We have witnessed countless fascinating documentaries focusing on photographers: Vivian Maier. Maybe the film medium particularly shines when displaying remarkably striking visual compositions. Here comes a new remarkable example, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable career of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, musician and African American activist who represented a distinct politico-aesthetic vision.
Together with his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” during the sixties by photographing the Harlem models in Harlem: young Black women who emerged as the sensational standard for beauty, rejecting typical cosmetic products and the usual white standard of female beauty.
The Influence of a Revolutionary Slogan
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a powerful rallying cry, an visionary three-word prose poem for progress. Merely declaring that black people radiated beauty became a liberating influence in culture, activism and creative expression. Brathwaite grew into integral to the Black power African diaspora struggle by documenting Muhammad Ali leading up to his historic Zaire bout in that era.
He became the primary image creator for the Jackson 5's continental journey, and eventually became the official visual chronicler for the legendary Harlem venue, assembling an incredible collection of black musicians. Together with his sibling, he became the driving force behind arranging for the South African leader to address the public in New York.
Personal Journey
Brathwaite's son his namesake recounts the their mission to achieve appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was hurtfully overlooked in the prestigious Smithsonian institution, inaugurated by the political leader in this century.
The film also recounts the profoundly sorrowful origin of the photographer's dedication to image making: the disturbing pictures of Emmett Till, the young civil rights murder victim whose mourning family member courageously requested an open coffin so the violent nature of racial hatred might not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Empowerment
Through this representation of horror, the artist encountered a form of transformative realization that guided him toward visual representations of community. His photographs were eloquent of empowering beauty and typically not overtly political: he curated a innovative symbolic representation of strength through which political movements could unite.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating record of artistic vision that persists in empower decades later.
