Richard Dowden
Encyclopedia
Richard Dowden is a British journalist who has specialised in African issues. Since 1975, he has worked for several British media and for the past eight years he has been the Executive Director of the Royal African Society. Richard Dowden is author of the book, “Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles” (Portobello Books, 2008), with foreword from the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe
. He lives and works in London.
, until the end of 1972 when he left the country because of Idi Amin
´s dictatorship. In Dowden words, in December 1972, “Amin declared all whites in our area to be spies who had uniforms and guns hidden in their houses. It was time to go”.
On his return to Great Britain, he worked for the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, mainly in Northern Ireland, and turned to journalism in 1975, being made Editor of The Catholic Herald
in 1976. After joining The Times
foreign desk in 1980, he began to travel to Africa and the Middle East until 1986, when he was appointed Africa Editor at the newly-established The Independent
. In 1995, Dowden became Diplomatic Editor of The Independent then moved to The Economist
as Africa Editor. He has visited and written about almost every country in Subsaharian Africa. Among his latest articles and documentaries, there are the following:
, the top-ranked Africanist Journal underlines, the book could be considered in between academic and popular text, allowing the reader to get interested in the subject even if they are non-African experts. As Chinua Achebe explains on his foreword:
, the Journal of the Royal African Society, and together with Alex de Waal
, coordinates African Arguments, a series of short books and a blog about Africa today. Dowden has also promoted the creation, in 2007, of the Africa Asia Centre, a joint initiative of the Royal African Society and SOAS in order to develop interdisciplinary research and other activities that could facilitate a better understanding of the current relationship between the two continents. Lastly, through the website of the Royal African Society, Richard Dowden presents his regular Africa Blog with comments on contemporary African affairs.
Chinua Achebe
Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...
. He lives and works in London.
Journalistic Work
Richard Dowden first went to Africa as a teacher in 1971. He worked as a volunteer teacher in a rural part of UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, until the end of 1972 when he left the country because of Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
´s dictatorship. In Dowden words, in December 1972, “Amin declared all whites in our area to be spies who had uniforms and guns hidden in their houses. It was time to go”.
On his return to Great Britain, he worked for the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, mainly in Northern Ireland, and turned to journalism in 1975, being made Editor of The Catholic Herald
The Catholic Herald
The Catholic Herald is a London-based Roman Catholic newspaper, published in broadsheet format and retailing at £1.50 ....
in 1976. After joining The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
foreign desk in 1980, he began to travel to Africa and the Middle East until 1986, when he was appointed Africa Editor at the newly-established The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. In 1995, Dowden became Diplomatic Editor of The Independent then moved to The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
as Africa Editor. He has visited and written about almost every country in Subsaharian Africa. Among his latest articles and documentaries, there are the following:
- Chinua Achebe: A hero returns- (18/02/2009) BBC World Service
- Jacob Zuma – a question of competence, not conscience – (23/04/2009) The Sunday Times
- Britain should cease its one-sided support of Rwanda – (15/12/2008) The Independent
- Mugabe's power ploy - Zimbabwe's president is using talks with Morgan Tsvangirai to buy time while he prepares for war – (26/07/2008) The Guardian
- Condescension and ignorance are no help to Kenya - The West's patronising response to the recent events in Kenya betrays our lack of respect to a sophisticated continent – (06/06/2008) The Observer
Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles
Published in 2008 by Portobello Books, the first book from Richard Dowden overviews African contemporary history from an autobiographical point of view, on a journey through the geography of the most troubled continent. “On a more personal level, this is the story of Dowden's love for the continent”. As African AffairsAfrican Affairs
African Affairs is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by Oxford University Press on behalf of the London-based Royal African Society. The journal covers any Africa-related topic: political, social, economic, environmental and historical...
, the top-ranked Africanist Journal underlines, the book could be considered in between academic and popular text, allowing the reader to get interested in the subject even if they are non-African experts. As Chinua Achebe explains on his foreword:
“Africa is a vast continent, a continent of people, […]. In Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles, it is clear that Richard Dowden understands this, and one could not ask for a more qualified author to explore Africa's complexity”
Royal African Society Executive Director
Since 2002, Richard Dowden holds the position of Executive Director at the Royal African Society, an Association founded in 1901 to promote the relations between African and Great Britain. Dowden is part of the Editorial Board of African AffairsAfrican Affairs
African Affairs is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by Oxford University Press on behalf of the London-based Royal African Society. The journal covers any Africa-related topic: political, social, economic, environmental and historical...
, the Journal of the Royal African Society, and together with Alex de Waal
Alex de Waal
Alexander William Lowndes de Waal is a British writer and researcher on African issues. He was a fellow of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative at Harvard University, as well as program director at the Social Science Research Council on AIDS in New York City...
, coordinates African Arguments, a series of short books and a blog about Africa today. Dowden has also promoted the creation, in 2007, of the Africa Asia Centre, a joint initiative of the Royal African Society and SOAS in order to develop interdisciplinary research and other activities that could facilitate a better understanding of the current relationship between the two continents. Lastly, through the website of the Royal African Society, Richard Dowden presents his regular Africa Blog with comments on contemporary African affairs.
External Links
- Richard Dowden official website - www.richarddowden.info
- Royal African Society - www.royalafricansociety.org
- Africa Asia Centre - www.africaasiacentre.org
- African Arguments - www.africanarguments.org
- Portobello Books - www.portobellobooks.com