We have witnessed countless compelling documentaries focusing on photographers: Tish Murtha. Perhaps the film medium truly excels when showcasing remarkably striking photographs. Now we have one more outstanding instance, by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, exploring the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and civil rights advocate who exemplified a distinct cultural-activist approach.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he pioneered the expression “Black Is Beautiful” in the 1960s by capturing the African American women in New York: emerging Black women who transformed into the groundbreaking archetype for aesthetics, rejecting typical cosmetic products and the predominant Eurocentric model of womanhood.
The Power of Three Words
The iconic phrase transformed into a powerful unifying message, an brilliant concise prose poem for transformation. Merely stating that black people were beautiful proved to be a transformative power in culture, politics and culture. Brathwaite became a key figure in the social justice pan-Africanist struggle by capturing images of the sports icon prior to his iconic championship fight in that era.
He became the primary visual documentarian for the Jackson 5's African tour, and subsequently was named the house photographer for the legendary Apollo theatre, creating an extraordinary portfolio of musical pioneers. Alongside his brother, he became the driving force behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to address the public in the community.
Historical Recognition
Brathwaite's son the younger Brathwaite is interviewed the their campaign to ensure proper recognition for his family heritage after he was unjustly overlooked in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the political leader in 2016.
The film further reveals the deeply tragic inspiration of the photographer's passion for photography: the horrendous images of the young victim, the teenage civil rights tragic figure whose bereaved parent courageously demanded an public viewing so the violent nature of racial hatred might not be concealed.
Amidst Sorrow to Hope
Through this representation of horror, the artist encountered a kind of anti-epiphany that directed him toward visual representations of aspiration. His images beautifully expressed celebratory strength and often nuanced in approach: he established a innovative symbolic representation of strength upon which political movements could unite.
It is an captivating chronicle of cultural impact that continues to empower decades later.
