There have been countless engaging films focusing on visual artists: Vivian Maier. Perhaps cinematic storytelling particularly shines when displaying remarkably striking photographs. Here arrives one more remarkable case, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and social justice champion who represented a special artistic-political approach.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he pioneered the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” in the mid-century era by photographing the African American women in New York: youthful women of color who emerged as the sensational template for beauty, rejecting traditional cosmetic products and the established Eurocentric model of female beauty.
The Influence of Three Words
Black Is Beautiful evolved into a powerful call to action, an inspired three-word manifesto for transformation. Simply stating that African Americans possessed beauty emerged as a empowering force in art, politics and the arts. Brathwaite grew into a key figure in the Black power pan-Africanist movement by capturing images of Muhammad Ali before his iconic Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He served as the exclusive image creator for the musical group's international performances, and eventually assumed the role of the official visual chronicler for the iconic cultural institution, building an incredible collection of musical pioneers. Alongside his brother, he became the driving force behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to speak in Harlem.
Historical Recognition
His son the younger Brathwaite shares the personal quest to ensure appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was painfully excluded in the prestigious National Museum of African American History and Culture, established by Barack Obama in recent years.
The film additionally explores the profoundly sorrowful origin of Brathwaite's dedication to photography: the shocking images of the lynching martyr, the young African American murder victim whose bereaved parent boldly requested an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of racial hatred could not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Hope
In this image of horror, the visionary found a type of transformative realization that directed him toward images of aspiration. His images were eloquent of celebratory strength and often not overtly political: he established a new iconography of empowerment around which activist groups could unite.
It is an inspiring record of creative genius that still inspire through the years.
