Dan Eldon
Encyclopedia
Daniel Robert Eldon was an English
photojournalist. He and three colleagues were killed by an angry mob in Mogadishu
. He left behind a series of journals, which his family has exhibited on a worldwide tour.
, Kenya
with their parents, Kathy and Mike Eldon. The couple later divorced; Mike Eldon is now married a Kenyan woman, Evelyn Mungai Eldon.
In Kenya, Dan Eldon attended a British school, but soon convinced his parents to transfer him to the International School of Kenya
.
In 1982, an attempted coup in Kenya put Eldon and his family in the midst of political upheaval. Eldon witnessed firsthand the events surrounding the coup and was around to experience its aftermath. Eldon joined his mother, a journalist in Kenya at the time, as she was assigned to stories in the local area. Soon Eldon was taking pictures, which were used in the local newspapers.
At fourteen, Eldon started a fund-raising campaign for open-heart surgery to save the life of Atieno, a young Kenyan girl. Together with his sister and friends, he raised $5,000 but, due to the hospital's neglect, Atieno died.
At around fifteen, Eldon helped support a Maasai
family by buying their handmade jewelry, later selling it to fellow students and friends. It was during this time he started to create journals filled with collages, photographs, and drawings. He often used satire and cartoons as commentary. He kept the journals as personal statements, which he shared with only a few people.
In 1988, he graduated from the International School of Kenya, winning the International Relations and Community Service awards. Voted most outstanding student, he addressed his class, emphasizing the importance of crossing cultural barriers and caring for others.
In the autumn of 1988, Eldon began his “year off” before college. He called it a “year on”; for him, it felt more challenging than college. He left Kenya for a job at Madamoiselle
magazine in New York.
In January Eldon enrolled in Pasadena
Community College, California. That summer, he and a friend researched a journey that would lead Eldon and a group of young people from Nairobi to Malawi
, driving a Land Rover across five countries. They found that staying in local jails was the safest solution to security problems, and often spent the night locked up in cells to the amusement of the prison guards.
With the information he had obtained on his trip, Eldon, who had transferred to UCLA (University of California
, Los Angeles
), set up a charity named Student Transport Aid. This attracted the interest of local TV television stations and newspapers. With the help of fifteen friends, he raised $25,000 for a venture to a refugee camp in Malawi. The friends, representing six countries, met in Nairobi and traveled thousands of miles in three vehicles. There, they donated one of their vehicles to the Save the Children Fund, as well as money for three wells, and blankets for a children’s hospital.
Eldon returned to UCLA in the autumn of 1990 and began to plan another venture, which necessitated a move to London in January. He attended Richmond College
, meanwhile, and purchased another Land Rover for a trip to Morocco
that summer. He aimed to buy bracelets and belts to sell in America for Student Transport Aid. He was attacked by Moroccan thieves and delayed by Land Rover malfunctions. He spent a fitful summer in Marrakesh, before arriving home in time to ship $5,000 worth of goods to America, which he sold on the beaches of Southern California.
In 1991, he returned to UCLA for one semester, all the time planning his next trip, which was to be across the Sahara. Early in 1992, he moved to Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to attend classes at Cornell College
.
. As the most junior person on the production crew, he was often awake at 5:00 a.m., and was usually the last in bed.
During the summer of 1992, the famine in Somalia
raged. Eldon flew to the Kenyan refugee camps. The international news agency, Reuters
, spotted his work, and he was soon working for the company, shooting the increasingly desperate situation. He followed the story closely and was present at the U.S. Marine landing, where a barrage of international photographers and journalists were waiting for the American soldiers as they left their landing craft in Mogadishu.
Eldon stayed in Mogadishu through the spring. During this time, Eldon's pictures were featured in newspapers and magazines around the world. On 12 June 1993, his photo made a double-page spread in Newsweek
magazine, as well as the covers of newspapers everywhere. Meanwhile, Pakistani peace keepers died, making the conflict an international incident, the violence and horror of which was very hard on Eldon. He was nicknamed Warsame, Mayor of Mogadishu by Mogadishans
for his friendliness.
raid to arrest Clan Leader Aidid at a house he was believed to have been occupying; instead, 74 innocent men, women and children, were killed and more than 100 wounded. Survivors of the raid went to the journalists' hotel requesting them to take pictures. In a convoy, under the protection of Somalis
, Eldon and a group of colleagues went to the bombed area. As they began to take photographs, a mob angry at what had happened attacked the journalists. Eldon and his colleagues Hansi Krauss, Anthony Macharia, and Hos Maina were stoned and beaten to death.
will direct the screenplay written by Jan Sardi
. Daniel Radcliffe
of Harry Potter fame is cast as Dan Eldon. Filming will be in Kenya. By 2010 there had been no filming, but Julia Roberts
' company Red Om Films is now intending to start production.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
photojournalist. He and three colleagues were killed by an angry mob in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
. He left behind a series of journals, which his family has exhibited on a worldwide tour.
Early life
Dan Eldon was born in London on 18 September 1970. When he was seven years old, Eldon and his three-year-old sister Amy moved to NairobiNairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
with their parents, Kathy and Mike Eldon. The couple later divorced; Mike Eldon is now married a Kenyan woman, Evelyn Mungai Eldon.
In Kenya, Dan Eldon attended a British school, but soon convinced his parents to transfer him to the International School of Kenya
International School of Kenya
The International School of Kenya , is an international school for pre-kindergarten to grade 12 located on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in 1976 and has a 25 hectare campus. Students can study for a North American High school diploma or the International Baccalaureate Diploma...
.
In 1982, an attempted coup in Kenya put Eldon and his family in the midst of political upheaval. Eldon witnessed firsthand the events surrounding the coup and was around to experience its aftermath. Eldon joined his mother, a journalist in Kenya at the time, as she was assigned to stories in the local area. Soon Eldon was taking pictures, which were used in the local newspapers.
At fourteen, Eldon started a fund-raising campaign for open-heart surgery to save the life of Atieno, a young Kenyan girl. Together with his sister and friends, he raised $5,000 but, due to the hospital's neglect, Atieno died.
At around fifteen, Eldon helped support a Maasai
Maasai
The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa...
family by buying their handmade jewelry, later selling it to fellow students and friends. It was during this time he started to create journals filled with collages, photographs, and drawings. He often used satire and cartoons as commentary. He kept the journals as personal statements, which he shared with only a few people.
In 1988, he graduated from the International School of Kenya, winning the International Relations and Community Service awards. Voted most outstanding student, he addressed his class, emphasizing the importance of crossing cultural barriers and caring for others.
Travel
Throughout his life Eldon traveled extensively, visiting 46 countries. In addition, he studied seven languages in and out of school.In the autumn of 1988, Eldon began his “year off” before college. He called it a “year on”; for him, it felt more challenging than college. He left Kenya for a job at Madamoiselle
Mademoiselle (magazine)
Mademoiselle was an influential women's magazine first published in 1935 by Street and Smith and later acquired by Condé Nast Publications....
magazine in New York.
In January Eldon enrolled in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
Community College, California. That summer, he and a friend researched a journey that would lead Eldon and a group of young people from Nairobi to Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, driving a Land Rover across five countries. They found that staying in local jails was the safest solution to security problems, and often spent the night locked up in cells to the amusement of the prison guards.
With the information he had obtained on his trip, Eldon, who had transferred to UCLA (University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
), set up a charity named Student Transport Aid. This attracted the interest of local TV television stations and newspapers. With the help of fifteen friends, he raised $25,000 for a venture to a refugee camp in Malawi. The friends, representing six countries, met in Nairobi and traveled thousands of miles in three vehicles. There, they donated one of their vehicles to the Save the Children Fund, as well as money for three wells, and blankets for a children’s hospital.
Eldon returned to UCLA in the autumn of 1990 and began to plan another venture, which necessitated a move to London in January. He attended Richmond College
Richmond College
Richmond College is a primary and secondary school in Galle, Sri Lanka. The school was established in 1814 by Christian missionaries. Richmond College is now a well established institution with a reputation as one of the finest schools in Sri Lanka...
, meanwhile, and purchased another Land Rover for a trip to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
that summer. He aimed to buy bracelets and belts to sell in America for Student Transport Aid. He was attacked by Moroccan thieves and delayed by Land Rover malfunctions. He spent a fitful summer in Marrakesh, before arriving home in time to ship $5,000 worth of goods to America, which he sold on the beaches of Southern California.
In 1991, he returned to UCLA for one semester, all the time planning his next trip, which was to be across the Sahara. Early in 1992, he moved to Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to attend classes at Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
.
Film career
In April of that year, Eldon flew to Kenya, where he worked as a third assistant director on a feature film, Lost in AfricaLost in Africa
Lost in Africa is a 1994 film directed by Stewart Raffill. It stars Jennifer McComb and Ashley Hamilton.-Cast:*Jennifer McComb as Elizabeth*Ashley Hamilton as Michael*Mohamed Nangurai as Rabar*Timothy Ackroyd as Charles*J. Jay Saunders as Daryl...
. As the most junior person on the production crew, he was often awake at 5:00 a.m., and was usually the last in bed.
During the summer of 1992, the famine in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
raged. Eldon flew to the Kenyan refugee camps. The international news agency, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, spotted his work, and he was soon working for the company, shooting the increasingly desperate situation. He followed the story closely and was present at the U.S. Marine landing, where a barrage of international photographers and journalists were waiting for the American soldiers as they left their landing craft in Mogadishu.
Eldon stayed in Mogadishu through the spring. During this time, Eldon's pictures were featured in newspapers and magazines around the world. On 12 June 1993, his photo made a double-page spread in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine, as well as the covers of newspapers everywhere. Meanwhile, Pakistani peace keepers died, making the conflict an international incident, the violence and horror of which was very hard on Eldon. He was nicknamed Warsame, Mayor of Mogadishu by Mogadishans
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
for his friendliness.
Death
Despite having “had enough” by June, Eldon stayed to cover events. On 12 July 1993, he, Hos Maina, Anthony Macharia, and Hansi Krauss covered the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
raid to arrest Clan Leader Aidid at a house he was believed to have been occupying; instead, 74 innocent men, women and children, were killed and more than 100 wounded. Survivors of the raid went to the journalists' hotel requesting them to take pictures. In a convoy, under the protection of Somalis
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
, Eldon and a group of colleagues went to the bombed area. As they began to take photographs, a mob angry at what had happened attacked the journalists. Eldon and his colleagues Hansi Krauss, Anthony Macharia, and Hos Maina were stoned and beaten to death.
Film adaptation
It was announced in the New York Times on 28 December 2007, that Eldon will be the focus of a biopic entitled The Journey Is The Destination. Bronwen HughesBronwen Hughes
Bronwen Hughes is a Canadian film director. She was born in Toronto.-Filmography:* The Journey is the Destination * Fairly Legal 2011 * Tangled 2010* Cutthroat 2010* White Collar 2009...
will direct the screenplay written by Jan Sardi
Jan Sardi
Jan Sardi is an Australian screenwriter. In 1997 he was nominated for a Academy Award for Best Writing , for Shine. He has also written and directed Love's Brother, and adapted The Notebook, based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks....
. Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
of Harry Potter fame is cast as Dan Eldon. Filming will be in Kenya. By 2010 there had been no filming, but Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
' company Red Om Films is now intending to start production.