Emma Dabiri is an Irish-Nigerian academic, broadcaster and bestselling author. She has written two highly acclaimed books and fronted numerous documentaries, including Hair Power (2020) for Channel 4, which won the Cannes Silver Lion award for entertainment.
She co-presents Britain’s Lost Masterpieces on BBC 4 and has made appearances on Newsnight and Have I Got News for You, as well as hosting BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Review and Front Row. Dabiri is currently working on another book and writing a one-woman play called Throwing Shapes, which will open in Dublin this October, followed by a run at London’s Soho Theatre in January 2024. @emmadabiri
Bob Marley’s Survival was such a foundational album when I was growing up. When I was little, my parents took me to a signing he did. The album cover is all of the flags of the newly independent African countries and on the poster he wrote: ‘To Emma One Love Jah Guide. Bob Marley’ The righteous sense of justice that informs Rastafarianism had a profound effect on me.
What's everyone reading?
Musically, I’m having a real Irish-trad moment right now! I’m listening to a band called The Dubliners, whose heyday was the 1960s, as well as other Irish folk bands.
The book that influenced me the most is Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. I was probably 19 when I first read it. The writing seemed magical – it infused the everyday with a sense of otherworldliness.
I watched a lot of 1960s African arthouse films for my BA. There’s a Senegalese film-maker called Ousmane Sembène. One of his films that had a significant impact on me is called Camp de Thiaroye. Another film that I love, because it’s so ethereally beautiful, is Kwaidan. It’s a Japanese horror anthology from the 1960s based on a book by an Irish man, who moved to Japan in the late 1800s and collected 8all these folk tales.
I’m currently watching The White Lotus and Atlanta – that’s my favourite show!
I spend far too much time starting multiple books. Getting overwhelmed by the volume of what I’m reading seems to be my current malaise. I need to get better at reading one book and finishing it.
I’ve been a trustee of the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, where I’m from, since 2021. It has an incredible collection and the educational programmes are really valuable to the city; it’s an important institution.
My favourite bar is a tiny place in Margate called Stingray that has the best cocktails. It’s really cute and has great atmosphere.
The best exhibition I’ve seen was Strange Days – Memories of the Future at 180 The Strand in 2018. I went so many times I think people were starting to think I was unhinged!
My favourite place is probably Dublin, for nostalgic reasons, then in terms of beauty, Donegal. It rains daily, but in the summer you get a few hours a day of glorious sunshine and the place is just like a fairy tale.
