There have been many compelling documentaries focusing on photographers: Martin Parr. It could be the documentary format truly excels when showcasing remarkably striking visual compositions. Now we have one more exceptional instance, from filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, exploring the extraordinary career of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, artist and African American activist who embodied a special artistic-political vision.
Alongside his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the mid-century era by documenting the African American women in the cultural epicenter: young African American women who emerged as the groundbreaking standard for beauty, rejecting typical grooming practices and the predominant white model of female beauty.
The Impact of Three Words
This powerful statement evolved into a transformative unifying message, an visionary memorable declaration for progress. Simply declaring that African Americans radiated beauty became a transformative influence in art, activism and the arts. Brathwaite emerged as part of the civil rights pan-Africanist struggle by documenting Muhammad Ali prior to his historic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
He served as the official image creator for the musical group's continental journey, and eventually assumed the role of the resident artist for the historic Harlem venue, assembling an extraordinary collection of black musicians. In collaboration with Elombe, he became the key organizer behind securing the South African leader to appear in Harlem.
Historical Recognition
His son Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's quest to ensure appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was hurtfully excluded in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the former president in recent years.
The film additionally explores the deeply tragic inspiration of Brathwaite's dedication to image making: the shocking pictures of the young victim, the teenage civil rights tragic figure whose grieving mother courageously demanded an public viewing so the horrific reality of bigoted brutality might not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Hope
In this image of tragedy, Brathwaite encountered a type of profound understanding that guided him toward visual representations of community. His images beautifully expressed empowering beauty and often nuanced in approach: he developed a new symbolic representation of pride through which social causes could unite.
The documentary stands as an captivating record of artistic vision that still resonate decades later.
