Jennifer Hirsch

Afua Hirsch is a British writer and broadcaster born in 1981. She has a background in journalism, having worked for The Guardian and as the Social Affairs and Education Editor for Sky News. Hirsch's work often explores themes of race, identity, and belonging, particularly within the British context. Her first book, "Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging" (2018), became a Sunday Times bestseller and earned her a Jerwood Award. She has also authored "Decolonising My Body: A Radical Exploration of Rituals and Beauty" (2023), which delves into how societal influences and personal identity shape one's physical self. Hirsch has presented several television documentaries, including "The Battle for Britain's Heroes," "Enslaved," and "Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch," examining historical narratives and contemporary African culture. She holds a professorial chair in Journalism and Communication at the University of Southern California and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2024. Her mixed heritage, with a British father and a Ghanaian mother, and her family history, including a Jewish grandfather who fled Berlin, inform her perspective.

Born in Stavanger, Norway, in 1981, Afua Hirsch was raised in Wimbledon, London. Her father is British, and her mother is Ghanaian. Her family history includes a paternal grandfather who was Jewish and fled Berlin in 1938, and a maternal grandfather who played a role in Ghana's post-independence education system before becoming a political exile. Hirsch received her education at Wimbledon High School before pursuing Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at St Peter's College, Oxford. Following her undergraduate studies, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Law and qualified as a barrister in 2006.

Hirsch began her journalism career as a legal correspondent for The Guardian. She also served as The Guardian's West Africa correspondent, based in Accra, Ghana, and lived in Senegal. From 2014 to 2017, she held the position of Social Affairs and Education Editor at Sky News. Her writing has appeared in various publications, including The Observer, The Evening Standard, Vogue, and Prospect. Hirsch has also been a panellist on Sky News's "The Pledge" and presented numerous television documentaries, such as "The Battle for Britain's Heroes," "Enslaved," "African Renaissance: When Art Meets Power," and "Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch."

Afua Hirsch is the author of the critically acclaimed book "Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging" (2018), which explores black history, culture, and politics within British, Senegalese, and Ghanaian contexts, becoming a Sunday Times bestseller. While writing this book, she received a Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize for Non-Fiction. Her 2023 publication, "Decolonising My Body: A Radical Exploration of Rituals and Beauty," examines the impact of identity and societal influences on the physical self. Hirsch also contributed to the anthology "New Daughters of Africa" (2019).

In addition to her writing and broadcasting, Hirsch holds the Wallis Annenberg Chair in Journalism and Communication at the University of Southern California. She served as a judge for the 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction. Hirsch has been recognized for her influence, appearing on the Powerlist of most influential Britons of African/African-Caribbean heritage and cited by New African magazine as one of the top 100 most influential Africans. In 2024, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.