History has seen countless compelling films highlighting image makers: Martin Parr. Perhaps the documentary format naturally comes alive when presenting remarkably striking still images. Now we have another outstanding instance, directed by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, exploring the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, artist and African American activist who exemplified a special artistic-political vision.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he virtually invented the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by photographing the African American women in New York: young African American women who became the transformative standard for aesthetics, rejecting typical grooming practices and the usual Caucasian ideal of female beauty.
The Influence of Three Words
This powerful statement evolved into a powerful unifying message, an inspired three-word declaration for change. Just declaring that African Americans radiated beauty emerged as a liberating force in society, activism and creative expression. Brathwaite became a key figure in the social justice global Black struggle by capturing images of the legendary boxer prior to his historic Zaire bout in 1974.
He was appointed the primary image creator for the musical group's continental journey, and subsequently was named the resident artist for the historic Harlem venue, building an amazing portfolio of black musicians. Alongside his sibling, he was the central figure behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to address the public in New York.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son his namesake recounts the personal mission to achieve due acknowledgment for his parent's achievements after he was unjustly overlooked in the nation's capital's National Museum of African American History and Culture, inaugurated by Barack Obama in this century.
The film also recounts the inexpressibly painful origin of Brathwaite's interest in visual storytelling: the shocking photographs of the lynching martyr, the adolescent African American murder victim whose bereaved parent defiantly insisted on an uncovered casket so the violent nature of racial hatred would not be hidden.
From Tragedy to Beauty
Through this representation of tragedy, the artist encountered a kind of profound understanding that directed him toward photographs of beauty. His work were eloquent of celebratory strength and often subtle in messaging: he developed a new iconography of empowerment upon which political movements could gather.
It is an exhilarating testament of creative genius that still empower decades later.
