Dan Eldon was born in London in 1970, raised in Kenya and killed by angry mob in Somalia when he was twenty-two. In between he set foot in forty-six countries, drove a Land Rover across Africa, raised $25,000 for a refugee camp in Malawi and became one of the most promising photojournalists of the early nineties, working for Reuters and publishing photos in both Time and Newsweek.
Eldon covered the famine and war in Somalia, visiting refugee camps in Kenya and watching the American Marines land on the shores. While covering the aftermath of a UN raid that killed seventy-four people, he and three other journalists were stoned to death by a mob that mistook them for soldiers.
Some of the most extraordinary things about Eldon were the journals discovered after his death. They’re full of news clippings, experimental photography, artwork and everything else that might have struck him on a particular day. The journals are part of a traveling exhibition of Eldon’s life and work, but a few are also available at daneldon.org.
Here’s an excellent Current TV segment about him:
There’s also:
The Art of Life: Dan Eldon in Africa Part 1 Part 2
This is why you just don’t screw with Africa. Worst continent ever.