Currently playing at the Arcola Theatre, 54.60 Africa is a cultural explosion created and directed by Femi Elufowoju Jr with his multi-talented ensemble. It is inspired by his extraordinary travels to all 54 (now 55) African nations ahead of his 60th birthday a few years back. I followed his travels with much zeal via his Instagram account; living vicariously through his monumental feat.
His vivid and vibrant posts never failed to stop me in my scrolling to read the fascinating captions. As he drew close to completing his mission, I knew there would be a void in my social media life. So when I learned that his voyage will be brought onto the stage, I was ecstatic especially as I had grown attached to the great continent.
Elufowoju Jr has woven his travelling experience into a story about 11 siblings tasked with restoring Mama Africa back to health. Mama Africa, who is a mere blink and breath away from being dead, buried and forgotten, charges her children to go around the continent in seven days and prove that she is very much worthy of saving and celebrating. Should they fail, Mama Africa perishes.
The siblings, all named Africa and identifiable by number dispersed and traipsed the great and vibrant land of Africa, encountering many adventures, challenges, stories and hidden histories along the way. Several of the people they meet are larger than life characters, but distinct. I must say that although the characters might come across as eccentric or over-the-top, it’s pretty much the norm for locals in African nations to show great excitability and enthusiasm when welcoming strangers into their midst.
I loved the ritualistic use of live music, singing and dancing to denote the arrival into a new country, while taking a quick selfie punctuated departures. Ugandan musical duo, The Gander Boys, navigate the audience through border crossings with their melodic vocals and riveting riffs. I enjoyed guessing which country we were heading to next based on the music and dance style performed by the ensemble.
The 54.60 Ensemble have devised, workshopped and developed a rich and engaging theatrical experience. The ensemble oozes with charisma, bouncing off each other’s energy and showcases a strong family bond. Their presence and energy is both inviting and invigorating whether they’re dancing, singing or demonstrating a typical African marketplace haggling. I particularly loved all the characters portrayed by the animated Munashe Chirisa who demonstrated strong comedic performance skills – vocally and physically. Triple threat performer Liana Cottrill also steals the show with energetic dance moves and sincere delivery of dialogue. I was impressed with how smooth the poetic dialogue, dancing and songs are seamlessly intertwined in places.
Like Elufowoju’s previous work in The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, 54.60 Africa also feels intimate with its in-the-round setting, audience interactions and the cast sitting in the audience; all of which are core ingredients for traditional African storytelling. The Arcola Theatre foyer and inside the auditorium are decorated with every African nation’s flag to create an instant immersive and engaging learning environment. The flags and names of each country are strategically hung around the auditorium in relation to where they are positioned on the map.
Aside from all the feel-goods this production yields, Elufowoju also offers us some hard food from his expedition to help us debunk misconceptions about Africans’ presence in Britain. With Windrush Day, annually on June 22 (to mark the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship which carried passengers from the Caribbean to Britain in 1948) many African and Caribbeans join in on the celebrations around London and the UK. Many of us know too well how the sacrificial efforts of African and Caribbean people for ‘Mamaland’ Britain, especially during both World Wars, have been deliberately overlooked for several decades until recently. Windrush Day (named after the aforementioned ship) was launched in 2014 to finally recognise the Windrush Generation’s contributions to British society.
However I never knew that there was another ship called the MV Aureol that carried troops and well-off African tradesmen between Britain, West Africa and South Africa which sailed for 23 years, from 1951 to 1974. I just love that this significant information was included in the play.
54.60 Africa carries a paramount message that knowledge is power and most certainly life-giving. We witness this through the character of Mama Africa (diligently portrayed by Suzette Llewellyn) At the top of the show we are met with a pitiful dying Mama Africa practically clothed in sackcloth. Her stature was crooked as she desperately addressed her children to go out into the world and fight for her worth. As the play progresses, the audience sees that with each nation accomplished and each lesson heeded by her children, her physicality and clothing appear less bedraggled.
Her children’s growth in wisdom and courage as they rise above challenges and perilous situations has slowly revived her and she’s restored back to health and glory. In the final scene, Mama Africa had majestically transformed. Standing upright and dressed in a clean white robe she reminds us that Africa is where life began and it is the centre of the universe.
The play acknowledges the ongoing problem of Africa – colonial legacy, corruption and politics. Mama Africa knows that that’s what’s trying to annihilate her, so she implores us, her children in the diaspora, to reclaim all the artifacts that had been stolen from her, to keep learning and to keep the celebrations going. Mama Africa sees us and approves of us being more African than we think. Wherever we are, we are Africa.
Need to know: 54.60 Africa plays at the Arcola Theatre until 12 July 2025 | See listing
