We have witnessed numerous fascinating films highlighting photographers: Tish Murtha. It could be cinematic storytelling particularly shines when displaying particularly vivid still images. Here we have another remarkable example, by creator Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, performer and civil rights advocate who exemplified a special politico-aesthetic vision.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he virtually invented the expression “Black Is Beautiful” during the 1960s by photographing the African American women in Harlem: young African American women who emerged as the groundbreaking template for beauty, moving beyond conventional grooming practices and the established white model of femininity.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a radical unifying message, an visionary memorable declaration for change. Simply declaring that black people radiated beauty emerged as a transformative force in culture, politics and culture. Brathwaite grew into part of the civil rights pan-Africanist movement by documenting Muhammad Ali prior to his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in that era.
He served as the official image creator for the Jackson 5's continental journey, and eventually was named the official visual chronicler for the historic Harlem venue, assembling an extraordinary portfolio of black musicians. Alongside his sibling, he became the driving force behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to appear in New York.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son his namesake shares the personal mission to achieve appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was painfully overlooked in the nation's capital's cultural museum, established by Barack Obama in 2016.
The film also recounts the inexpressibly painful inspiration of the photographer's interest in visual storytelling: the shocking images of the lynching martyr, the young African American lynching victim whose mourning family member defiantly requested an open coffin so the horrific reality of racist violence would not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Empowerment
Through this representation of horror, Brathwaite found a form of anti-epiphany that led him toward photographs of aspiration. His work beautifully expressed celebratory strength and often subtle in messaging: he curated a new symbolic representation of empowerment through which social causes could gather.
The documentary stands as an inspiring chronicle of creative genius that persists in inspire through the years.
