Findingflow

With a new Warner Classics recording contract and a year-long residency at London's Southbank Centre to his name, Abel Selaocoe's star is in the ascendant. But as the South African cellist tells Charlotte Smith, he has a higher mission - to bridge the divide between African and Western music

- Charlotte Smith

Home is where the heart is' - it's a frequently quoted phrase, familiar since ancient times in one form or another and made popular in literature and song throughout the last few centuries across the English-speaking world. For Abel Selaocoe, however, the expression rings truer than most. Although the South African cellist now calls Manchester 'home', his debut album for Warner Classics - Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae) - poses questions beyond simple geography. It is, he tells me, 'an exploration of refuge: the word "refuge" has a bit of stigma to it, but it's actually a universal concept. Finding your home is about accessing those places that nourish you. It's not simply about being comfortable, but about feeling that you are progressing, that you are cared for and that you are surrounded by collective wisdom that surpasses your own. Seeking refuge is about finding a place of empowerment.