Inua Ellams (Manchester Museum)

Inua Ellams was commissioned by Manchester Literature Festival and Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester to write a new series of poems responding to a Tusk from Benin in Manchester’s Museum’s collection. The Tusk was part of the loot taken by British soldiers during the bloody 1897 punitive expedition during which Oba Ovonramwen was exiled and Benin City was destroyed. Inua performed his Commission in the Living Worlds Gallery at Manchester Museum on Friday 15 November 2019.

Inua Ellams was born in Nigeria in 1984. He is a cross disciplinary artist, a poet, playwright, screenwriter and graphic artist. His poetry collections include Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars, #Afterhours and The Actual. His plays include Barber Shop Chronicles, Three Sisters and The Half-God of Rainfall. He lives and works from London, where founded and curates the Midnight Run, The R.A.P Party and other live events. He is an ambassador for The Ministry of Stories and The London Library and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.