The University of Manchester has appointed award-winning poet, playwright, and performer Inua Ellams as an Honorary Research Fellow, signaling a bold intersection of creative research, public engagement, and also cultural reckoning.
Best known for works that traverse identity, diaspora, and displacement, Ellams steps into the role with a powerful new project: Stained Metal, an ambitious artistic inquiry into the legacy of the British Empire. The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), Creative Manchester, Manchester Museum, and Fuel Theatre have teamed up to launch the project on May 28, 2025, as part of the Solstice and Equinox public lecture series and Manchester Museum Lates.
At the heart of Stained Metal lies a singular act of symbolism. In 2023, Ellams received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). Rather than accept the honor without question, he has chosen to send the medal to four countries deeply entangled in Britain’s colonial history: Kenya, India, Canada, and Jamaica.The organisers will commission artists in each of these countries to respond creatively and critically to the medal and a personal letter penned by Ellams. Their work will reflect on the complex intersections of memory, power, and cultural inheritance.
“This project allows me to think aloud across borders,” Ellams says. “As an artist, immigrant, and migrant worker, I’m constantly navigating the spaces I occupy and the stories I carry. Stained Metal is a way of aligning those questions, and I hope it leads us to a deeper understanding of the histories we share—and the futures we’re building.”
The May 2025 launch event will also feature an inaugural lecture by Ellams, a public reading of his letter to the commissioned artists, and a moderated audience conversation. It will be introduced by Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, and Professor John McAuliffe, Director of Creative Manchester.
“Ellams’s work invites essential conversations about identity, belonging, and cultural responsibility,” said McAuliffe. “We are thrilled to support his vision and engage the broader community in a shared exploration of heritage and ethical storytelling.”
Inua Ellams, born in Nigeria in 1984, is a writer, curator, and cross-disciplinary artist. He is an internationally touring performer, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and graphic designer. His poetry books also include Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars and Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales, and his plays include The 14th Tale and Barber Shop Chronicles. Ellams is currently touring Search Party and An Evening With An Immigrant.
Based in London, he curates events like Midnight Run and The R.A.P Party and blends traditional and modern graphic design. He advises Lit In Colour, is an ambassador for several arts organizations, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Literature. In 2023, he received an MBE for Services to the Arts as well as an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Arts, London.
