We have witnessed countless engaging films about photographers: Tish Murtha. It could be the documentary format truly excels when displaying exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Now arrives a new remarkable case, by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, exploring the remarkable life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, musician and social justice champion who represented a unique artistic-political vision.
In partnership with his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by documenting the Harlem models in the cultural epicenter: youthful women of color who became the groundbreaking template for beauty, rejecting traditional cosmetic products and the usual Caucasian model of womanhood.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
The iconic phrase became a radical rallying cry, an inspired three-word manifesto for progress. Merely stating that black people radiated beauty proved to be a liberating force in society, politics and creative expression. Brathwaite became part of the Black power pan-Africanist cause by documenting Muhammad Ali leading up to his historic Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He served as the primary image creator for the band's international performances, and later was named the house photographer for the historic Harlem venue, creating an extraordinary portfolio of musical pioneers. Alongside his sibling, he was the central figure behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to address the public in the community.
Historical Recognition
His son the younger Brathwaite recounts the family's mission to ensure due acknowledgment for his father's legacy after he was hurtfully ignored in the prestigious National Museum of African American History and Culture, established by the political leader in recent years.
The film additionally explores the inexpressibly painful genesis of the photographer's dedication to photography: the horrendous pictures of the lynching martyr, the teenage Black tragic figure whose bereaved parent defiantly requested an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of racial hatred could not be covered up.
Amidst Sorrow to Empowerment
Through this vision of tragedy, the artist encountered a form of profound understanding that guided him toward photographs of beauty. His work were eloquent of community pride and typically nuanced in approach: he curated a fresh visual language of strength around which social causes could gather.
This represents an inspiring record of creative genius that still empower decades later.
