We have witnessed numerous engaging features focusing on image makers: Vivian Maier. Maybe the film medium particularly shines when showcasing particularly vivid photographs. Today we have another outstanding example, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the impressive life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, performer and social justice champion who embodied a unique artistic-political approach.
Alongside his family member Elombe, he pioneered the expression “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the sixties by documenting the African American women in the cultural epicenter: young women of color who became the groundbreaking standard for aesthetics, moving beyond typical cosmetic products and the established Caucasian model of womanhood.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
Black Is Beautiful evolved into a transformative unifying message, an inspired three-word declaration for progress. Just stating that people of color were beautiful proved to be a liberating power in society, politics and the arts. The photographer became integral to the Black power pan-Africanist struggle by photographing the sports icon prior to his legendary Zaire bout in that era.
He became the primary image creator for the band's African tour, and eventually assumed the role of the resident artist for the iconic Harlem venue, assembling an amazing collection of black musicians. In collaboration with his sibling, he was the key organizer behind securing the South African leader to appear in the community.
Personal Journey
The photographer's offspring his namesake shares the their campaign to secure appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was unjustly ignored in the prestigious cultural museum, opened by the former president in 2016.
The film also recounts the inexpressibly painful origin of Brathwaite's passion for visual storytelling: the shocking pictures of the young victim, the adolescent African American tragic figure whose mourning family member boldly demanded an uncovered casket so the violent nature of racial hatred might not be hidden.
Amidst Sorrow to Hope
From this image of horror, Brathwaite encountered a type of transformative realization that guided him toward photographs of beauty. His work beautifully expressed celebratory strength and typically not overtly political: he established a new iconography of empowerment around which social causes could gather.
It is an inspiring chronicle of cultural impact that still inspire decades later.
