They are met once again
To beat drums of confusion
Tattooes of mediocrity
They are met once again
The new cow to lead
To the cyclic slaughterhouse
Where the blood of the last
Yet stinks to skies
Awash with the stench
Of decay and corruption.
So they come and go
Bad dreams, phantoms
In the morning mist
Meteors of a dark sky
Offal at the desecrated shrine
Still they come and go
We welcome them from rooftops
Raucous at each approach
And departure, praise-singing now
Cursing loudly later
Impious votaries of an alien sect
At whom damnation shrieks with wild delight.
Ken Saro-Wiwa
Ken Saro-Wiwa (full name: Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa) was a Nigerian writer, television producer and activist, born in October 10th 1941 in Bori near Port Harcourt in Nigeria. Saro-Wiwa spoke against the country's military regime and Royal Dutch/Shell for the destruction of the environment of the Ogoni people, in his hometown of Rivers state. He was executed on November 10th 1995 in Port Harcourt after being tried by a special military tribunal for allegedly orchestrating the murder of Ogoni chiefs in a pro-government meeting. Subsequently, he was hanged by the military dictator of Nigeria, General Sani Abacha. This act of injustice aroused international outrage and led to Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for more than three years.
