Kwame Kwei-Armah

Kwame Kwei-Armah is a celebrated British actor, playwright and director both in the UK and overseas. He recently served as Artistic Director of the World festival of black arts and culture in Senegal and has just been appointed Artistic Director of Centerstage Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. Watch his short film below.

In this short film, Kwame talks about a television series he presented for Channel 4 in 2009 where he re-created the Queen’s 1953/54 tour of the Commonwealth.Kwame discovered that many people across the Commonwealth still thought that the makeup of British society was much like it was in the 1950s as opposed to the diverse, modern nation it is today. As a black Briton Kwame was able to personally vouch for the UK’s multiculturalism.

Kwame also discusses how proud he is of the progress Britain has made in reducing inequality in society. He thinks Britain today is a tolerant country, comfortable in its own skin, where tradition and modernity can co-exist.

Kwame Kwei-Armah was born in London as Ian Roberts. He changed his name in his early twenties after tracing his family history (through the slave trade) to his ancestral roots in Ghana. His parents were born in Grenada, then a British colony, and moved to the UK in the 1960s.

Kwame first found fame as an actor in the popular BBC hospital drama ‘Casualty.’ He became the first Black Briton to stage a play in London’s West End when his award winning piece ‘Elmina’s Kitchen transferred to the Garrick Theatre in 2005.’

He has received many awards including Evening Standard Charles Wintor Award for most promising playwright and a 100 Black Men of Britain Public Figure Award. He has also been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award and a BAFTA.

Kwame is a member of the board of the National Theatre and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Open University in 2008 and University of East London in 2009. He is currently Chancellor of the University of the Arts in London.