Florence Kasumba in a German cult series

The Ugandan-born actress plays the role of a detective in the series “Tatort”. 

Since 1970, the series “Tatort” captivated the attention of the Germans. The Sunday Night crime series is almost an institution. Each episode is watched by more than 8 million people in Germany. A success that does not exceed its borders. Even though the audience curve tends to drop every year, “Tatort” keeps its popularity intact…

The episode of Sunday, February 3 was particularly awaited, because Detective Charlotte Lindholm, well-known to the viewers, met her new teammate, Anais Schmitz… A black Commissioner, for the very first time in “Tatort”.

Florence Kasumba (in the casting of Black Panther) has thus entered the series, now open to diversity. In the episode, the first encounter between Lindholm and Schmitz is characterized by ordinary racism. Lindholm landed at the scene of the crime, and found several policemen taking samples and photographs – including Schmitz. But when she crosses her new teammate, dressed in yellow household gloves and armed with a siphon (everyone is looking for the baby’s placenta in the toilet), she takes her for a housekeeper, and informs her it is not necessary to clean a Crime scene…

She had already appeared in some criminal series. But had to be content with the role of suspect, criminal or migrant. A label that is maybe inscribed in the subconscious of the screenwriters…

The actress asserted that in some of her previous roles, her lines were post synchronised because the Germans did not understand that she spoke without an accent. Yet it was in Germany that she grew up, even though she was born in Kampala.