There have been countless fascinating films about image makers: Vivian Maier. Maybe the documentary format truly excels when showcasing exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Here comes another remarkable case, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, artist and social justice champion who embodied a special cultural-activist approach.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he virtually invented the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by documenting the African American women in New York: emerging women of color who became the sensational archetype for beauty, rejecting typical beauty standards and the usual Eurocentric model of womanhood.
The Impact of Three Words
The iconic phrase evolved into a powerful call to action, an visionary three-word prose poem for transformation. Just stating that people of color were beautiful emerged as a transformative force in society, social movements and creative expression. The photographer became integral to the Black power African diaspora cause by documenting the sports icon prior to his historic Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He served as the official visual documentarian for the musical group's continental journey, and subsequently became the official visual chronicler for the legendary Harlem venue, building an amazing portfolio of black musicians. Alongside Elombe, he emerged as the central figure behind securing the anti-apartheid icon to appear in New York.
Personal Journey
Brathwaite's son the younger Brathwaite is interviewed the their quest to secure due acknowledgment for his family heritage after he was unjustly overlooked in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, inaugurated by Barack Obama in this century.
This documentary additionally explores the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the artist's passion for visual storytelling: the horrendous images of the young victim, the young African American murder victim whose bereaved parent defiantly requested an open coffin so the violent nature of racist violence would not be hidden.
Amidst Sorrow to Hope
From this image of tragedy, the visionary encountered a type of anti-epiphany that directed him toward visual representations of community. His images powerfully conveyed empowering beauty and often not overtly political: he developed a fresh iconography of empowerment upon which activist groups could unite.
This represents an captivating record of cultural impact that persists in empower across generations.
