Work
Maya Angelou in her home, surrounded by portraits of her mother, Vivian Baxter (top right); her grandmother Annie Henderson (top left) and her great grandmother Kentucky Shannon. Winston-Salem, N.C., USA. 1998
Maya Angelou getting with the groove on the deck of the Seabourn Pride cruise ship to celebrate her 70th birthday. Organised by Oprah Winfrey the cruise lasted 7 days, each day marking a decade of Maya’s life. 1998 (Below) Maya on “Calypso Night” — referring to her history as a performer/dancer in the 50s
Maya Angelou jams with pianist/songwriter Valerie Simpson. New York City, N.Y. 2000
Maya Angelou on stage, reaching out, embracing, affirming spirits, laughing her way into the hearts of her audience … in red shoes, her favourite colour. At sea. 1998
Left: Maya Angelou attends Easter Church service in Florida on the occasion of her 80th birthday Right: Maya dons her Easter hat. The competition for best hat was always a matter of great rivalry. On deck, Seabourn Pride, 1998
“All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes” – Maya Angelou at her home in Winston-Salem, N.C., 1998
“The Poetry of Living” – Maya Angelou celebrates her 70th birthday in London, U.K., 1998
“It’s in the Reach of My Arms” – On board ship for her 70th birthday cruise to the Bahamas, 1998
Maya Angelou on stage for a poetry reading. Whether performing professionally or prompted by intimate conversations at home, Maya would slip into poetry or, as she herself called it, poesia, then into prose … words would miraculously transform into music, and the music into life. New York City, 1987
“Feet and Arms and Hips” – Moving and grooving with the music, Maya liberates her audience. Fearless. 1998
Maya Angelou enjoys a birthday bash amongst friends in North Carolina, USA, 1998
“A Song Flung up to Heaven” – Maya loves to rejoice at any moment. Winston-Salem, N.C., c.1998
Maya Angelou in her beloved garden/refuge — her place of meditation — Winston-Salem, N.C., 1980s
Maya Angelou walks tall on her way to a celebration for her 70th birthday. Key West, Florida. April 4, 1998
“Solitaire” – Maya Angelou’s favourite yellow legal pads on which all her ideas find their first form. Always nearby is a Bible, a dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, her favourite sherry and a deck of cards for solitaire. Winston-Salem, NC, 2000
“Sisterhood” – L to R: Mrs Coretta Scott King, social activist and wife of Martin Luther King Jr; Maya Angelou; Dr Eleanor Traylor, Professor of English, Howard University, Washington D.C., 1998
Partial view of exhibition installation at SMAC Gallery, Cape Town.
Partial view of exhibition installation at SMAC Gallery, Cape Town.
Partial view of exhibition installation at SMAC Gallery, Cape Town.
Installation detail of wall with quotes by Maya Angelou
Installation detail of Maya Angelou books and memorabilia
Detail of autographed books to photographer Courtney-Clarke
Installation detail of news articles and memorabilia
Maya Angelou
It was early 1987, and I found myself with my camera in Northeastern Nigeria in a village whose name I have chosen to forget. I was traveling alone. Airports and roads had been closed as the dry West African wind was blowing—the one they call the Harmattan. My room was essential: bed, table, chair. There was no electricity. The only small window had no glass pane. By night, mosquitos feasted on me. Malaria and dysentery were playing havoc with my body, and self pity was controlling my mind. By day I sat on the side of the road waiting for a vehicle, a truck, mulecart, camel, whatever, to transport me and my cameras somewhere-anywhere-else.
But I had one consolation. With my few personal belongings I had carried with me five paperback books: the autobiographical writings of a woman named Maya Angelou. I considered them part and parcel of my survival baggage. When I needed it most, these writings would offer me courage first of all, and then wisdom and humor, strength and dreams, passion and endurance, poetry and ideas…
Through my photographs of the magnificent art of Africa’s women, I later came to meet Maya Angelou. It was to be the first of many visits… that finally culminated in a book Maya Angelou: The Poetry of Living. Forward by Oprah Winfrey (Clarkson Potter, New York, 1999)
Margaret Courtney-Clarke, March 1998