History has seen many compelling features about image makers: Tish Murtha. Maybe cinematic storytelling naturally comes alive when presenting exceptionally powerful photographs. Now comes another remarkable example, directed by creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, artist and social justice champion who exemplified a unique politico-aesthetic perspective.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” in the mid-century era by photographing the African American women in the cultural epicenter: emerging women of color who transformed into the transformative standard for beauty, abandoning traditional beauty standards and the predominant white standard of femininity.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
The iconic phrase became a transformative rallying cry, an inspired memorable manifesto for change. Just declaring that African Americans were beautiful emerged as a transformative power in culture, social movements and the arts. Brathwaite became part of the Black power pan-Africanist movement by photographing the legendary boxer before his historic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
He served as the exclusive photographer for the band's African tour, and subsequently assumed the role of the resident artist for the iconic cultural institution, creating an amazing portfolio of black musicians. In collaboration with his sibling, he became the key organizer behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to address the public in Harlem.
Personal Journey
Brathwaite's son Kwame Jr shares the personal quest to achieve appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was hurtfully excluded in Washington DC's Smithsonian institution, inaugurated by the former president in this century.
The film also recounts the deeply tragic genesis of the artist's interest in image making: the shocking pictures of the young victim, the adolescent Black tragic figure whose mourning family member boldly requested an public viewing so the horrific reality of bigoted brutality might not be hidden.
Through Darkness to Beauty
In this representation of violence, Brathwaite encountered a kind of transformative realization that directed him toward visual representations of community. His images were eloquent of community pride and frequently subtle in messaging: he established a innovative iconography of pride around which social causes could mobilize.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating record of cultural impact that still empower decades later.
