Samenua Sesher speaks to the multi-talented author and broadcaster Ferdinand Dennis.

Ferdinand has written three novels - Sleepless Summer (1989), The Last Blues Dance (1996) and Duppy Conqueror (1998) - and two non-fiction books - Behind the Frontlines: Journey into Afro-Britain (1988) and Back to Africa: A Journey (1992). All deal with themes of African, British and Afro-British culture. His non-fiction works were accompanied by radio documentary series on BBC Radio 4. Ferdinand was a fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and taught both in Nigeria and at Middlesex University London. 

Ferdinand Dennis was nominated by Gary Younge: author, broadcaster, journalist and sociology professor at the University of Manchester. Gary writes: ‘Ferdinand is an elegant writer, both in fiction and non-fiction, who deftly weaves the tales of the diaspora into his work. He has been doing this from a time when terms like "institutional racism" were rarely uttered, let alone understood, and "British" was assumed to be synonymous with "white". It is the endurance of writers of that generation, who persisted with great literary skill and often with insufficient recognition or support, which made it possible for others to come after them, even as they built on the legacy of those who came before.’

This episode is presented by Samenua Sesher and produced by Stella Sabin. It is a production for the Museum of Colour www.museumofcolour.org.uk

The music in this series is by Soweto Kinch.

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