In her writings, Taiye Selasi explores our relationship to our multiple identities.

Why you should listen

A writer and photographer of Nigerian and Ghanaian descent, born in London and raised in Boston, now living in Rome and Berlin, who has studied Latin and music, Taiye Selasi is herself a study in the modern meaning of identity. In 2005 she published the much-discussed (and controversial) essay "Bye-Bye, Babar (Or: What Is an Afropolitan?)," offering an alternative vision of African identity for a transnational generation. Prompted by writer Toni Morrison, the following year she published the short story "The Sex Lives of African Girls" in the literary magazine Granta.

Her first novel Ghana Must Go, published in 2013, is a tale of family drama and reconciliation, following six characters and spanning generations, continents, genders and classes.

Taiye Selasi’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Taiye Selasi

Live from TEDGlobal

The ebb and flow between nations: A recap of session 3 at TEDGlobal 2014

October 8, 2014

Session 3 of TEDGlobal 2014 took a look at things thatmove across borders, from identity to violence, from money to music. Below, a recap of these moving talks. Filmmaker José Padilha, director of Elite Squad and the remake of RoboCop, talks about a new project about Friendship Bridge, which connects Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. A hotspot for violence, this slim arch […]

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Live from TEDGlobal

Our passports don’t define us: Taiye Selasi live at TEDGlobal 2014

October 8, 2014

“How can I come from a nation? How can a human being come from a concept?” With these questions the majestic Taiye Selasi, author of Ghana Must Go, closes talks for Day 1 of TEDGlobal 2014. Having just come back from a tour, Selasi is irked and perplexed by the consistently inconsistent way she was […]

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Live from TED

Crossing Borders: A sneak peek of session 3 at TEDGlobal 2014

October 7, 2014

It’s tempting to want to study one phenomenon in isolation. But crime, power, money—even identity—exist in the overlap. In this session, we look at how things flow, in ripples both expected and surprising. The speakers in this session: José Padilha delves into interlocking layers of street crime and institutional power with his unflinching action and […]

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