# Esther Armah
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{{Short description|English playwright, radio host, political journalist}}
{{Infobox person
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| name = Esther Armah
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| birth_place = [London, England](/source/London%2C_England)
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| occupation = {{Plainlist|
* [Playwright](/source/Playwright)
* [Radio host](/source/Radio_host)
* Political [commentator](/source/pundit_(expert))
}}
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| parents = {{Plainlist|
* [Kwesi Armah](/source/Kwesi_Armah)
* Esther Yaa Agyemang Armah
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'''Esther Armah''' is a British-born [playwright](/source/playwright), [radio host](/source/radio_host) and political [commentator](/source/pundit_(expert)) living in [Brooklyn, New York](/source/Brooklyn%2C_New_York).[{{cite web | url=http://redefiningblackpower.com/?p=59 |title=Contributors: Esther Armah |work=Redefining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America | access-date=13 July 2012}}] She currently hosts ''The Spin'', a talk show, for the African-American Public Radio Consortium.[[http://aaprc.org/?p=56 THE SPIN – ALL WOMEN MEDIA PANEL]]
== Biography ==
Armah was born in [London, England](/source/London%2C_England), to [Kwesi Armah](/source/Kwesi_Armah), a [Ghana](/source/Ghana)ian politician and ambassador to the United Kingdom, and his wife, Esther Yaa Agyemang Armah. She was raised in both England and her homeland. She was in Ghana during the [1966 Ghana military coup](/source/History_of_Ghana) while her father was on a diplomatic mission to [Vietnam](/source/Vietnam_War). She and the rest of her family were attacked by soldiers soon after the coup began, and her mother was nearly murdered.[{{cite web | url=http://www.tnj.com/departments/final-word/emotional-justice | title=Emotional Justice | work=The Network Journal | date=April 2012 | access-date=12 July 2012 | author=Armah, Esther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626015615/http://www.tnj.com/departments/final-word/emotional-justice | archive-date=26 June 2012 | url-status=dead }}] They spent two years under [house arrest](/source/house_arrest) before being allowed to return to England.{{sfn|Armah|2006|p=6}}
In London, Armah hosted the current affairs radio program ''Talking Africa'' before becoming a researcher and reporter for [BBC Radio](/source/BBC_Radio) and [BBC World Service](/source/BBC_World_Service). She was a contributor to ''[Crossing Continents](/source/Crossing_Continents)'' and ''Law in Action''. She was also a presenter for the BBC television series ''Black Britain'' and ''[Panorama](/source/Panorama_(TV_series))''.[{{cite web | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/2892783.stm | title=Esther Armah | publisher=BBC News|work=Crossing Continents | date=9 April 2003 | access-date=13 July 2012}}] At ''Panorama'', she produced a program investigating the [death of Damilola Taylor](/source/death_of_Damilola_Taylor).{{sfn|Armah|2006|p=55}}
In [New York City](/source/New_York_City), she hosted [WBAI](/source/WBAI)'s morning [drive time](/source/drive_time) program, ''[Wakeup Call](/source/Wakeup_Call)'' Mondays through Thursdays until August 2013.[{{cite web | url=http://www.wbai.org/program.php?program=39 | title=Wakeup Call | publisher=WBAI.org | date=26 January 2012 | access-date=11 December 2013}}][{{cite web | url=http://thevillager.com/2013/08/22/wbai-cuts-local-programs-slashes-news-department// | title=WBAI cuts local programs, slashes news department |author=Paul DeRienzo| work=The Villager | date=28 August 2013 | access-date=11 December 2013}}] Previously she hosted that station's program ''Connections''. She is also an occasional guest on the [MSNBC](/source/MSNBC) weekend shows ''[Up with Chris Hayes](/source/Up_with_Chris_Hayes)'' and ''[Melissa Harris-Perry](/source/Melissa_Harris-Perry_(TV_program))''.[{{cite web | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/esther-armah/ | title=About Esther Armah | publisher=huffingtonpost.com | access-date=29 July 2012}}][{{cite web | url=http://mhpshow.msnbc.com/_news/2012/03/25/10852272-good-look-tv-on-the-radio | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129093422/http://mhpshow.msnbc.com/_news/2012/03/25/10852272-good-look-tv-on-the-radio | url-status=dead | archive-date=29 January 2013 | title=Good Look: TV, on the radio | publisher=msnbc.com | work=Melissa Harris-Perry blog | date=25 March 2012 | access-date=29 July 2012 | author=Smith, Jamil }}]
Armah has written an autobiography, ''Can I Be Me?'' (2006), as well as three plays: ''Forgive Me?'', ''Entitled!'' and ''Saviour?''. She has also written pieces for ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'' and for ''[Essence](/source/Essence_(magazine))'' magazine. Armah's works and radio programs explore issues of [social justice](/source/social_justice), [race](/source/Race_(human_classification)) and [gender](/source/gender), especially regarding the [African diaspora](/source/African_diaspora) in England and the United States.