Evans Eghan takes his role as president of the Edinburgh Napier Students Association seriously.
He has extended his stay in the capital to be the ambassador and connection with the students that the job requires. While he misses Ghana – he goes home once a year to see his huge family – he found integrating into university life was made easy through the routes of sport and church – and social media. He also found many African students who were already studying here.
He is engaging and fun, and it is not hard to see why he was elected the President of the Edinburgh Napier Students Association. Even in his “official” photo you can see there is the beginning of what will be his next laugh.
Evans is from Ghana, and he has been in Edinburgh for three years studying a Masters in Marketing with Festival and Event Management – and also being presidential.
He is planning to go on and study for a PhD after this summer, and he already has plenty of festival experience under his belt –including The Napier Student Film Festival and the Accra Indie Film Festival in Ghana which he set up.
His journey to Scotland – to the home of the festivals – was possible after being awarded a full Chevening scholarship. He was first an international ambassador at Napier and then realising how many African students there were at university, he founded a new society and the Napier African Festival.
When he was elected President he said: “I want to foster community building, expand students’ engagements, and create safe spaces to amplify the voices of students through the creation of a Napier-led international film festival for students as a converging point for inter-departmental collaborations. I also aim to establish a Junior Common Room (JCR) as a student leadership unit for the various accommodation facilities, and to create an international students’ support scheme.
He said: “Becoming president of the Students Association has really reminded me of what more I can do for people, not just me.”
But this experience and education is just preparation for his life’s ambition – he will go home to Ghana eventually where his childhood dream is to become president – of the country.
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He said: “I’m from Ghana. I’ve lived all my life in Ghana which is a very beautiful West African country. And we always say that it’s the gateway to Africa. So if you’re looking for a trip to into any of African country, I will advise you travel to Ghana first. It will give you the direct connection to other African countries as well. And I’ve lived all my life there. I went to primary school, high school, university, and also graduated as a film director/producer.
“I have been practising in the industry for over a decade now. But when I was done with my senior high school, university, I, as part of my regular exercise in the industry, I happened to go to a film festival in another African country. And then when I came back, I was like, this is really something exciting. Why don’t we have something similar in Ghana? So I set up Accra Indie Film Fest, which is an international festival in Ghana. We’ve been working on it since 2019.
“We’re currently preparing for the eighth edition of the festival in Ghana. And so I think how I ended up being here is actually of the fact that I think one of my mentors asked me a question, if I’m supposed to choose in the next five years in my career, being an actor or director or being a festival manager, which of them am I going to choose?
“And as I said, obviously for the next five years, definitely it will be festival management that I will choose because I could recognise the impact that it has for a lot more people beyond my immediate confines.
“And so obviously I’ll go for film festival. There was an opportunity for UK government has a special scholarship called the Chevening Scholarship that it’s been given out to emerging leaders in different disciplines or industries across the world, and so I applied for that for the very first time.
“I was awarded the scholarship and so that’s how I ended up coming to Edinburgh Napier to study my masters in marketing, festival and event management and just in the middle of my masters I was elected president of the student association and so that’s how my life has been in the past three years.
“I go to Ghana once every year. And so for this year, I’ll be going to Ghana in, I think, first week of July. And then I’ll be back. Yeah, just for the festival and also for the family. And then I’ll come back when that is done.just for a while.”
With his role as the president of Student Association he will remain in place until the end of June this year. After that his ambition is to study for a PhD – although he was tight-lipped about where he will study as he had just gone through some interviews.
However he was able to confirm that “Fortunately, the courses that I did apply for all come with funding as well. And so they’ve all been quite progressive. So fingers crossed on that. Hopefully by the end of the summer, I will know where I’ll go.”
He keeps in touch with his family back home but Evans has not yet been visited here in Edinburgh by his family, but says that will happen in future. He said: “I think I’m looking forward to probably bringing them during my PhD graduation, hopefully. But I think I’ve been able to make friends and families here that really looks like family and that, I would say, doesn’t really make me miss home that much. And I’m also always in contact with my family online, on the phone and all of that. And so we always stay connected.”
There is a wide family in Ghana as he explained: “There’s my dad, my mum, my grandmum that I grew up with – I have a great relationship with my grandmum – and my sisters, my brothers.” And in the way he mentioned the brothers and sisters it seemed he had many of them.
He replied: “Exactly. I have lots of them. I always tell some of my friends that I don’t even know all of them because they got divorced, so they had separate families. My mum also had separate families and they had separate families that I haven’t met some of them. And so, yeah, I actually do have lots of them, but I’m also in contact with some of them. I have more than ten…”
When he moved to Scotland he found it is quite different environmentally. He said: “There are entirely different climate zones and weather and all of that, but I did research and was told by some people who have already lived here that Edinburgh is cold. I actually do have a lot of friends in England and they were mad saying “why are you going to the North, why are you not going to England”. But I told them that I think I was more drawn to the university and the programme that they were also offering. And regarding the weather, you know Edinburgh is not really that cold. You just need to wear the appropriate coat and then you’ll be fine!
“Anytime I meet some international students, I advise them that just be sure as the sun is not warm and so don’t let it confuse you thinking that you can wear t-shirts and roam around, you can’t do that.”
As to any barriers to living in Edinburgh it is difficult to think this enthusiastic and engaging young man would have encountered any.
He said: “I’m really quite social. And so it was easier for me to get along with playing hockey, playing in tennis, joining some of the society. So those became my immediate friends.
“And then during the induction week, the university conduct about a whole, almost 10 to 15 days of induction week. And so there several activities for you to get to know so many people. I got to know so many Africans. And it would actually surprise you, the African community here in Edinburgh – there’s really a lot of them. I was immediately surprised at the number of Nigerian students, students from Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Just during the induction week, it was so easy for me to get to chat with them. We started going out together in the pubs and all of that.
“And some of them are really like my closest friends at this point in time. And whilst I learned my studies, I got to know so many people and I know how to cook. So once in a while, I invite some of my friends both Scottish and Africans together. I prepared them some Ghanaian foods and it’s just always an exciting time to just be around.
“But before I arrived, I actually posted on social media that I was coming to Edinburgh. I’m also quite active on social media, so some Ghanians who are living here, probably they came to study and eventually got to live here after that. So I think one of them reached out to me. And so we met up and then he introduced me to some other communities through church and other spaces as well.
“There’s actually a Ghanian restaurant here around Haymarket and sometimes we just go there. So outside of the university community, I’m also connected to other church, other communities. There’s a whole, there’s a Black Scottish community that do a lot of hiking, especially in the summer.
“I also got a message from one of them asking, if there were going to be other communities where people who are ready to perform the poetry and music So they put some of these events together. And I remember I attended during the Ghana Independence Day on 6 March last year, there’s a whole community that put events together around it.
“There’s a quite active community here, and I love connecting with all of them.
“They say I’m the most popular student on campus. But also I just try to make myself available to have a conversation with students as much as possible. I know some students who have been here and who reach out to me – they probably saw my engagement online. And that’s maybe the reason why they even came to the university in the first place – and so I’ve always made myself really available.
“One of the things that I did was the fact that because I felt it would be easier for students, either international students or home students, to be able to get to speak to me about what their problems are. Sometimes they’re not even sure whether I will be in the position to be able to help them.
“I realised that most of the offices in other universities were doing a drop-in session. So the students are supposed to come to see you and then talk to you, but I decided to go to them.
“And so at the start of the academic year, I spent almost like two months just visiting students in the accommodation. Just go there, sit with them in the common room, have a chat about literally everything and just so that they can feel comfortable to reach out to me at any point in time that they want and also be able to tell me anything that they’re going through at that point in time.
“And even if I’m not in the position to be able to solve the issue for them, I would definitely know the department, the office, or whichever directors in charge, and then I can reach out to them and say, hey, what is happening and what can be done for the student? And that has been quite helpful in my last two years.”
Evans has acted as well as been producer and director of some films. He said: “I actually did my undergrad in film and TV production between 2012 and 2016. That makes it sound like I’m old, but I’m not really that old. So, I had always wanted to be a filmmaker. I had always wanted to be an actor. And so even from high school, I started making some films with some crew around that time. I grew up in a village
“Fortunately, I got to admitted at the School of Performing Arts, even though I don’t remember if I applied for that. But I got admitted to the School of Performing Arts. So when I got there, I just realised, OK, that’s where I need to be. And I needed to take my time to learn the craft. And so I was doing a lot of theatre, stage performances, learning the art of film and acting at the same time.
“So I’ve done TV shows, I’ve done short films, movies, literally everything.”
Then he turned to production and he produced his own film which was shown in about six or seven international film festivals and I went on to produce music videos. I’ve produced TV commercials for companies. I’ve produced some really large projects and I’ve produced for ABC News Good Morning America. One day we shot in Ghana in 2022 and I was one of the producers, one of the global producers that was on the crew. And I’m currently actually preparing for a documentary for ABC News by the end of this year.”
He has also produced the Edinburgh Napier Student Film Festival. He said: “As part of my role as the president, I realised that for the background that I had, did not necessarily need any vocational experience whilst I was doing my masters, but I realised that some of my mates didn’t have that full industry background. so I thought why doesn’t the university run one?”
And as for the future he is quite clear that all of this is a stepping stone to his ultimate goal.
He said: “I think being here and becoming the president of Students Association has really reminded me of what more I can do for people, not even just me, but for people. And so I know that when I was a child or when I was growing up, I knew that I wanted to be president. But I think over time, you know, life just takes its course and you sometimes forget some of these dreams. so being here really reminded me that the dream that I had when I was a child is still valid.
“And so now I fully embrace the fact that I’m looking forward to not just contributing so much as I’m already doing in the creative industry, but I’m looking forward to becoming president of Ghana in the near future.”
And while Evans is till here in Edinburgh his favourite space is The Meadows which is always his “favorite spot”.
When he first came to Edinburgh he discovered The Meadows where there were so many people, and he found it “quite vibrant”. He said that spending time in the area has given him a lot of energy to go finish up his dissertation and then go out and mix with people.
He has thoroughly enjoyed his time in Edinburgh, and said that he has not encountered any difficulties which he could not overcome. But he is a remarkably positive young man and it is easy to believe that he will ultimately achieve his life goal.
This interview is part of the Edinburgh is Our Home series.
Council Leader, Jane Meagher, explained that Edinburgh is Our Home is a collaborative project among several groups in the city.
She said: “We are a city of migrants. Many of us are migrants or have migrants in our families. Many have lived here for generations and some of the city’s best loved institutions are only here thanks to immigrants. We all benefit from this, and our city and its culture are all the better for it.
“The same is true, of course, in the other direction, with many people choosing to leave Edinburgh to contribute to other societies across the world – something us Scots have done for hundreds of years.
“Unfortunately, with a rise in racist language, political rhetoric and high profile anti-immigration protests across the UK, we know that some in our communities are understandably feeling uneasy or unsafe.
“Everyone has the right to feel comfortable in their home, on their street, and in their neighbourhood – and we need to remind ourselves of the importance of community spirit and tolerance.
“That’s why I have been delighted to launch a new campaign – ‘Edinburgh is Our Home’ – which will showcase and celebrate the positive contribution immigration makes to our city, while promoting understanding, acceptance and interest in our city’s many cultures and communities.
“We’ll hear from many of the individuals and organisations who help make this possible, and I’m really looking forward to hearing from many more in the weeks and months to come.”
