In the second of three specially commissioned short films celebrating Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists 4, we introduce you to Nadifa Mohamed, who was born in Somalia and raised in South London. Mohamed’s first novel Black Mamba Boy (which was shortlisted for numerous prizes and won the Betty Trask Award) was inspired by the life of her father who was forced to leave Somalia and set out on an odyssey that brought him to the UK. Here we join her as she explores Shepherd’s Bush Market, where there is a large Somali community, hear about her next novel (excerpted in the issue) and learn why she wants to be the griot, or storyteller, of the London she grew up in.

Commissioned in collaboration with the British Council. Directed and produced by The Film Atelier.

Photograph by thehaycouncil