Adedoyin Olayiwola “Ade” Adepitan was born in Lagos in 1973 and moved to London aged three. His legs damaged by polio as a baby, he became a wheelchair basketball player and was part of the bronze medal-winning British team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. Around the same time, he started appearing on TV, first as an actor and then as a sports and travel presenter. From 28 August to 8 September, Adepitan will co-host Channel 4’s coverage of the 2024 Paralympic Games; read his view of all the action in Guardian Sport during the Games. He lives in London with his wife, Scottish singer Linda Harrison, and their son.
1. Music
I’ve been blown away by the explosion of Afrobeat music all over the world – I was in a club in Bucharest recently and people were dancing to it. [Nigerian singer] Fireboy DML is poppy but very cool, with lyrics that switch between Yoruba (the language I grew up with) and English. I really like the track Bandana, which they played before my best man speech at my brother’s wedding. It’s happy music. You feel like drinking a Nigerian beer, eating some jollof rice and plantain and just chilling out to it. Good vibes.
2. Place
Vilanculos, Mozambique
A few years ago, I made a documentary series for the BBC telling the story of modern-day Africa. It gave me the opportunity to travel around the continent, and one of my favourite places was this coastal town in Mozambique. We arrived at night after a long drive from Harare. When I woke up and looked out the window it was just paradise – golden sands, blue, blue sea. We went there in search of a dugong, known as the cows of the sea, and I was very lucky to swim with one. I’d love to take my family there, it’s stunning.
3. Restaurant
Pitanga, London W14
I was driving down North End Road one day and saw the sign for this Nigerian restaurant advertising vegan and vegetarian options. I was like, really? That’s kind of an oxymoron because Nigerians are a carnivorous lot. But I noted it and ordered a big takeaway for my friends when Nigeria got to the Africa Cup of Nations final earlier this year. It was an amazing meal, really fresh and creative. I went back with Michael Palin, who’s a friend of mine, and I’ve never seen a man eat so ravenously. Just be careful with the spice – the food is really hot.
4. Book
Empireworld by Sathnam Sanghera
I had this book on my radar for a while, but after hearing Sanghera on the How to Fail podcast I thought: “I need to read this right now.” I’m fascinated by British colonial history and perplexed that we’re taught so little about it at school, so I wanted to get some more insight into it. Empireworld is pretty heavy and deep, but it’s a great way to understand the historical psyche of Britain and where we’re at now. We need critical appraisals like this if we’re to move forward as a country.
5. Podcast
I find America and its history really fascinating. My passion is basketball, and it’s mad seeing these really successful Black NBA players whose forebears just a few generations back were enslaved. This podcast, which deals in its second season with the invention of whiteness, helped me better understand the subject of race in America from its origins right up to what’s going on today with Trump. The episode On Crazy We Built a Nation, which looks at Thomas Jefferson and the “all men are created equal” line from the Declaration of Independence is a standout.
6. TV
This new series with Colin Farrell is really good and quite mad. He plays a private eye in a slick suit taking on cases that nobody else wants to touch. He seems to be endowed with amazing skills – he’s a polyglot, he’s pretty handy in fights. But there’s something dark and mysterious about him that you just can’t put your finger on. Then, six episodes in, there’s this mad twist and you’re like, really?! Some part of you is going, nah, that’s too far, but I had to admit it’s very cleverly done. And Farrell is just brilliant.
