There have been countless fascinating films focusing on visual artists: Martin Parr. Maybe the film medium particularly shines when presenting remarkably striking visual compositions. Here comes one more outstanding instance, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the extraordinary professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, artist and African American activist who embodied a unique politico-aesthetic vision.
Alongside his family member Elombe, he effectively created the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” during the sixties by documenting the Harlem models in the cultural epicenter: emerging Black women who emerged as the transformative archetype for beauty, rejecting typical cosmetic products and the established Caucasian ideal of womanhood.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
This powerful statement became a radical unifying message, an inspired memorable declaration for change. Just stating that African Americans radiated beauty became a empowering power in art, social movements and culture. The photographer became a key figure in the civil rights pan-Africanist cause by photographing the legendary boxer before his legendary Zaire bout in 1974.
He was appointed the primary photographer for the musical group's continental journey, and eventually was named the resident artist for the historic Apollo theatre, assembling an amazing collection of African American artists. Together with Elombe, he became the driving force behind bringing Nelson Mandela to appear in New York.
Family Legacy
The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr shares the their quest to ensure proper recognition for his family heritage after he was unjustly excluded in Washington DC's cultural museum, established by the former president in 2016.
This documentary further reveals the deeply tragic genesis of Brathwaite's dedication to visual storytelling: the horrendous photographs of the young victim, the adolescent civil rights tragic figure whose mourning family member courageously requested an open coffin so the brutal truth of bigoted brutality might not be concealed.
Through Darkness to Empowerment
Through this image of horror, Brathwaite encountered a kind of transformative realization that led him toward visual representations of aspiration. His photographs were eloquent of celebratory strength and often nuanced in approach: he curated a innovative symbolic representation of empowerment around which activist groups could gather.
It is an inspiring chronicle of cultural impact that still empower decades later.
