Ken Wiwa never intended to follow in his father’s footsteps. But history ended up interfering with his plans.

Wiwa’s father, renowned Nigerian author and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, was the founder of a political movement that protested the exploitation of the Ogoni people and their land by the government and the oil industry. When Saro-Wiwa was arrested on trumped-up murder charges in 1994, his son launched a crusade for justice.

His efforts could not prevent Saro-Wiwa’s execution the following year. But the experience changed his life. Today, he carries on his father’s fight for human rights, while pursuing his own career as a writer in Toronto.

Ken Wiwa is one of the February guests on VisionTV’s original signature series Credo, a weekly half-hour program that challenges prominent people to open up about their moral, ethical and spiritual beliefs. The interview airs in honour of Black History Month, along with encore presentations of episodes featuring broadcaster Rita Deverell and Canadian Olympian Donovan Bailey.

Credo airs on Tuesday evenings at 10 p.m. ET. The series is created by VisionTV’s Gemini Award-winning production team.

Featured Guests in February on Credo:

Feb. 3 – Ken Wiwa
Ken Wiwa bears the burden of being a martyr’s son. Born in Nigeria (as Kenule Bornale Tsaro-Wiwa) and schooled in England, the younger Wiwa led the battle to save his activist father from the gallows. Today, he is recognized as an author and human rights activist in his own right. Wiwa’s acclaimed memoir, In the Shadow of a Saint, explored his efforts to come to terms with his father’s legacy, and was the basis for a much-praised television documentary. He has also contributed to publications both in the U.K. and Canada, and writes a column for The Globe and Mail in Toronto, the city he currently calls home. In addition, Wiwa continues to speak around the world on behalf of the Ogoni.

Feb. 10 – Rita Deverell (Encore Presentation)
She is a television pioneer. Born in Houston, Texas, Rita Deverell joined the CBC in 1974, and soon earned a reputation for spotlighting people and issues traditionally ignored by the mainstream news media. She went on to the University of Regina, where she was the first woman of colour ever to head a Canadian journalism school, and in 1988 became one of the founders of VisionTV. There, she spearheaded the creation of award-winning human affairs programs such as It’s About Time and Skylight. Named to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2002, Deverell continues to break new ground as Director of News and Current Affairs for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

Feb. 17 – Donovan Bailey (Encore Presentation)
Olympian Donovan Bailey is one of the greatest athletes this country has ever produced. Born in Jamaica, Bailey emigrated to Canada at the age of 13, and began his track and field career in 1994. Two years later, he made Canadian sporting history, setting a world record in the 100-metre sprint at the Olympic Games. Brash, outspoken and fiercely devoted to his family, Bailey believes that “someone up there” is looking out for him.

Feb. 24 – Bob Hunter
In his lifetime, author and ecologist Bob Hunter has risked death in a campaign against commercial whaling, battled prostate cancer, vied unsuccessfully for political office and bashed out scripts for The Beachcombers. A native of St. Boniface, Man., Hunter co-founded Greenpeace and was a driving force behind the creation of the Society for Pollution and Environmental Control. He has also written nearly a dozen books, and contributed articles to magazines and newspapers across the country. Now the environmental reporter for Toronto’s Citytv, Hunter remains as committed as ever to eco-activism. His latest book, 2030: Confronting Thermageddon in Our Lifetime, warns that we face environmental catastrophe within the next three decades. Still, he believes that hope remains – if we commit ourselves today to protecting this fragile island earth.

VisionTV proudly celebrates 15 years as Canada’s multi-faith television network.