This month, the final films from Talawa Theatre Company’s compelling online series, Tales from the Front Line, will be released.
This powerful series has used verbatim interviews with Black key workers as it’s base for the films. It explores the worker’s relationships with British society, and the impact of the Windrush Scandal, the global Black Lives Matter movement and the pandemic on their perceptions of belonging.
It’s a timely release, as on Wednesday 31st March, the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities concluded that the country is not institutionally racist. And it’s clear that many of us disagree. The stories in Tales from the Front Line demand that a changed society must emerge from our post-pandemic world.
The final tales in the series
If you haven’t seen the first tales from the series, you can still catch them online now. The final films in this online series will look at another voice from the front line, as well as offer us a hopeful breather from everything.
For the fifth film in the series, Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton; Fractured) shares the words of a teacher in a voiceover. As she weighs up her distrust of disinformation against her unease with the institutions promoting the vaccine, she makes a choice to protect herself and the children who just sometimes need a hug. TYPT Movement Director Yami Löfvenberg and alumna Akadi Sankofa bring the words to life using the interviewee’s own exercise and dance regime.
Directed by Talawa’s New Work Producer, Ifrah Ismail, the final film is something entirely different altogether. It’s inspired by the testimonies collected. They highlight self-care and resilience-building as a key to surviving and growing in modern Britain. With writing, choreography, music and performance by Chisara Agor, who is also a TYPT alumnus, the film gives you a moment to breathe and ground yourself.
Inequality in Britain and Tales from the Front Line
No one can claim that Black people were not present on the frontline of Britain’s Covid crisis. And the Tales from the Front Line interviews were a space for Black workers to share their experiences, their concerns and their hopes for the future. Black artists and creatives have then used the testimonies to create a work to convey the story with humour and hope.
It’s been hard to ignore that the pandemic has had a starkly divergent impact on communities. Black people are four times more likely to die from Covid-19 in England and Wales. This is according to Public Health England’s figures for May 2020. In November, the Joint Committee on Human Rights report, Black People, Racism and Human Rights, concluded that the Government must urgently take action to protect the human rights of Black people across many areas, including healthcare.
Although this paints a stark picture, Tales from the Front Line has proved a touching and hopeful series.
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When: From 26th April 2021, at 12pm
Where: Watch online via YouTube
£: Free
More info: www.talawa.com