Amber Akaunu is sharing her “rich upbringing” in L8 with the world
14:36, 30 May 2025Updated 17:34, 30 May 2025
Amber Akaunu, her mum Jessica and brother Arel(Image: Amber Oghene Efe Akaunu)
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and Amber Akaunu knows this firsthand. The 28-year-old grew up in Toxteth in a house just off Lodge Lane.
Although at one point, only she and her single mum, Jessica, lived there, Amber said the L8 community around her made her into the person she is today.
In fact, Amber was so inspired by it that, for this year’s Liverpool Biennial, she made a new film based on it. Titled ‘Dear Othermother’, it celebrates a deeply personal tale of friendship, motherhood, and alternative, matriarchal community networks in one of the oldest Black communities in the UK.
The National Gallery in-house video producer told the ECHO: “Being raised by a single mother, and especially now that I have moved away from the city, there is one thing that just stands out to me, and that is how close-knit the people were. If you had a need in L8, there was always someone there to help and support you with it.
Amber Akaunu at the 2022 BAFTA awards in London’s Royal Albert Hall
“Moving to London, a massive city where I’m still trying to find my own community, I just really cherish those moments and everyone in the area. Sometimes it just takes a bit of distance to realise how special the L8 area is. Now that I’m getting older, it does make me realise what it actually meant to me.
“I’ve said it multiple times, but because of the bond I had with my friends growing up, we see each other as family. It’s a connection we will always have and one that will never break. When it’s our time to have kids, we know they will also be so close”.
Jessica moved from Nigeria to Homerton in Hackney, but it wasn’t long before she relocated to Liverpool. Here, Jessica put down roots and began her family with Amber, now the eldest of three siblings.
Amber Oghene Efe Akaunu and her mum Jessica
Her younger siblings, Arel, 23, and Angel, 21, also grew up in the area. Their nan, Abeni, lived on Boswell Street and owned a Nigerian restaurant nearby.
The Goldsmiths University of London graduate said: “There was always someone there for me, even if I only had one parent.
“It takes a village to raise a child, and that is so true. It’s so difficult for one person to do so, but parents in L8 were happy to have influence from others. It opened their children up to so much more experience and knowledge – they have a rich upbringing because of it.
Amber as a child in Toxteth(Image: Amber Oghene Efe Akaunu)
“I’m the oldest of my siblings, so I think I was more conscious of the community growing up. I almost took on the second-parent role and had to understand our household and the situation we were in.”
The Liverpool Biennial, now in its 13th edition, will take over the city for a summer-long festival. This year’s theme, ‘BEDROCK,’ runs through all of the artworks, with a focus on Liverpool’s distinctive geography and the beliefs that underpin the city.
Amber’s film will be on display at Bluecoat from June until September as part of the festival.