"Black is beautiful"

I went yesterday to visit this new exhibition in Amsterdam entitled "black is beautiful". Guessing by the name, I figured visiting might give me some sort of welcome confidence boost.

Although the explicit purpose of this exhibition is to focus on the positive associations made with the physical black beauty and the fascination of many artists by this theme throughout the centuries, I couldn't help but being confronted with less positive (historical) themes, such as slavery, colonialism, racism and discrimination... It took me a while to get the total picture and to see things in the (intended?) right perspective. But it eventually hit me and when it did, it hit me really hard!

Despite their atrocious conditions – whether being enslaved, being deployed in foreign armies as "voluntary service men", being held as concubines or as servants, all portrayed personages stand tall, with an unbreakable pride, oozing of physical and mental resilience and confidence and above all simply looking immaculately beautiful.

"In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty".