ISBN : 9782296128033
DAVID OLUWALE (1930-1969)
Caryl Phillips
In March 2005, I gave a talk at Leeds Metropolitan University about
the life and death of David Oluwale, a Nigerian immigrant to Leeds.
In 1948, eighteen-year-old David Oluwale stowed away aboard a
cargo ship, and upon arrival in England he was arrested and imprisoned.
After his release from prison in Leeds, he found a place to live,
a job in a factory, and he began to educate himself. However, he soon
found himself the victim of continued police harassment which
resulted in his being repeatedly imprisoned and then eventually
committed to a psychiatric hospital where he underwent electroconvulsive
therapy. Eight years later he was released and he found
himself living on the streets where once again he was continually
harassed by the Leeds city police