Talawa Theatre Company online series Tales from the Front Line will be releasing its third and fourth films from 12pm on Thursday 11 February.

The series, which will include six films in total, uses interviews with Black key workers to explore the complex impact of the pandemic on those on the front line. 

The new films raise concerns about working in an environment where customers are blasé towards health and safety measures and show dwindling respect for workers outside of healthcare, even though they are also working on the front line. 

The third film stars Kwame Bentil and shares the words of a train dispatch worker who worries that his job puts his elderly father at risk, and is disappointed by the respect given by passengers as he adapts to help them and enforce the rules. 

Ann Akin stars in the fourth film, sharing the words of a supermarket assistant who is considering the judgement she has made about other’s career choices as she becomes conscious of entitled shoppers perceptions of her. The pandemic has been a roller coaster, from the days of panic buyers to the shoppers who realised the essential role of supermarket workers.

Tales from the Front Line is a space for Black workers to share their experiences, their concerns and their hopes for the future.

Talawa’s Artistic director, Michael Buffong, said “Tales from the Front Line creates a historical record of the contribution of Black workers at the front line of the Covid-19 crisis, and goes further in demanding change from society. These truth-telling stories reflect real-life experiences which cannot be ignored, and do so in ways that are artistically and creatively rich.”

The new films will be available to watch here from 12pm tomorrow.