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PETALS OF LIGHT PROJECT - Living Memorial Project for Saro Wiwa.

I am a Nigerian artist and poet whose works for the past 30 years is fully dedicated to the struggle in Africa. The political, social and economic injustices imposed on powerless, helpless classless majority in Africa. These silent oppressive groups predominates my artistic visions. My present works still engage in this urge towards liberation of African minds despite years of physical independence.

The Ogoni struggle is part of this continuous struggle of under-class to gain respect. Justice, dignity under the yoke of, Aggressive Internal ruling class and the global landlords {i.e. Shell, and other multinational companies}.

I personally knew late Ken Saro-Wiwa and I strongly believe in his mission as an artist and freedom fighter for the oppressed, under -privileged disadvantage people of Ogoni Nigeria and his commitment to Africa's journey of total liberation. His sacrifice and that of eight Ogoni leaders and the innocent people killed or maimed in the struggle is an inspiration and challenge to African suffering, silent majority, who are passenger in their own countries. Their death is petals of light and hope for the struggle confronting Africa today and in the future.

The light is shinning but it is not yet bright, the petals of light are raining, but not yet touching the soil of Ogoni’s. The struggle is the beginning of the path but not end of the Path. This project interest me because of what the commission represent, a celebration of the strength, endurance, dedication and sacrifice of a society in the face of oppression not only for people of Ogoni, but as a symbol of hope for oppressive people of Africa and the world.

THE LIVING SCULPTURE
The image is a huge hand holding a pen, and the pen carrying petals of painted metal pods bell, copper rings and leaves. At the base of this hands are other eight small hands resting on the base but surrounding the huge hands- This symbol of Saro Wiwa and the eight Ogoni leaders.

The huge hand will rotate clockwise, water will ooze out of the eight hands {water symbol for oil and watery environment of Ogoni and Niger Delta} and the metal pods and the leaves will echo sounds as the huge hand rotate. The major hand and the eight hands will be cast in coloured reflective glass, with light of red, blue, yellow and white bouncing on it as it rotate, the rotation will be programmed to time set. Symbol of hope to the future of Ogoni land.

Projected pegs created around the waist of the huge hand for erection of thought from the public. {Public participation- writing on plastic slate to be dropped in the water or hanged around the waist of the huge hand.} The sound created by the bells and rings and leaves are the voice of the second world, the voice of poetic sound- Symbol of Saro-Wiwa’s writing {The pen is a polished bronze, symbol of living, alive. As compared with the horizontal pen lying in the water {the resting pen}.

The base is of two areas, one internal circular shapes surrounded by outer tube ring surrounding the internal ring, water will eject from the external tube oozing to the internal shape and water from internal ring will flow into the outer ring via four channels, a fallen pen lies horizontally on the floor of the base, {A symbol of sleeping pen}, run into the internal ring following a path to the outer ring. This continuous flow of water symbolising oil.

There will be four carving seats in hard timber a round the central moving sculpture, two of this seats will carry relief faces and to be painted in colours reflecting the multi-cultural society of London, the fourth seat will carry the emblem of Shell, BP, and Nigeria flag as Nigerian Government owned 51% of Shell-BP in Nigeria. And other oil company involved in Nigeria. The fourth carrying some quotation by Saro Wiwa etched into copper and screwed on to the sit. This also will be painted.

The surrounding of the base will be tiled to the sit position. During the education aspect of the project I will show the film on Ogoni, and children in London will be encouraged to develop poetic imagery inspired by the film and I intend to travel to schools and community in Ogoniland for similar exercise, the collections will be on paper and later cut out in plastic. Holes will be made, and pegs created around the wrist of the main hand sculpture. These shapes will be stored near sculpture seats, and public can write poem or thought with non-permanent thick felt pen, while they sit to meditate, and placed into the flowing water or hanged on the wrist of the hand or the wheel surrounding the huge hand. The is intended when the hand is moving {the struggle to hang on the hand illustrates the continuous struggle of Ogoni people... The eight hands are open hands into the sky. The ink on plastic slate will discolour the water. This is a collective symbol for pollution, changing of environment. Continuous struggling, the floor of base to be tiled with portrait of Saro-Wiwa, the eight leaders, faces of Ogoni victims. The environment, photos of damaged properties. And tiles on four angles with 1995 printed on it. {Symbolising Ogoni’s scattered to different part of Africa and the world]

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Emmanuel Taiwo Jegede

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Click on image below for a larger picture. Photo by Dave Lewis