Rufus E. Fennell: a literary Pan-Africanist in Britain

Rufus E. Fennell (1887–1974) was a remarkable black intellectual and activist, born in America, but possibly of Caribbean descent. Now almost completely forgotten, he made an important contribution to Pan-Africanism and the struggle for racial justice in Britain, where he spent much of his life. He also worked in the theatre and appeared alongside Paul Robeson in the 1937 film Jericho. And, most interestingly, he wrote a hitherto completely unknown screenplay for Robeson on Haiti, The Black Prophet, on the themes of race, empire and revolution. This article attempts to explore Fennell’s life and work more fully, in particular The Black Prophet.