We have witnessed countless engaging features highlighting visual artists: Tish Murtha. It could be the film medium particularly shines when presenting remarkably striking photographs. Here we have another remarkable example, directed by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, artist and African American activist who embodied a distinct politico-aesthetic perspective.
Together with his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the expression “Black Is Beautiful” in the sixties by documenting the Grandassa Models in New York: youthful women of color who emerged as the sensational archetype for beauty, moving beyond conventional cosmetic products and the predominant white model of womanhood.
The Power of a Revolutionary Slogan
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a transformative call to action, an brilliant memorable manifesto for progress. Just declaring that African Americans were beautiful became a empowering force in culture, activism and culture. The artist became part of the Black power pan-Africanist cause by capturing images of Muhammad Ali prior to his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He served as the primary photographer for the band's African tour, and later assumed the role of the house photographer for the legendary Harlem venue, building an extraordinary collection of African American artists. Alongside his brother, he was the central figure behind securing the anti-apartheid icon to address the public in Harlem.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's campaign to secure due acknowledgment for his family heritage after he was painfully overlooked in the prestigious Smithsonian institution, opened by Barack Obama in recent years.
The film also recounts the inexpressibly painful inspiration of the photographer's passion for image making: the disturbing photographs of Emmett Till, the young Black murder victim whose bereaved parent boldly insisted on an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of bigoted brutality might not be hidden.
Through Darkness to Beauty
In this vision of violence, the visionary found a kind of transformative realization that directed him toward visual representations of beauty. His photographs beautifully expressed empowering beauty and frequently subtle in messaging: he developed a innovative iconography of empowerment around which social causes could unite.
The documentary stands as an captivating testament of creative genius that persists in resonate across generations.
