History has seen numerous compelling documentaries focusing on image makers: Vivian Maier. It could be cinematic storytelling truly excels when presenting remarkably striking photographs. Now we have another exceptional case, from creator Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, musician and civil rights advocate who exemplified a special artistic-political vision.
Together with his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the expression “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the sixties by photographing the Harlem models in Harlem: emerging Black women who became the sensational archetype for beauty, abandoning typical beauty standards and the established white standard of womanhood.
The Power of Three Words
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a radical unifying message, an visionary three-word declaration for transformation. Merely declaring that people of color possessed beauty emerged as a transformative force in society, social movements and creative expression. The photographer grew into a key figure in the social justice pan-Africanist movement by capturing images of the legendary boxer before his iconic Zaire bout in the seventies.
He was appointed the exclusive image creator for the Jackson 5's African tour, and subsequently was named the official visual chronicler for the iconic Apollo theatre, creating an extraordinary archive of musical pioneers. Alongside his sibling, he emerged as the central figure behind bringing the South African leader to address the public in the community.
Family Legacy
The photographer's offspring the younger Brathwaite recounts the personal quest to achieve appropriate credit for his father's legacy after he was unjustly ignored in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the political leader in this century.
This documentary further reveals the inexpressibly painful inspiration of Brathwaite's dedication to photography: the disturbing photographs of Emmett Till, the adolescent civil rights tragic figure whose mourning family member courageously insisted on an public viewing so the violent nature of bigoted brutality could not be covered up.
From Tragedy to Empowerment
From this representation of horror, the artist encountered a form of profound understanding that directed him toward visual representations of beauty. His images were eloquent of community pride and often subtle in messaging: he established a innovative iconography of pride around which social causes could mobilize.
It is an captivating chronicle of creative genius that continues to inspire through the years.
