10 Mar Black History March Vol 1 by Anthony Bila
Anthony Bila is a Johannesburg based photographer and blogger who captures the vibrant, creative scene around him with the aim of ‘bringing Africa to the world and the world to Africa.’ His latest offering is an ongoing project for which he has just completed Volume 1. Called ‘Black History March’ the commemorative work was made by Anthony as an ode to black history.
He says, “I purposefully released this project a month after the actual Black History Month traditionally held in February to dispel the notion that black history needs a month of commemoration, but rather that it should be highlighted as any other part of history, at every given opportunity.”
Anthony collaborated with LIA (Love is African) a collective from South Africa and Namibia who play the roles in his photographic series.
These words accompany the layered and textured images:
Lest we forget, lest we ever forget
Blood bleeds from our own hands,
Lest we live with regrets, live bitter regret
Blood on the leaves, seeps into the land
Seeds fed on the sweat of black brows
Blood bled from fallen angels on ominous clouds
Graves whitewashed they forgot
But black history marched on
Stained and ingrained in mind from hand
So much we overcame, so few understand
Lynched.
Burned.
Murdered.
Buried and forgotten in shallow graves
Chained and enslaved
A little change makes it all stay the same
New chains, economic new slaves
Graves whitewashed they forgot
But black history kept marching on
Sophisticated slavery & invisible shackles
The war wages on, battle after battle
How will you experience emancipation
When the mansion you lust for,
was built on the damned plantation
Graves whitewashed they forgot
But black history keeps marching on.
