History has seen countless compelling features focusing on image makers: Tish Murtha. Perhaps the documentary format truly excels when showcasing remarkably striking visual compositions. Here arrives a new remarkable example, directed by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, documenting the extraordinary professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and social justice champion who exemplified a unique cultural-activist vision.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the expression “Black Is Beautiful” during the 1960s by photographing the Harlem models in the cultural epicenter: emerging women of color who became the transformative archetype for beauty, rejecting traditional cosmetic products and the usual Caucasian model of womanhood.
The Influence of a Revolutionary Slogan
The iconic phrase evolved into a radical call to action, an brilliant three-word prose poem for transformation. Simply declaring that African Americans were beautiful proved to be a transformative force in art, social movements and creative expression. The artist grew into part of the social justice pan-Africanist struggle by documenting the legendary boxer leading up to his historic Zaire bout in 1974.
He served as the official image creator for the musical group's African tour, and subsequently was named the house photographer for the legendary cultural institution, assembling an extraordinary portfolio of black musicians. Alongside his sibling, he became the key organizer behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to speak in New York.
Personal Journey
His son his namesake shares the personal campaign to achieve appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was unjustly overlooked in the nation's capital's cultural museum, inaugurated by Barack Obama in this century.
The film further reveals the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the photographer's interest in photography: the shocking pictures of the young victim, the adolescent African American lynching victim whose grieving mother boldly insisted on an open coffin so the brutal truth of racial hatred would not be hidden.
From Tragedy to Empowerment
From this representation of violence, Brathwaite encountered a form of anti-epiphany that guided him toward photographs of community. His work beautifully expressed celebratory strength and typically not overtly political: he established a new symbolic representation of strength through which political movements could mobilize.
This represents an inspiring record of artistic vision that persists in empower across generations.
