History has seen many fascinating films highlighting visual artists: Martin Parr. Maybe the film medium particularly shines when presenting exceptionally powerful photographs. Today we have one more outstanding instance, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the extraordinary professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, artist and African American activist who represented a special artistic-political approach.
Alongside his brother Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” during the mid-century era by documenting the African American women in the cultural epicenter: young Black women who transformed into the sensational archetype for aesthetics, abandoning typical grooming practices and the predominant white model of female beauty.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
The iconic phrase transformed into a radical unifying message, an inspired three-word declaration for transformation. Just to assert that African Americans were beautiful emerged as a liberating power in art, activism and creative expression. Brathwaite emerged as a key figure in the Black power global Black movement by capturing images of the legendary boxer leading up to his historic Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He was appointed the official image creator for the Jackson 5's African tour, and subsequently was named the resident artist for the legendary cultural institution, creating an amazing archive of musical pioneers. In collaboration with his sibling, he became the key organizer behind bringing Nelson Mandela to appear in Harlem.
Personal Journey
His son Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's mission to ensure appropriate credit for his father's legacy after he was hurtfully excluded in Washington DC's cultural museum, established by Barack Obama in 2016.
The feature further reveals the deeply tragic genesis of Brathwaite's interest in photography: the horrendous pictures of the young victim, the adolescent civil rights lynching victim whose grieving mother defiantly requested an open coffin so the horrific reality of racial hatred would not be hidden.
From Tragedy to Beauty
Through this representation of horror, the visionary discovered a kind of transformative realization that led him toward photographs of community. His photographs beautifully expressed celebratory strength and frequently not overtly political: he curated a fresh visual language of strength through which activist groups could mobilize.
The documentary stands as an inspiring testament of cultural impact that still resonate decades later.
