There have been numerous fascinating documentaries focusing on visual artists: Vivian Maier. Maybe cinematic storytelling truly excels when displaying particularly vivid photographs. Today arrives another outstanding instance, from creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, performer and social justice champion who represented a distinct artistic-political perspective.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” in the 1960s by capturing the African American women in Harlem: emerging women of color who transformed into the transformative template for beauty, moving beyond conventional cosmetic products and the established Eurocentric ideal of female beauty.
The Impact of Three Words
This powerful statement became a transformative call to action, an brilliant three-word manifesto for transformation. Just declaring that black people radiated beauty proved to be a transformative force in society, social movements and culture. Brathwaite became integral to the social justice global Black movement by capturing images of the legendary boxer prior to his historic championship fight in the seventies.
He served as the exclusive photographer for the Jackson 5's African tour, and subsequently became the official visual chronicler for the legendary Apollo theatre, assembling an extraordinary archive of African American artists. Alongside his brother, he emerged as the key organizer behind arranging for Nelson Mandela to address the public in Harlem.
Personal Journey
His son Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's campaign to achieve proper recognition for his family heritage after he was hurtfully overlooked in Washington DC's Smithsonian institution, opened by the former president in 2016.
The film further reveals the inexpressibly painful genesis of Brathwaite's passion for visual storytelling: the shocking photographs of the lynching martyr, the adolescent civil rights tragic figure whose mourning family member boldly insisted on an open coffin so the horrific reality of racist violence might not be concealed.
Amidst Sorrow to Hope
Through this representation of violence, Brathwaite found a form of transformative realization that guided him toward visual representations of aspiration. His images were eloquent of celebratory strength and typically nuanced in approach: he curated a fresh symbolic representation of pride upon which social causes could unite.
It is an exhilarating testament of cultural impact that continues to resonate decades later.
