July 11, 2023

SIR BEN OKRI: the power of art at a time of crisis

41 minutes

The poet and writer Sir Ben Okri was born in Nigeria and spent some of his childhood in London, before moving with his family to Lagos, on the eve of the Nigerian Civil War. This experience had a defining impact on Ben, who has said that he is “crammed full” of the painful things that he witnessed.

In 1978, Ben returned to London to study but he really came to write. By 21 he had published his first novel and, at the age of 32, The Famished Road won the Booker Prize.

Ben's latest publication is Tiger Work - a collection of poetry, short stories and essays about the climate crisis. He writes with urgency about our "suicidal relationship with the earth’" and believes that we must imagine the end of things, so that we can imagine how we will come through this existential crisis. But he remains an optimist, who believes in the power of art and storytelling to activate our hearts. And that, when our backs are against the wall, human beings can accomplish extraordinary things.

SIR BEN OKRI: the power of art at a time of crisis

41 minutes

In 1978, Ben returned to London to study but he really came to write. By 21 he had published his first novel and, at the age of 32, The Famished Road won the Booker Prize.