31 min listen
Poet Lemn Sissay on growing up in the care system, racism and finding his Ethiopian family
Poet Lemn Sissay on growing up in the care system, racism and finding his Ethiopian family
ratings:
Length:
32 minutes
Released:
Sep 15, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
At 14, Lemn Sissay inked his initials into his hand with a homemade tattoo. He didn’t write LS, but NG, for Norman Greenwood, which he thought was his name. Except that it wasn’t. His real identity had been withheld from him since he was born. Born in Wigan to an Ethiopian mother, Lemn Sissay was raised in care; first in a foster family and then, from the age of 12 to 18, in a string of children's homes, including the notorious Wood End assessment centre, where he was physically, emotionally and racially abused. Despite going on to become an award-winning and internationally acclaimed poet, the trauma of his harrowing childhood never left him, and has informed much of his work on and off the page. Today on Ways to Change the World, he talks to Krishnan Guru-Murthy about growing up in the care system, finding his identity as a British and Ethiopian man, and why the care system in the UK is failing children in need. Produced by Silvia Maresca
Released:
Sep 15, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (99)
Vanessa Nakate on the climate crisis, online abuse and racism in the media: Vanessa Nakate is a Ugandan climate activist who has quickly become a prominent and formidable voice in the climate change movement. She recently published her book ‘A Bigger Picture: My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate... by Ways to Change the World with Krishnan Guru-Murthy