There have been many compelling documentaries focusing on visual artists: Vivian Maier. Maybe cinematic storytelling particularly shines when showcasing particularly vivid visual compositions. Now arrives another exceptional instance, by creator Yemi Bamiro, exploring the extraordinary life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and African American activist who embodied a distinct cultural-activist perspective.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” in the sixties by photographing the Harlem models in New York: young African American women who transformed into the transformative archetype for visual appeal, moving beyond traditional beauty standards and the predominant white standard of femininity.
The Impact of Three Words
The iconic phrase transformed into a powerful rallying cry, an brilliant concise prose poem for transformation. Simply declaring that black people possessed beauty proved to be a transformative power in society, politics and the arts. Brathwaite emerged as part of the Black power pan-Africanist cause by capturing images of the sports icon before his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in that era.
He served as the official image creator for the Jackson 5's international performances, and later assumed the role of the official visual chronicler for the legendary Harlem venue, building an incredible archive of African American artists. Alongside his brother, he became the central figure behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to speak in the community.
Family Legacy
His son Kwame Jr shares the their mission to ensure appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was painfully ignored in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the former president in recent years.
The film additionally explores the deeply tragic inspiration of the photographer's interest in image making: the horrendous pictures of Emmett Till, the young Black tragic figure whose bereaved parent boldly requested an uncovered casket so the violent nature of racist violence might not be covered up.
From Tragedy to Beauty
In this image of tragedy, the artist encountered a form of anti-epiphany that guided him toward photographs of aspiration. His work beautifully expressed community pride and frequently subtle in messaging: he curated a new visual language of empowerment around which activist groups could mobilize.
It is an captivating chronicle of artistic vision that still resonate decades later.
