Ekow Eshun: We Need To Value Difference, Not Fear It
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24 minutes ago
C&TH meets Ekow Eshun ahead of his talk at Chelsea Arts Festival
British writer, journalist, broadcaster and curator Ekow Eshun will delve into his new anthology Black Earth Rising at Chelsea Arts Festival later this month (secure your tickets here), which draws together the work of 100 leading African diasporic artists. Here he discusses the crime that changed his life and turning curiosity into a career.
The Rurbanist: Ekow Eshun
What’s bringing you joy at the moment?
Trying to meet the sometimes excessive demands for attention and affection from our cat. It is both amusing and exasperating dealing with a creature with such an exquisite sense of entitlement.
What’s annoying you most right now?
Bigotry and intolerance dressed up as arguments for free speech.
Advice you’d give to your 15-year-old self?
The things that make you different now will become your strengths later.
What could you have been arrested for?
I once stole a book from the library when I was 16. It was a set of essays on cultural theory that opened me up to a world of thinking I’d never encountered before and has been hugely influential for me ever since. It was a crime that changed my life.
Best life hack you can share with us?
If you’re feeling lost, read James Baldwin. He won’t give you easy answers, but he’ll help you find better questions.
A moment that changed everything?
I met my wife, Jenny, randomly at a party 20 years ago. No friends in common or previous points of connection. I felt something in me light up when we started talking. And every day since then has been definitively better with her in it. Apologies if that sounds horribly sentimental.
Where do you go to escape?
Into my head.
What’s the best way to put a smile on your face?
Being on top of a mountain or under the sea. I’m not a crazy adventure sports person or anything, but going snowboarding or diving and looking out across a mountain range or exploring some underwater realm brings with it a sense of beauty and expansiveness that makes me profoundly happy.
What does sustainability mean to you?
It goes beyond the environment – it’s about sustaining culture, memory, community. Ensuring that what matters most endures beyond us.
How can we save the world?
By valuing difference rather than fearing it. By listening more than speaking. And by imagining futures bigger than the ones we’ve inherited.
Your greatest failure?
Too many to count. I’m not sure I’ve done anything I haven’t subsequently looked back on with embarrassment or at least a desire to start over.
Your greatest triumph?
Turning curiosity into a career. Carving out a life where I get to work with ideas, images and stories that matter to me. Who knew being a nerd could pay off?
Your epitaph would read…
I was a bit stuck on this and turned to AI for help. An epitaph for Ekow Eshun, as suggested by ChatGPT, reads: ‘He tried to illuminate the dark places.’
What does a life in balance mean to you?
One where intellect, empathy and creativity sit at the same table.
Quick Fire Favourites
SCENT: Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon’s
BOX SET: The Underground Railroad
CHOCOLATE: Tony’s Chocolonely dark milk chocolate pretzel toffee bar
SONG: ‘Sometimes It Snows In April’ by Prince
DISH: Aubergine with black garlic by Ottolenghi
GADGET: Sony WH-1000XM6 noise-cancelling headphones
RESTAURANT: Casa Fofò in Hackney
HOLIDAY: Hydra, Greece
Black Earth Rising: Ekow Eshun Interviewed By Katy Wickremesinghe
Ekow Eshun will be interviewed by Katy Wickremesinghe at Saatchi Gallery (Duke of York’s Square, King’s Rd, London SW3 4RY) on 20 September, as part of the inaugural Chelsea Arts Festival. Tickets are £12.50pp. Find out more at chelseaartsfestival.com
