Barnaby Phillips
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Barnaby Phillips (born 1968) is an historian and conservationist. He is Senior Communications Adviser for the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI), working to shut down the ivory trade and save Africa's elephants. Previously, he worked as a television and radio correspondent. He was a Senior Correspondent for
Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; , ) is a 24-hour English-language News broadcasting, news channel operating under Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is ...
, the 24-hour international television news channel based in
Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...
in
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
, and owned by the Qatar-based
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...
network. He was based in the Greek capital of
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, and later moved to Al Jazeera's main European base in London. He was formerly with the BBC for 15 years and from 2001 was its Southern Africa Correspondent. He has extensive experience in several continents, and reported on major news stories from 1991-2018. His first book, ''Another Man's War'', was published in September 2014. His second book, ''Loot; Britain and the Benin Bronzes'' was published in 2021. It tells the story of the Benin Empire (located in modern-day Nigeria), how its treasures were looted in 1897 by the British military, what happened to them next, and examines the current debate about restitution. 'Loot' was shortlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Crown Award. The judges described it as 'a balanced and expertly-written history of how the world-famous Benin bronzes were stolen and their fate, which dives deep into the moral and ethical dilemmas of museums and collectors today.'


Early life

Phillips spent much of his early childhood in
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
in
East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
, and later lived in Switzerland.


Education

Phillips was educated at
Bedales School Bedales School is a coeducational boarding and day public school, in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by Amy Garrett Badley and John Haden Badley in reaction to the li ...
, a boarding
independent school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
in the village of Steep, near the
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
of
Petersfield Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own Petersfield railway station, railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rai ...
in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
in
Southern England Southern England, also known as the South of England or the South, is a sub-national part of England. Officially, it is made up of the southern, south-western and part of the eastern parts of England, consisting of the statistical regions of ...
, between the years 1981-1986, followed by the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, where he studied Modern History, and at the
School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
, from which he obtained a master's degree in African Politics and Economics.


Life and career

Phillips has worked extensively in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
,
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
, Asia and Europe and has covered major stories such as the AIDS epidemic, the humanitarian crisis in
Darfur Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...
, the war in
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
and the 2002 Southern African food crises, the war in Iraq, the South Asian tsunami, the Greek debt crisis and the Brexit referendum. Phillips joined the BBC's African service in 1991, remaining until 1993. He then became the BBC's stringer in
Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
, where he learned Portuguese. In 1997 he was based in Angola for most of the year. In 1998, he became the BBC's Nigeria Correspondent, based in
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, and in 2001 was appointed Southern Africa Correspondent. Whilst at the BBC, he worked extensively in the Middle East, West Africa and Asia, and has covered major stories such as the AIDS epidemic, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the wars in Liberia and Iraq, the 2002 Southern African food crises, and the South Asian tsunami. He joined Al-Jazeera in 2006 and became one of its Europe Correspondents, based in Athens. He has also reported from the Balkans and from regions outside Europe, such as the Turkish/Iraq border, and on the general elections in the United States (2008) and India (2009). He moved to London in December 2010, after Al Jazeera closed its Athens bureau, to continue reporting on European news stories. In 2011, Phillips directed and presented the documentary "Burma Boy", for Al Jazeera's Correspondent series. The documentary, tracing the extraordinary life of a Nigerian veteran of a Burma campaign, Isaac Fadoyebo, won a CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2012. His book ''Another Man's War'', published in 2014, tells the same story, and also examines the legacy of British rule in Nigeria and Burma. It tells the dramatic story of the survival of Isaac Fadoyebo, a Nigerian soldier who was part of the forgotten African army that fought in Burma for the British in the Second World War. ''Another Man's War'' was described by ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' as a "profoundly moving" book that "ranks alongside such classics of wartime literature as The Great Escape and Darkness Be My Friend". ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'' said it was "an extraordinary story, very well told". NPR in the United States described it as "riveting" and chose it as "one of the Best Books of 2014"'. ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' said it was "impressive....a gripping military history which brings African witnesses to the dying days of the British Empire out of the shadows".'' Another Man's War'' came out in paperback in June 2015. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' described it as a 'lucid, exquisitely detailed' book. Most recently, Phillips reported from the Central African Republic and Ukraine. He also played a prominent role in the reporting of the January 2015 Paris attacks, and of the Greek debt crisis. In 2016, Phillips was appointed Al Jazeera's UK Correspondent, and led the coverage of the June 2016 Brexit referendum. He left Al Jazeera in 2018, to take up the post of Director of Communications with the Elephant Protection Initiative. Phillips' second book, ''Loot- Britain and the Benin Bronzes'' was published in 2021, and was widely reviewed. ''
Prospect Magazine ''Prospect'' is a monthly British general-interest magazine, specialising in politics, economics and current affairs. Topics covered include British and other European, as well as US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, th ...
'' listed it as one of its 'Best Books of the Year'. ''
The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' said it was 'gripping...a must read'. ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' said it 'adds new and much-needed context to the story of the Edo empire and its bloody finale'. ''
The Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...
'' said this 'compelling book is full of African voices...balanced, sternly critical of the Brits when that is appropriate, but at the same time humane, reasonable, and ultimately optimistic.' ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' said it was 'a balanced reconstruction of the Benin saga and probes the difficult choices facing European – and Nigerian – museums….Phillips excels at tracing the roundabout ways in which objects could find their way into museums.' ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' said it was 'perfect timing for this valuable guide to a complex narrative', ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'' described it as a 'gripping work of live history...It is the handling of this seeping undertone of racism that makes this book so valuable, a primer for the debate on colonial guilt and echoing white supremacy.' In the United States, ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' said 'Mr. Phillips has written a humane and thoughtful book, devoid of the sort of posturing that mars the debate over the repatriation of objects brought to the West during the colonial era.'


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Barnaby Al Jazeera people Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of SOAS University of London English male journalists English television journalists English television presenters Living people People educated at Bedales School 1968 births