We have witnessed many compelling films highlighting image makers: Martin Parr. It could be the documentary format truly excels when displaying remarkably striking photographs. Here comes another outstanding case, directed by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, exploring the extraordinary career of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, artist and social justice champion who embodied a unique artistic-political approach.
Together with his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by photographing the Harlem models in the cultural epicenter: youthful African American women who emerged as the groundbreaking template for beauty, rejecting typical grooming practices and the predominant Eurocentric model of womanhood.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
Black Is Beautiful evolved into a radical call to action, an brilliant three-word prose poem for change. Simply to assert that black people radiated beauty emerged as a transformative influence in art, social movements and the arts. Brathwaite became integral to the Black power African diaspora struggle by documenting the legendary boxer prior to his iconic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
He served as the exclusive photographer for the band's continental journey, and subsequently assumed the role of the resident artist for the legendary cultural institution, creating an extraordinary portfolio of African American artists. Alongside his brother, he emerged as the key organizer behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to speak in the community.
Family Legacy
His son Kwame Jr shares the family's quest to secure due acknowledgment for his father's legacy after he was hurtfully ignored in the nation's capital's National Museum of African American History and Culture, inaugurated by the political leader in 2016.
This documentary also recounts the deeply tragic genesis of Brathwaite's interest in image making: the disturbing images of Emmett Till, the adolescent civil rights murder victim whose grieving mother defiantly requested an public viewing so the horrific reality of racial hatred would not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Hope
In this image of tragedy, Brathwaite discovered a form of profound understanding that guided him toward photographs of beauty. His work were eloquent of empowering beauty and frequently nuanced in approach: he developed a new iconography of pride through which activist groups could mobilize.
This represents an exhilarating record of artistic vision that persists in resonate through the years.
