History has seen countless compelling features about photographers: Tish Murtha. It could be the film medium naturally comes alive when presenting remarkably striking photographs. Now we have another remarkable case, by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, artist and civil rights advocate who represented a special artistic-political vision.
Together with his brother Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” during the sixties by documenting the African American women in Harlem: emerging women of color who transformed into the groundbreaking archetype for beauty, abandoning conventional beauty standards and the predominant white ideal of womanhood.
The Influence of Three Words
This powerful statement became a powerful rallying cry, an visionary concise declaration for transformation. Just stating that people of color possessed beauty proved to be a liberating influence in art, activism and the arts. The photographer became a key figure in the civil rights pan-Africanist movement by capturing images of the legendary boxer before his historic Zaire bout in the seventies.
He became the primary photographer for the Jackson 5's international performances, and subsequently became the house photographer for the legendary Harlem venue, creating an incredible archive of musical pioneers. In collaboration with Elombe, he became the key organizer behind bringing the anti-apartheid icon to speak in the community.
Historical Recognition
His son the younger Brathwaite recounts the family's campaign to achieve due acknowledgment for his father's legacy after he was unjustly excluded in the nation's capital's cultural museum, inaugurated by the former president in this century.
This documentary also recounts the inexpressibly painful origin of the photographer's passion for visual storytelling: the shocking pictures of the young victim, the young Black tragic figure whose mourning family member defiantly demanded an uncovered casket so the horrific reality of racial hatred might not be concealed.
Through Darkness to Empowerment
Through this image of horror, Brathwaite found a kind of transformative realization that directed him toward images of community. His images powerfully conveyed empowering beauty and frequently nuanced in approach: he curated a innovative visual language of strength through which political movements could unite.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating chronicle of cultural impact that still resonate through the years.
