Emma Dabiri on TV and Radio

Emma Dabiri is a popular presenter for academic and historical programmes such as Britain’s Lost Masterpieces (2016-) on BBC 4, Back in Time for Brixton (2016) and the Back in Time confectioners series for BBC 2, Is Love Racist (2017) for Channel 4, and can often be seen making social history films for BBC’s The One Show and Newsnight, as well as for Jeremy Vine and across YouTube. Her channel 4 documentary Hair Power: Me and My Afro released in 2020 went on to win a Cannes Lion Silver award in the entertainment category.

She is also a popular voice on the radio, hosting BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Review and Front Row. She has also authored a landmark documentary for the channel called Journeys in Afrofuturism: the Combination of Philosophy and Black Culture, as well as EXPOSED: Young Female Photographers, which explores the work of three emerging photographers.

Emma Dabiri Writing & Culture

Emma has written several successful books. Her first book Don’t Touch My Hair was published in 2020 and was an Irish Times bestseller. It inspired a national conversation about race and hair and has led to changing regulations in schools and in the British army. She followed this up with What White People Can do Next: From Allyship to Coalition (2021) which was an immediate Sunday Times bestseller. It is a clever deconstruction of the mainstream conversation around anti-racism. This is not a ‘how to’ guide, rather it is a collection of essays that urge us to root our understanding of race in the multiple and complex histories of class, capitalism and colonialism.

Emma was on the judging panel for the Merky Books New Writers’ Prize 2020-2021 founded by singer Stormzy, which aims to discover unpublished, under-represented writers aged 16-30 from the UK and Ireland. She is also a trustee of Hugh Lane Gallery, a member of the Wellcome Trust Anti Racism Expert Group and a member of the British Council’s New Arts and Creative Economy Advisory Group.

Emma frequently writes articles for publications including The Guardian, The Irish Times, The Dublin Inquirer and Vice. She has written about topics surrounding race such as racism in schools, exclusion due to her hair type, what being mixed race means and whether BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) is an acceptable term. Her publications have also been seen in USA Today, Salon, British Vogue, Parade and Ms. Magazine. 

During the first UK lockdown in 2020, Emma founded Disobedient Bodies, a virtual space and book club that celebrates and encourages disobedience. She interviewed women like the Booker Prize nominee Kiley Reid and American Irish dance sensation Morgan Bullock.

Emma Dabiri Academic Work

Emma’s academic work crosses African Studies, art, sociology, history, film, literature, theatre, popular culture and music. She is a teaching fellow in the Africa department at SOAS and a Visual Sociology PhD researcher at Goldsmiths.

Emma Dabiri Speaking Topics

– Arts and Culture
– Beauty and Fashion
– Diversity and Inclusivity
– History
– Literature
– Popular Culture
– Social Media
– Empowering Women
– Race and Racism

Emma is a seasoned public speaker and has been invited to present her work at a wide range of cultural institutions from Tate Britain to the British Museum, to Oxford University, St Andrews and Yale. Emma gives regular talks and takes part on panels at festivals and arts venues, DJs and hosts a range of live events.

Below, she talks to fellow Great British Speaker Krishnan Guru-Murthy about the language of identity, the history of race and why she now loves her hair.

Emma Dabiri Speaker & Host

When speaking or hosting events, Emma explores similar topics to her writing and academic studies, educating audiences about racial discrimination, inspiring, enlightening and empowering her audience. She is available for after-dinner and keynote speeches, Q&A, festivals, panels and event hosting, and is comfortable at in-person occasions or virtual.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Inspirational author, presenter and speaker Emma Dabiri for your corporate event.

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