Balham born actor performs one-man show inspired by the death of George Floyd

By Alice Neil

As we reflect on the one-year anniversary of the killing of George Floyd, one playwright is live streaming a play to highlight race issues still present in 21st century Britain.

Balham born actor and playwright Christopher Tajah will be performing a new play that explores police brutality towards the Black community in wake of the death of George Floyd.

The 60-minute spoken word solo-play, Under Heaven’s Eyes is about a Black British man, looking out at the world and trying to understand it and figure out his place in it.

Mr Tajah, who spent much of his childhood growing up on Woodland Road, Crystal Palace and attended Brixton College, sets the one-man-play in the heart of London during the summer of 2020.

He hopes that people from all walks of life will connect with the message of his play.

He said: “I want to create plays that speak to the world.

“I wrote Under Heaven’s Eyes to address many of the questions that arose from the death of George Floyd.  His death was a shock to the world.

“It definitely shocked me and dominated my thoughts for weeks after it happened, and like many of us, I was left asking how did this happen? Why is this still happening to Black men and women and when is it going to stop?”

The new play is Christopher’s second solo production and aims to directly challenge institutional racism in Britain today.

It also looks back into British history in order to better understand the nature of systemic racism and how it affects Black and minority communities.

Set in the height of the first lockdown, the play directly ties into issues surrounding COVID-19 where black people are four times more likely to contract the virus than their white counterparts – Under Heaven’s Eyes is additionally a father’s plea for his children’s safety.

Speaking about that time, he said: “It was a crushing period. I just had to put the thoughts that were spinning around in my head down on paper.

“I had things I wanted to say as an artist and as a writer, and the words just came. I had to speak about what we are living through and what the climate is like here in the UK for Black communities.

“The story I wanted to spread is urgent and is a fiction based in truth. I want the audience to grapple with, and question what systematic racism is, and how we are allowing it to persist.”

Mr Tajah’s first play, the critically acclaimed solo-play about Martin Luther King Jr, Dream of a King, received many four-star reviews and also received an OFFCOM Nomination 2019.

Under Heaven’s Eyes will be live streamed from July 14 to July 19 via Brighton Fringe, to watch it, buy your tickets here: https://www.brightonfringe.org/whats-on/under-heavens-eyes-153661/.