David Olusoga

{{Short description|British historian and television presenter (born 1970)}}

{{Infobox writer

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| name = David Olusoga

| honorific_suffix = {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100|OBE}}

| image = david olusoga 2022 1.jpg

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| caption = Olusoga in 2022

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| birth_name = David Adetayo Olusoga

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1970|01}}

| birth_place = Lagos, Nigeria

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| occupation = Historian, writer, broadcaster

| language = English

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| citizenship = British

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| alma_mater = University of Liverpool

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| notableworks = Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016)

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| awards = Hessell-Tiltman Prize

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David Adetayo Olusoga {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born January 1970){{cite web|title=David Adetayo OLUSOGA|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/byBapBKkMhDULziKZR0p8HV4FMI/appointments|website=Companies House|access-date=7 January 2018|archive-date=7 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107175040/https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/byBapBKkMhDULziKZR0p8HV4FMI/appointments|url-status=dead}} is a British-Nigerian historian, writer, broadcaster and BAFTA winning film-maker.{{Cite web |title=David Olusoga |url=https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/david-olusoga/20346 |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=www.panmacmillan.com |language=en}} He is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/david-olusoga-obe/|title=David Olusoga OBE becomes Professor at The University of Manchester|publisher=University of Manchester|language=en|date = 7 January 2019|access-date=15 January 2021}} Olusoga has presented historical documentaries on the BBC and contributed to The One Show and The Guardian.{{cite news|title=David Olusoga|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-olusoga|newspaper=The Guardian}}

Early life and education

David Olusoga was born in 1970 in Lagos, Nigeria,{{Cite news |last=Mohdin |first=Aamna |date=2021-06-07 |title=David Olusoga on race and reality: 'My job is to be a historian. It's not to make people feel good' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/07/david-olusoga-race-reality-historian-black-britishness |access-date=2025-02-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} the second child to a Nigerian father and British mother.{{Cite web |title=BBC Audio {{!}} Desert Island Discs {{!}} David Olusoga, historian and broadcaster |url=https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/m000r314 |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}[https://www.biogs.com/david-olusoga David Olusoga's Biography] at biogs.com. At five years old, Olusoga migrated to the UK with his mother and grew up in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/david-olusoga-wont-shocking-racist-16100644|title=David Olusoga won't let racists define his youth in the North East|last=Meechan|first=Simon|date=9 April 2019|website=nechronicle|access-date=10 April 2019}} He was one of a very few non-white people living on a council estate. By the time he was 14, the National Front had attacked his house on more than one occasion, requiring police protection for him and his family. They were eventually forced to leave as a result of the racism.{{cite journal|last1=Manzoor|first1=Sarfraz|title=David Olusoga is the new face of BBC history – but as a boy he was driven out of his home by racists|journal=Radio Times|date=9 November 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190403023639/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-09/david-olusoga-is-the-new-face-of-bbc-history--but-as-a-boy-he-was-driven-out-of-his-home-by-racists |url= http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-09/david-olusoga-is-the-new-face-of-bbc-history--but-as-a-boy-he-was-driven-out-of-his-home-by-racists |archive-date=3 April 2019|access-date= 31 August 2021}} He later attended the University of Liverpool to study the history of slavery,{{cite web|title=David Olusoga, lecturer at Slavery Remembrance Day 2015|url=https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/david-olusoga-lecturer-slavery-remembrance-day-2015|website=International Slavery Museum|access-date=15 January 2021}} and in 1994, graduated with a BA (Hons) History degree,{{cite web |title=Honorary degree nominations|url=https://alumni.liv.ac.uk/news/stories/title,1125515,en.html |website=University of Liverpool |access-date=15 January 2021 |date=10 March 2019}} followed by a postgraduate course in broadcast journalism at Leeds Trinity University.{{Cite web|url=https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2017/07/20/david-olosuga-tells-graduates-lucky/|title=Honorary, David Olusoga tells graduates to 'be lucky'|date=20 July 2017|website=University of Liverpool|access-date=22 November 2020 |last1=Hurst |first1=Matt }}

Career and recognition

Olusoga began his television career as a researcher on the 1999 BBC series Western Front. He became a producer of history programmes after university, working from 2005 on programmes such as Namibia: Genocide and the Second Reich, The Lost Pictures of Eugene Smith and Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner?.

Subsequently he became a television presenter, beginning in 2014 with The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire, about the Indian, African and Asian troops who fought in the First World War, followed by other documentaries and appearances on BBC One television's The One Show. In 2015, it was announced that he would co-present Civilisations, a sequel to Lord Clark's 1969 television documentary series Civilisation, alongside the historians Mary Beard and Simon Schama. His most recent TV series include Black and British: A Forgotten History, The World's War, A House Through Time and the BAFTA award-winning Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners.{{cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/project/bbc/|title=Britain's forgotten slave-owners: BBC TV broadcast|website= Legacies of British Slavery|publisher= UCL Department of History|access-date=14 May 2023}}{{cite web|access-date=14 May 2023|title=Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners S01 E02 The Price Of Freedom Official|website=YouTube |date=30 August 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgaJyp8ix4M}}

Olusoga has written stand-alone history books, as well as those accompanying his television series. He is the author of the 2016 book Black and British: A Forgotten History, which was awarded both the Longman–History Today Trustees Award 2017 and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2017. His other books include The World’s War, which won First World War Book of the Year in 2015, The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism (2011) which he co-authored with Casper Erichsen, and Civilisations (2018). He contributed to the Oxford Companion to Black British History, and has written for The Guardian, The Observer, New Statesman and BBC History magazine;[https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/profiles/david-olusoga "Profile: David Olusoga"]. London Review Bookshop. Retrieved 15 January 2021, since June 2018 he has been a member of the board of the Scott Trust, which publishes The Guardian.{{cite news|first=Matthew |last=Weaver |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/01/david-olusoga-i-wanted-to-join-protesters-who-tore-down-colston-statue |work=The Guardian |date=1 September 2020 |title=David Olusoga: I wanted to join protestors who tore down Colston statue|access-date= 15 January 2021}}

Olusoga was included in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Powerlist, a ranking of the 100 most influential Black Britons,{{cite news |last1=Hicks |first1=Amber |title=List of 100 most influential black people includes Meghan Markle for first time |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/powerlist-2019-100-most-influential-13459460 |work= Daily Mirror |access-date=20 April 2020 |date=23 October 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Mills |first1=Kelly-Ann |title=Raheem Sterling joins Meghan and Stormzy in top 100 most influential black Brits |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/black-powerlist-2020-raheem-sterling-20721033 |work= Daily Mirror|access-date=20 April 2020 |date=25 October 2019}} and in the 2021 edition he made the Top 10 most influential, ranking eighth.{{cite news|title=Lewis Hamilton named most influential black person in UK |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-54973608 |work=BBC News |access-date=19 January 2021 |date=17 November 2020}}

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to history and to community integration.{{London Gazette |issue=62507 |date=29 December 2018 |page=N13 |supp=y}} He received his medal from King Charles III in February 2023.{{cite news |last1=Sarkari |first1=K. |title=King Charles Awards...David Olusoga OBE |url=https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/king-charles-awards-obe-david-olusoga-harry-and-meghan-netflix-docuseries-prince-william-bonnie-tyler/2a59a1d2-e1bc-432c-b9a0-13148484dc1c |access-date=2 February 2023 |publisher=9honey |date=2 February 2023}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/02/word-empire-made-accepting-obe-difficult-says-david-olusoga |title=Word 'empire' made accepting OBE difficult, says David Olusoga |last=Gayle |first=Damien |date=1 April 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=9 May 2019}}

On appointing him as a professor in 2019, the University of Manchester described him as an expert on military history, empire, race and slavery, and "one of the UK's foremost historians". Olusoga gave his inaugural professorial lecture on "Identity, Britishness and the Windrush" at the University of Manchester in May 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://events.manchester.ac.uk/event/event:k1h0-jv3y310o-71ubdw|title=David Olusoga OBE Inaugural Professorial Lecture: 'Identity, Britishness and the Windrush'|website = Events at the University of Manchester|date=22 May 2019|access-date=4 May 2021}}

In response to the global Black Lives Matter movement with protests after the murder of George Floyd, Olusoga's Black and British: A Forgotten History was re-broadcast,{{cite web |last1=Alex |first1=Susannah |title=BBC to re-air historian David Olusoga's documentary series Black and British: A Forgotten History |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a32799275/bbc-black-and-british-forgotten-history-documentary-black-lives-matter/ |website=Digital Spy |access-date=4 October 2020 |date=8 June 2020}} along with Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners, also fronted by Olusoga.{{Cite web|title=Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b063db18/britains-forgotten-slave-owners|language=en-GB|website=BBC iPlayer|access-date=4 May 2021}}

On 13 November 2020, the BBC announced that it had commissioned Barack Obama Talks To David Olusoga, a special programme in which Barack Obama discusses the first volume of his presidential memoirs, A Promised Land. The programme aired on 19 January 2021.

In January 2021, Olusoga appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r314|work=Desert Island Discs|title=David Olusoga, historian and broadcaster|publisher = BBC Radio 4|date=15 January 2021|access-date = 15 January 2021}}

In December 2021, it was announced that Olusoga had been awarded the President's Medal by the British Academy. Olusoga is the 39th person to receive the medal, which has been awarded since 2010, and recognises services to the humanities and social sciences.{{Cite news|date=2021-12-09|title=Historian David Olusoga awarded President's Medal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/dec/09/historian-david-olusoga-awarded-presidents-medal|first=Aamna |last=Mohdin|access-date=2021-12-09|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en}}

In 2024, Olusoga with his siblings Yinka and Kemi co-created the book Black History for Every Day of the Year, including an entry for each calendar day with details of an event, theme, person or place associated with "Black history" with the aim of integrating it into the mainstream of national history rather than relegating it only to "Black History Month".{{cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/david-olusogas-new-book-joins-the-struggle-to-make-black-history-mainstream-238825#:~:text=His%20latest%20book%2C%20Black%20History,theme%20associated%20with%20black%20history.|title=David Olusoga's new book joins the struggle to make Black history mainstream|website=The Conversation|first=Jennifer|last=Woodley|date=26 September 2024|access-date=27 September 2024}}

Awards and honours

2015: Royal Historical Society Public History Prize for Broadcasting for Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners (BBC History)
2015: World War One Book of the Year at the Paddy Power Political Book Awards for The World's War{{Cite web|url=http://politicalbookawards.com#winners|title=The Paddy Power Political Book Awards|website=Paddy Power Political Book Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206111129/http://politicalbookawards.com/#winners|archive-date=6 February 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=28 July 2017}}
2016: Specialist Factual BAFTA, BAFTA TV Awards for Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/03/30/bafta-tv-awards-2016-nominations-in-full/|title=Bafta TV Awards 2016: the full list of winners|work=The Daily Telegraph|date = 9 May 2016|access-date=15 January 2021|language=en-GB}}
2017: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters, University of Liverpool
2017: Longman–History Today Trustees Award for Black and British{{Cite web|url=http://www.historytoday.com/history-today/longman-history-today-awards-2017-winners|title=Longman-History Today Awards 2017: The Winners {{!}} History Today|website=www.historytoday.com|date= 29 June 2017|access-date=28 July 2017}}
2017: PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for Black and British{{cite web|url=https://www.englishpen.org/prizes/david-olusoga-wins-pen-hessell-tiltman-prize-2017-for-black-and-british/|title=David Olusoga wins PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2017 for Black and British|author=Sharp, Robert|date=10 July 2017|work=English PEN|access-date=10 November 2017|archive-date=30 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330052339/https://www.englishpen.org/prizes/david-olusoga-wins-pen-hessell-tiltman-prize-2017-for-black-and-british/|url-status=dead}}
2018: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters, University of Leeds{{Cite web|date=11 July 2018|title=Honorary graduates: David Adetayo Olusoga|url=https://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/130509/honorary_graduates/649/david_adetayo_olusoga|access-date=15 January 2021|website=University of Leeds|archive-date=6 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206070844/https://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/130509/honorary_graduates/649/david_adetayo_olusoga|url-status=dead}}
2019: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to history and to community integration
2019: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, University of Leicester{{Cite web|date=25 January 2019|title=TV broadcaster receives top honour from University of Leicester|url=https://le.ac.uk/news/2019/january/25-david-olusoga-obe-receives-honorary-degree|access-date=28 December 2020|website=University of Leicester}}
2021: President's Medal, British Academy, for services to humanities and social sciences

Filmography

The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire (2014)
Fighting for King and Empire: Britain's Caribbean Heroes (2015)
The One Show (various episodes)
Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners (2015)
Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016)
Timewatch: "British Empire – Heroes and Villains" and "Dictators and Despots" (both 2017)
Civilisations (two of nine episodes, "First Contact" and "The Cult of Progress") (2018)
A House Through Time (2018–2024)
The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files (2019)
Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol (2021)
Our NHS: A Hidden History (2021)
The People's Piazza: A History of Covent Garden (2022)
Union with David Olusoga (2023)

Books

The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism (Faber and Faber, 2011); {{ISBN|978-0571231423}} (with Casper W. Erichsen)
The World's War (Head of Zeus, 2015); {{ISBN|978-1781858981}}
Black and British: A Forgotten History (Macmillan, 2016); {{ISBN|978-1447299745}}
Civilisations: First Contact/The Cult of Progress (Profile Books, 2018); {{ISBN|978-1781259979}}
The Black History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (DK, 2021); {{ISBN|978-0744042146}}
Black History for Every Day of the Year (Macmillan, 2024); {{ISBN|978-1529066203}} (with Yinka Olusoga and Kemi Olusoga)

References

External links

Akbar, Arifa. [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/04/david-olusoga-interview-black-history "David Olusoga: ‘There’s a dark side to British history, and we saw a flash of it this summer’"] (interview), The Guardian, 4 November 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
{{IMDb name|id=2287542|name=David Olusoga}}

Category:1970 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century British historians

Category:21st-century British male writers

Category:Academics of the University of Manchester

Category:Alumni of Leeds Trinity University

Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool

Category:BBC television presenters

Category:Black British academics

Category:Black British history

Category:Black British television personalities

Category:Black British writers