Image Credit: Millicent Springer (pictured with brother, Tippa Naphtali)
This summer a special exhibition celebrating the life of Birmingham poet and activist Benjamin Zephaniah will take place in the city centre. (See related edition of Colmore Life).
The free, multi-site outdoor exhibition named ‘Benjamin Zephaniah – The Brighter Flame’ has now been extended and relocated to Snow Hill Square until 1 September.
Created with the support and acknowledgment of the Zephaniah family, the exhibition features 30 specially curated artworks displayed in cabinets. Flags designed in his memory continue to fly high on Colmore Row, the heart of Birmingham.
Zephaniah was recognised as champion of the people and his death on December 7, 2023, aged 65, drew tributes from across the world.
Born in Handsworth and influenced strongly by what he described as ‘street politics’ and the music and poetry of Jamaica, Zephaniah was gifted an old typewriter as a child, which inspired him to become a writer. In recent years, the typewriter has been housed in the collection of Birmingham Museums Trust and photographs of it will feature in the exhibition.
