The brief, creative and adventurous life of Dan Eldon, as captured in a new book, ‘Dan Eldon: Safari As a Way of Life’ by Jennifer New, will be remembered at a book party from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 12 at the Dan Eldon Center for Creative Activism, 18820 Pacific Coast Hwy. in Malibu (above Topanga Beach). Eldon was an English photojournalist whose life was cut short at the age of 22 by an angry mob in Mogadishu in 1993. Throughout his peripatetic life, he kept journals, which included collages, photographs and drawings. He found his purpose focusing attention to the world’s underserved and war-weary. Living in Kenya, Eldon and his family, including his journalist mother Kathy, witnessed firsthand the political upheaval that followed the 1982 attempt to overthrow the government of Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi. Over the years, Dan enrolled in multiple colleges, but often stayed on campus just long enough to set up a charity. At UCLA, he organized Student Transport Aid, which raised money for refugees in a camp in Malawi. His desire to document the travesty of poverty, famine and political conflict led him to Somalia in 1992, where he began shooting photographs for Reuters. He was present at the U.S. Marine landing in Mogadishu and continued covering events in the increasingly dangerous and uncertain region. In July, 1993, Eldon and three friends covering a United Nations raid were caught up in a mob and were stoned and beaten to death. The November 12 event, hosted by Kathy Eldon, a Topanga Beach resident, will include a tour of the new Dan Eldon gallery, featuring Dan’s work and that of other contemporary artists, a book signing, appetizers and a no-host bar. To RSVP, call (310) 456-1109 or go to events@chroniclebooks.com.
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