History has seen numerous fascinating documentaries focusing on image makers: Tish Murtha. Maybe the film medium particularly shines when displaying exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Here we have one more exceptional instance, from filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, documenting the extraordinary professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, artist and civil rights advocate who embodied a special artistic-political approach.
In partnership with his brother Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the sixties by photographing the African American women in Harlem: emerging women of color who transformed into the sensational archetype for beauty, rejecting traditional cosmetic products and the predominant Caucasian model of femininity.
The Influence of a Simple Phrase
Black Is Beautiful evolved into a radical call to action, an visionary memorable prose poem for transformation. Just declaring that African Americans were beautiful emerged as a liberating power in culture, social movements and creative expression. The photographer became a key figure in the Black power global Black cause by capturing images of the sports icon before his historic Zaire bout in that era.
He served as the primary image creator for the band's continental journey, and eventually was named the resident artist for the iconic cultural institution, building an extraordinary archive of musical pioneers. In collaboration with his sibling, he became the key organizer behind securing the anti-apartheid icon to speak in the community.
Personal Journey
His son the younger Brathwaite is interviewed the their quest to secure appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was hurtfully excluded in the prestigious cultural museum, established by the former president in this century.
The film also recounts the profoundly sorrowful inspiration of Brathwaite's dedication to image making: the shocking pictures of the young victim, the teenage Black murder victim whose grieving mother defiantly requested an public viewing so the violent nature of racial hatred might not be hidden.
From Tragedy to Hope
Through this representation of tragedy, the visionary encountered a type of profound understanding that directed him toward visual representations of aspiration. His images beautifully expressed celebratory strength and typically nuanced in approach: he established a new symbolic representation of empowerment upon which social causes could gather.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating record of creative genius that persists in empower through the years.
