Shall I Stay or Shall I Go 

Diary of a Delivery Rider

Written by: Tab 

"T.A.B." is made up of the initials of his cousin, who is one of the most important people in his life. 

Publisher: Whitechapel Books

Publication date: 29 March 2027

"We are not here by chance. Every arrival has its departure," Tab hums along to his favourite rapper on his scooter, speeding from Stepney Green to Croydon. Whatever the distance, he delivers. Whether in normal times amidst the bustle, or during a pandemic when the metropolis shuts down into a ghost town, Tab is there, on his bike. The steady trickle of rewards may eventually grow into the resources needed to realise his dream in the near future. 

The dream takes him to Guinea, home of his ancestral heritage to which he is emotionally connected, and then to Tanzania, where a seemingly carpe-diem lifestyle always enchants him.

As Tab's hard labour delivering food in London keeps his dream alive, it is clear that the dream isn't just a backstory – it sits squarely at the front, driving him forward.

For many riders, as Tab reveals, their dreams remain deferred. The promised outcome of the job is never delivered, revealing itself as a deceitful illusion.

Tab's diary encapsulates the story of tens of thousands of delivery riders working to make ends meet, improve lives for their families, and realise their dreams – only to make their employers richer. At the core, we see corporate greed disguised as individual choice and freedom. We witness a system that racialises those who cross borders to work, who make up the majority of this workforce.

Meanwhile, Tab's diary reveals fantasies of resistance and identifies ways for the workers to challenge the injustices of their everyday working lives. It invites us to imagine ways to fight back.