I’ll put more women in charge of Nigeria, ban anyone above 65 years old if I were president —Noo, Saro-Wiwa’s daughter

Noo Saro-Wiwa is the daughter of the late Niger Delta human-rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. As a travel writer and journalist, she has travelled to about sixty countries and won awards for her travel stories. Her book, ‘Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria’, won the Albatros Travel Literature Prize. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she speaks about her book and travel experiences, about Ogoniland and the Niger Delta, and about what she would do if she were the president of Nigeria.

COULD you briefly tell us something about yourself? 

I am a travel writer and journalist. I was born in Port Harcourt, but I’m now based in the UK. I have a twin sister. I am passionate about photography, I support Liverpool FC, I play netball and I eat fried plantain for breakfast every day when I’m in Nigeria.

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In what ways did your father, the Late Ken Saro-Wiwa, influence you to be a writer?

I never grew up thinking I would be a writer just because he was a writer. But my father was a role model in adventurousness and pursuing one’s own path without fear of failure. Those values helped me choose to become a writer and follow through with my plans. A lot of people want to write books but never actually do it.

You came back to Nigeria from England years after your father’s death. What necessitated the homecoming? 

I returned to Nigeria twice: in 2000 for my father’s official funeral, and then in 2005 for his genuine funeral when we received his remains. Having travelled to other countries in Africa, I became curious about Nigeria. I thought visiting the country as a tourist would help me get over the bad memories of his death and explore Nigeria in the way I had explored other countries on the continent.

Your first book ‘Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria’ won the Albatros Travel Literature Prize. What motivated you to write the book? 

I wanted to be a travel writer since I attended journalism school in New York in 2001. I had written travel guidebooks in various countries in Africa before writing a book about my travels around South Africa (for which I declined a publishing deal for various reasons). However, the experience of writing the South Africa book whet my appetite to travel in Nigeria at a time when I was emotionally ready to explore the country.

How many places in Nigeria did you visit while writing the book? How long did it take you to finish it? 

I visited so many places I can’t count. The main places were Abuja, Kano and Nguru in the north; Maiduguri and Sukur in the northeast; Port Harcourt, Ndoni, Benin and Calabar and Cross River in the south; Lagos, Osogbo Sacred Grove and Ibadan in the west; Lokoja and Jos in the centre. The trip lasted almost five months, and it took me about two years to write the book as I had a full-time job at the time.

Of all the places you travelled to in the course of writing this travelogue, which gave you the most joy? And, which one saddened you most? 

I enjoyed Calabar the most. The city was cleaner and more organised than the others, the views of the Cross River were gorgeous, and the food—their fish—was fabulous. Nearly all the other destinations saddened me in one way or another because they were neglected or had so much untapped potential. For example, the Esie soapstones in Illorin (Kwara State)—such beautiful sculptures, yet they were housed in a tiny building that received very few visitors at the time (2008). The Afi Drill Ranch in Cross River made me happy and sad: joy that there are people trying to protect our gorillas and chimpanzees, but sadness that those people are Americans, not Nigerians. I wish our wealthy elites would spend their money on preserving our natural and cultural heritage. It is shameful that they don’t. They may go on their fancy shopping trips in New York and Paris and London, but what they don’t realise is that the world is laughing at them because of the poor state of their home country.

Condé Nast Traveller Magazine named you as one of the “30 most influential female travellers” in 2018. How many countries have you travelled to? Which one fascinated you the most?

I have travelled to around 60 countries. Each one is fascinating in its own way. South Africa, Croatia and Guinea were the most physically beautiful. China is incredible—so modern yet so backward, with stunning landscapes and ancient history. Lebanon has amazing historical monuments and fabulous food. Madagascar is the most unique in terms of wildlife. Nigeria and Brazil have the best culture. South Africa, again, for fascinating social politics.

You have won many literary prizes and scholarships, including the Miles Morland Scholarship for Nonfiction Writing in 2015. Did any book(s) emerge from the scholarship? 

I am still writing my book about Africans in China. I plan on finishing it this year.

In your travelogue, you hinted that your Nigerian ethnic minority status had grown almost as strong as your England racial identity. How do you cope with this profiling? 

My identity hasn’t affected me in overt ways. That is because prejudice is often subtle, especially in the UK. But there’s very much a sense of being an outsider in both countries. In Nigeria, the Yorubas, the Hausas and the Igbos dominate most aspects of life and favour their own in politics, business and even in the arts sometimes. There is a sense that you have to climb a higher mountain than others—that’s what my parents often said. But it’s a challenge we were encouraged to face. I enjoy being an outsider. It puts me at an advantage by giving me a unique and less partisan perspective on life. It has forced me to raise my game and hone my skills.

Some part of your work seems to suggest you have towed your father’s line of activism. What is it he did you would like to do differently? 

My father’s activism occurred at a different time. I am not an activist in the way he was. I prefer to put my thoughts in writing. Nigerian politics is a viper’s pit, and the last 20 years have shown how hard it is to get politicians to do the right thing, even under a ‘democracy’. My ambitions are simpler than my father’s. One day, I hope to re-plant large trees that have disappeared from the Niger Delta. I also hope to build a solar-powered school in Ogoniland or Port Harcourt—education is everything. But even these simple aims won’t be easy to achieve.

Do you think literature is an antidote to dictatorship and corruption? 

It definitely helps. Any art form that speaks people’s mind and provides an outlet for their frustrations is a welcome thing. The cruel irony is that as corruption persists, poverty rises and education declines, the population is less inclined or able to buy books. However, social media has been quite effective in changing politics and governance to some degree. The fact that people can now record videos on their phones has made politicians and the police more self-conscious. But their corruption still continues because they are utterly shameless.

Do you believe the circumstances that led to the execution of your father in 1995 by the military dictator, Sani Abacha, are still prevalent in Ogoniland today? 

Of course. Pollution is still an issue. Poverty and lack of education and healthcare and jobs are a growing problem. Poverty makes people susceptible to bribery, which then creates divisions that can be exploited by negative forces.

If you were the president of Nigeria, what is the unique thing you would do to better the lots of Ogoni people and Nigerians at large? 

I couldn’t name just one unique policy. But I would clean up the oil spills in the Niger Delta, provide constant electricity so that the economy can flourish (Nigerians are very entrepreneurial when enabled by good infrastructure). I would punish corruption severely, put more women in charge and ban anyone above the age of 65 from politics unless they have proven intellect and integrity. It seems ageist, I know. But I’m alarmed at how stuck in their ways some of the older generation can be. Youth doesn’t guarantee integrity, of course. But I still have more faith in the younger generation.

What advice do you have for young people, especially the female ones, who are aspiring to be like you? 

If you want to be a writer, the best way to learn is to read as many books as possible. If you can’t afford to buy them, then try reading books online. Google has a number of expired copyright classics you can read for free. Travel doesn’t have to involve flying to a different country, either. Simply visiting a nearby town or another part of Nigeria can provide new experiences worth writing about, especially if you’re doing NYSC or visiting distant relatives.