“I would like to see at the end of the day, young poets rising up with new songs, being bold about what they feel, using poetry to fight for change, to demand change.” — Nnimmo Bassey

For decades, oil companies exploited the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, poisoning the land and water, leaving homes uninhabitable, and killing the plants and fish the Ogoni people rely on for their livelihood.

And for decades, poet and activist Nnimmo Bassey has fought back, following in the footsteps of his friend and mentor, Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed in 1995. At 70, Bassey knows it is time for a new generation to take up the fight. Now, he is mentoring a group of young poets and hip-hop artists — helping them to both express themselves and turn their poetry into acts of resistance.

In HOPE IS A WORD, we follow Nnimmo as he meets villagers whose land is contaminated with oil, travels overseas to protest oil company actions, and as he works — closely and intimately — with his young protegés.

For Nnimo, poetry is “a tumult” and not a tranquil reflection of emotion. As they grow into their own voices, we see his students reflect that same sense of urgency in their work — telling their own stories through their poems, and using their poetry as a tool for healing, and a weapon for change.

Select Accolades

• World Premiere, Sheffield DocFest 2026
  
• Durban International Film Festival 2026
  
• Visioni dal Mondo 2026