't Let Shell Kill Again" , which was appropriately projected onto the outside wall of the Shell headquarters building at 52 Lower Leeson Street in Dublin, on the 12th anniversary of the executions.

Sister Majella McCarron, in what will probably be her last public appearance, made a short speech to provide a context for the film, remembering Saro-Wiwa and the others who were executed at the behest of Shell, after a series of events which shocked the world in 1995.

Sister Majella gave us an insight into the situation in Ogoniland today, and Senator David Norris read an excerpt from Saro-Wiwa's speech at his sentencing hearing in Port Harcourt, when he and his co-defendants heard that the special military tribunal had decreed that they were to be hanged.

The annual Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Seminar was also held at UCC in Cork on November 10th, and Saro-Wiwa was remembered as well on Friday morning in Mayo, where an attempt to hold a peaceful march to the proposed Shell refinery site at Bellanaboy was marred by the police efforts to force construction traffic along the road.

The large force of police (including Special Branch) who surrounded those who attended the screening in Dublin reminded many people of attempts to intimidate opponents of Shell in other parts of the world, and their refusal to close a lane of traffic to allow people to pass the commemoration in safety showed that they have much in common with their colleagues in Mayo.

After the film screening, a wreath was laid at the front door of the Shell building.

Here is an excerpt from Saro-Wiwa's speech which was read by Senator David Norris during the candle-lit vigil:

"We all stand before history.

I am a man of peace, of ideas.

Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly endowed land, distressed by their political marginalisation and economic strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life and to a decent living, and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated.

I have no doubt at all about the ultimate success of my cause, no matter the trials and tribulations which I and those who believe with me may encounter on our journey. No imprisonment nor death can stop our ultimate victory. "

To watch the short film click these clicks : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZhy_VaYisU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNaY4xBiQp8

Film projected on to wall of Shell HQ

Large force of Gardai surround commemoration

Sr Majella McCarron

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Comments (12 of 12)

excellent

by lulu

Mon Nov 12, 2007 19:57

A very well-attended (especially by Gardai! but they might learn somethin), superbly organised event. Congrats to all.

Beir bua

by Maura Harrington - S2S; Davitt League

Mon Nov 12, 2007 20:47

This post is a difficult one on many levels - first, sincere thanks to the organisers, Sr. Majella and Senator Norris.

There is, as I have said on many occasions, a deep empathy between the people of Erris and the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta.

Neither Shell subversion of a supine State government nor that government's abuse of its regulatory, police, judicial or other roles is going to get a petrochemical complex installed in Ballinaboy.

Shell is still, 12 years on, persona non grata in the Delta; Shell in Erris, through greed and speed showed their fangs before they had secured their toehold. They will not succeed now.

The 21st century must be non fossil-fuel based before its end - Erris will not be used as a commodity of last repository for the dregs of a half-dead dinosaur.

In memory of Saro-Wiwa and his comrades.

Very Nice.

by Niall

Mon Nov 12, 2007 21:11

Well done all.

Video of speeches on youtube.ie

by TMcG

Tue Nov 13, 2007 17:35

Click on this link http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=BEty-i2gDjc
or copy and paste it into your browser's address bar

video of film projected onto Shell HQ

Tue Nov 13, 2007 20:56

copy or past into your browser's address bar if clicking the link doesn't work:

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=9hZv7pr1nns

Good

by W. Finnerty.

Wed Nov 14, 2007 09:02

To me, this all helps to expose the despots and the plutocrats, and their democratically elected dictatorships, for what they REALLY are.

We, the citizens of the Republic of Ireland, need more of this - as much as we can get (in my view).

solidarity with Ogoni and Mayo people

by Chrissie

Wed Nov 14, 2007 09:08

Brilliant work all; best wishes to Sr Majella, as she'll be hugely missed.

Thanks

by MikW

Wed Nov 14, 2007 14:09

Went along Sat evening to remember Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eighth.
Thanks to the organizers for giving us the oppportunity to do so.
Pity there seemed to be as many garda as people there
Sad that the state wasted so much of our money paying so much garda overtime to 'protect' the shell hq from a peaceful vigil in memory of a murdered hero, cash which could be put to much better uses's

Court Report

Wed Nov 14, 2007 16:29

The purpose of the commemoration was to remind people of Shell's appalling record of using State apparatus to enforce their will on people around the world, something they do with terrifying effect in Nigeria, and something they are attempting to do here in Ireland.

Shell's method is to spread corruption, pollution, and if necessary murder, to further their profits. The presence of such a large force of police at a commemoration hopefully brought that home to those present and others who will hear about the event (including people in Dublin communities crying out for a bigger garda presence).

In the latest news from Rossport, a local man has been given a six month (suspended) sentence plus a fine, for allegedly assaulting a Garda on election day, and others who took part in peaceful obstruction of the highway in July have been given Community Service Orders.

Maith sibh

by Lara Hill

Wed Nov 14, 2007 19:31

Well done to Shell to Sea for organising this event. The film and speeches were short, but poignant. The tone of the vigil was appropriately sombre and reflective. I'll never forget my disbelief on hearing of the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 8 and it was good to have the opportunity to mark the event in some way. Maith sibh

Strange postscript- Shell encourage publicity group to project positive propaganda on London HQ

by Shell spinner

Wed Nov 28, 2007 13:17

ETC London in Video First for Shell Centre
http://news.etnow.com/etnews.nsf/0/26ac482caf5bc9048025...ument

ETC London became the first company to project video onto the 351 ft high Shell Centre on London's South Bank in an event marking the reopening of the Science Museum's fabulous Launchpad gallery - which is sponsored by Shell UK Limited.
The eye-catching large format projection was a combination of video and PIGI projection, with live sessions of - 'Launchball' – a hugely popular multi-level online game available from the Science Museum’s website. This was played on a PC set up in the projection area and projected into a giant 40 metre by 30 metre mask on the building. The mask was created by the PIGI projectors, and the game – via video projection - was beamed into this space. The PIGI projectors were also used to create a series of scrolling texts with information about the Launchpad gallery.
ETC's London office was approached directly by Shell to design and engineer this high-impact visual event for the occasion, drawing on ETC's extensive experience working on the landmark building. ETC's project manager Paul Highfield comments: "Obviously it was a great coup to be the first to project video onto the Shell Centre Tower - and I'm sure it will open up many future possibilities. It was also good to be working with the Shell team again on a new and very different project."

Relevance to Ken Saro-Wiwa?

Wed Nov 28, 2007 16:14

Having posed the question, the only answer I can offer is that people are hanged from a height.

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Ken Saro-Wiwa commemoration in Dublin

Comments (12 of 12)