We have witnessed many compelling films focusing on photographers: Tish Murtha. Perhaps the film medium truly excels when displaying particularly vivid photographs. Now comes one more outstanding instance, by creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, musician and African American activist who represented a distinct politico-aesthetic approach.
In partnership with his sibling Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the sixties by documenting the Harlem models in New York: youthful African American women who became the transformative template for beauty, rejecting conventional beauty standards and the established white ideal of womanhood.
The Power of Three Words
The iconic phrase transformed into a radical call to action, an brilliant three-word prose poem for progress. Merely stating that African Americans were beautiful emerged as a liberating influence in culture, politics and the arts. The artist emerged as part of the social justice global Black movement by capturing images of the sports icon leading up to his historic championship fight in that era.
He became the primary visual documentarian for the band's African tour, and eventually was named the resident artist for the historic Harlem venue, building an incredible collection of African American artists. Together with his brother, he became the driving force behind bringing Nelson Mandela to appear in the community.
Historical Recognition
The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr is interviewed the their campaign to achieve appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was painfully overlooked in the prestigious cultural museum, established by Barack Obama in 2016.
This documentary further reveals the profoundly sorrowful inspiration of the artist's dedication to photography: the disturbing photographs of the young victim, the young civil rights lynching victim whose grieving mother courageously requested an open coffin so the horrific reality of bigoted brutality might not be concealed.
From Tragedy to Beauty
From this vision of tragedy, the visionary discovered a type of transformative realization that guided him toward photographs of community. His images were eloquent of celebratory strength and typically not overtly political: he curated a fresh iconography of strength upon which activist groups could gather.
It is an exhilarating record of cultural impact that continues to resonate through the years.
