The writer and photographer Caleb Azumah Nelson was born to Ghanaian parents and raised in south-east London. He quit a job at the Apple Store on Regent Street to focus on writing and in 2020 was shortlisted for the BBC short story prize. In February 2021 he published his debut novel, Open Water, which revolves around a love affair between two young black Londoners, a photographer and a dancer. Azumah Nelson was named one of National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35” honorees, and last month Open Water won the Costa first novel award. It’s out now in paperback.
1. Theatre
And Breathe… (Almeida, London)
I went to see this one-man show, by the poet and playwright Yomi Ṣode, four times. It was perhaps the most accurate and heartrending piece of work I’ve seen about grief. David Jonsson played a multitude of characters, but the main voice is a man in his late 20s or early 30s whose aunt is about to die. He is dealing both with the impending passing but also with the guilt of not feeling as if he’s been present for his family. The show was short, not much over an hour, but it was so agile and full of feeling.
2. Gig
Nala Sinephro (Earth, London)
Nala Sinephro’s Space 1.8 was one of my favourite albums from last year, so I was really looking forward to her gig in Hackney last November. It ended up being a two-and-a-half-hour improv session that was beyond incredible – one of the most special things I’ve ever been a part of. It was a four-piece – a drummer, a bass player, a sax player, and Sinephro on harp and synths. She was so close to the music, there were times where she seemed to be prostrating towards the instruments.
3. Photography
Roy DeCarava (David Zwirner gallery, London)
Roy DeCarava is one of my favourite photographers but I’d never seen his work in person, always in monographs or online. So it was really special to go to the opening of his show in Mayfair. All the images are in black and white, showing Harlem in the 1950s and 60s, with a lot of jazz musicians and jazz concerts. He always shot with available light, which lends an ethereal quality to his work. Everyday moments become more significant through his lens. The image of Elvin Jones on the drums, taken in 1961, is probably my favourite.
4. Restaurant
Tatale, London
I’m really excited about this restaurant, opening this spring at the Africa Centre in London. The chef, Akwasi Brenya-Mensa, is of Ghanaian descent and I read him saying that Tatale is going to be a hub for conversations set over and around food, which for me is such an important thing. I grew up in quite a big family, and sitting around with lots of people eating food was a really standard thing at home. I’m big into restaurants, to the point where it’s becoming quite a bad habit. If there’s a new place I’m excited about and my partner can’t make it, I’ll end up going by myself.
5. Album
We’re All Alone in This Together by Dave
This is probably the album that I listened to the most in the past year. There’s something about the tone in which Dave expresses things, as well as the things he’s expressing, that really connects with me. We’re both from south London, so there’s a shared experience there. This album felt more vulnerable than his previous work and really personal – in one line he says that it has really been about the making of him, and you can really feel that. Heart Attack is the standout track.
6. Film
Summer of Soul (dir Questlove, 2021)
This is part concert film, part ode to black music. Questlove masterfully winds a narrative around a series of concerts that took place in Harlem in 1969. There’s real energy to all of the performances, but one that particularly stood out was a young Stevie Wonder. He had real flair, and even at that age you could see that he was already something special. I was really moved by these musicians and totally immersed in their world, which I guess is the power of cinema.
7. Novel
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
I read this at the start of 2021, and again a few months ago, and I still can’t get the voice out of my head. It’s about a family across time and continents – they start off as a family of four, but when they move from Ghana to Alabama, four becomes two. What really intrigued me was this idea of the stories within families that don’t emerge until it’s too late. The book is quite slow and meditative, but it’s so beautiful and well told – and more daring than her first book, Homegoing.
