Christopher Clark

Journalist, Filmmaker and Author

Hailing from a sleepy village in rural Devon, United Kingdom, I moved to Cape Town, South Africa in 2011 with a view to forging a career as a freelance journalist covering the African continent.

I first established myself as a travel writer, roaming around southern Africa as well as Kenya and Tanzania, writing feature articles and guidebooks for the likes of CNN Travel, Fodor's Travel, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides.

Since 2015, I've shifted my primary focus to reporting on power, inequality and social change, with a particular interest in long-form features. Recent topics have included an attempted murder at a prestigious British boarding school, extreme wildfires in the Mediterranean, the rise of a far-right French media empire, and the tainted legacy of oil exploration in northern Kenya.

I've reported from 16 different African countries for outlets such as Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Harper’s, NPR, Reuters, Vice, and The Washington Post.

I have written, produced and co-directed two 25-minute documentaries for Al Jazeera’s ‘Witness’ series. My solo directorial debut, ‘The Race’, was released in early 2019 as part of a BBC Africa series on African masculinity. I’ve also made short films for Mongabay, TRAFFIC and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

My first book, Clare: The Killing of a Gentle Activist, a “compelling” and “deeply moving” work of narrative non-fiction, was published by Tafelberg in May 2022.

Nowadays, I am based in the south of France. Since returning to Europe, I have written features for The Dial, Earth Island Journal, Financial Times Magazine, Hidden Compass, Monocle and Nieman Reports.

I also do occasional work as a communications consultant for NGOs and UN agencies.