Ekow Eshun (born 27 May 1968) is a British writer,

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, broadcaster, and curator. He is the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the quarterly magazine ''

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

'', a former editor of ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...

'' magazine, and the former director of the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA ...

. He is Chair of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group and Creative Director of Calvert 22 Foundation.

Biography

Ekow Eshun was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the younger brother of writer Kodwo Eshun. His family are Fante from

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

. His father, whom he calls "Joe", was a supporter of

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. ...

and was working at the Ghanaian High Commission when Nkrumah was overthrown in a military–police coup in February 1966. He continued to support Nkrumah, visited him in

Conakry, Guinea Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...

, where he was in exile and in September 1967 took the risk of returning to

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mau ...

, where he was arrested in

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

and returned to Ghana, where he spent two years in prison. Although three years (1971–74) of Eshun's childhood were spent in Accra, for the most part, he was brought up in London, He attended

Kingsbury High School Kingsbury High School is a large two-site high school with academy status in Kingsbury, London, England. Kingsbury County Grammar School was established on 15 September 1925 as Kingsbury County School. Prior to the establishment of the school ...

in North West London, later reading history and politics at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

.BBC profile.
/ref> During his time there, he edited both Features and Arts for the student newspaper '' The Beaver''. He was the director of the

from 2005 to 2010 during a period of turmoil for the organisation, leaving before the end of his six-month notice period. He has occasionally appeared as a critic on '' Saturday Review'' on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

and formerly on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

's ''

The Review Show ''The Review Show'' was a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which ran, under several titles, from 1994 to 2014. The programme featured a panel of guests who reviewed developments in the world of the arts and culture. History ' ...

''. He appeared in 2009 in the television advertisements for

Aviva Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It has about 18 million customers across its core markets of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. In the United Kingdom, Aviva is the largest general ...

(formerly Norwich Union). He has also often appeared on

More4 More4 is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel launched on 10 October 2005. Its programming mainly focuses on lifestyle and documentaries, as well as foreign dramas. Content When ...

's topical talk show '' The Last Word''. In 2019, he was the captain of the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

team on Christmas University Challenge. In October 2021 he wrote and presented ''White Mischief'', a three part documentary on BBC Radio 4 on the history of whiteness. Eshun's memoir, ''Black Gold of the Sun: Searching for Home in England and Africa'', published in 2005, deals with a return trip to Ghana, Ghanaian history, and matters of identity and race. Reviewing the book for the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...

'', Margaret Busby said: "His rich memoir, which comes fittingly adorned with a golden jacket designed by

Chris Ofili Christopher Ofili, (born 10 October 1968) is a British Turner Prize-winning painter who is best known for his paintings incorporating elephant dung. He was one of the Young British Artists. Since 2005, Ofili has been living and working in Tri ...

, attempts to answer the question: 'Where are you from?' Eshun’s search for home and identity is sometimes achingly poignant, a story of semi-detachment, of fragmentation and duality, which must have been cathartic to write. 'There is no singularity to truth' is its refrain."Margaret Busby
"Homing instinct"
''New Statesman'', 30 May 2005. ''Black Gold of the Sun'' was nominated for an Orwell Prize in 2006.

References

External links

Ekow Eshun website: unavailable 26 Nov. 2021
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eshun, Ekow 1968 births Alumni of the London School of Economics Black British television personalities Black British writers English people of Ghanaian descent Living people Writers from London British male journalists 21st-century English male writers