In 54.60 Africa, what begins as a funeral for a continent quickly turns into a breathless adventure as ten friends of different ages and backgrounds, all members of the diaspora in London, spurred on by their Mother Africa, seek to discover and document all those 54 countries, and all that one and a half billion people, have to offer. All in one week. All in time for Gambia’s 60th anniversary of independence. From South Africa to Tunisia, Cameroon to Seychelles, Kenya to the Republic of Congo, this show is nothing short of extraordinary.
Written and directed by Femi Elufowoju jr and based on his own experiences visiting all 54 African nations before his 60th birthday, 54.60 Africa approaches the events on stage with a simultaneous vitality and thoughtfulness, deeply attentive to the humanity of the Africans that our heroes cross paths with and exceedingly focused on the delight that can arise in small moments between people. It is, of course, impossible to fully capture the entirety of Africa, and the relationship between the continent and its diaspora, with eleven actors in a single evening – yet the cast of 54.60 Africa packs an impossibly dense amount of action into so little time, interweaving beautiful, nourishing music and hilarious, moving vignettes with preternatural stamina. This is an ensemble piece, and the performers – Suzette Llewellyn, Patrice Naiambana (unable to perform the night I attended, his place was taken by Elufowoju), Munashe Chirisa, Christopher Mbaki, Usifu Jalloh, Ayo-Dele Edwards, Adil Hassan, Funlola Olufunwa, Liana Cottrill and the Ganda Boys: Denis Mugagga and Daniel Sewagudde – embody dozens of people with adept specificity.
The cast also possesses an obvious rapport that makes the incredible coordination demanded from their performances seem not just effortless but like so much fun. Each performer demonstrates a superb array of talents, acting, singing, playing instruments and dancing, shifting swiftly from one moment to the next. It’s also important to note the incredible movement and music direction of Kemi Durosinmi and Emmanuel Edwards, respectively, which does so much to bring the show to life.
It can be difficult to find stories about Africa that don’t focus on problems or suffering; in 54.60 Africa, Elufowoju takes a different tack, bringing us a story that is bright and exciting, that feels new yet familiar, like coming home for the first time. Which is not to say there are not moments of tension – any journey through 54 countries is bound to have the occasional friction – nor does the show assume a universally sanguine relationship between Africans and the diaspora, though it overwhelmingly depicts happy contact. But what Elufowoju seems most preoccupied with here is joy, and with life. And here, we get a lot of it.
Run time is 2 hours including an interval.
Bookings run until July 12th at the Arcola Theatre and can be found here
Reviewer: Zak Rosen
Reviewed: 19th June 2025
North West End UK Rating: