UC Berkeley's Center for African Studies presents...
"THE POLITICS OF BONES:
DR. OWENS WIWA and the STRUGGLE FOR NIGERIA'S OIL"
- panel discussion with the author of the book, J. Timothy Hunt
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
4p.m. to 6p.m.
150 University Hall, UC Berkeley Campus
This gripping story of a people's battle against a corrupt government and a powerful oil company, as well as the current situation of oil in Nigeria, will be discussed by a panel of experts including the book's author…
- J. Timothy Hunt
(Biographer and Journalist, recipient of multiple National Magazine awards and the Canada Council Creative Writing Grant)
- Professor Michael Watts
(UC Berkeley, Geography)
- Anna Zalik
(Ciriacy Wanthrup Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Berkeley, Geography)
The newly released paperback version, published by McClelland & Stewart, will be available for purchase at the event.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
On November 10, 1995, Nigeria's military dictatorship executed nine environmental activists. Among them was Ken Saro-Wiwa, the charismatic spokesman of the Ogoni people, whose land in the fertile Niger River delta has been grotesquely polluted by the Royal Dutch Shell Corporation. During Ken's incarceration, his brother, Dr. Owens Wiwa, fought valiantly to save his life. When his quest failed, Owens narrowly escaped Nigeria with his life, first to London, and then to Toronto. His story is a heart-stopping saga of personal courage and official corruption, of individual selflessness and corporate greed.
Co-sponsored by UC Berkeley's Center for Human Rights
For more information, contact the Center for African Studies at 510.642.8338 or via email at