History has seen countless engaging films focusing on image makers: Martin Parr. Perhaps cinematic storytelling truly excels when showcasing exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Now we have one more outstanding case, from filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, performer and civil rights advocate who represented a distinct politico-aesthetic approach.
In partnership with his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by capturing the Harlem models in Harlem: youthful women of color who became the transformative template for beauty, rejecting conventional cosmetic products and the usual white ideal of female beauty.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
The iconic phrase transformed into a transformative unifying message, an visionary memorable manifesto for progress. Simply to assert that people of color possessed beauty became a empowering influence in art, activism and culture. The artist emerged as a key figure in the social justice African diaspora cause by documenting the sports icon leading up to his historic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
He served as the primary image creator for the band's continental journey, and eventually assumed the role of the official visual chronicler for the historic Harlem venue, building an amazing portfolio of musical pioneers. Together with Elombe, he was the central figure behind securing the South African leader to address the public in the community.
Personal Journey
His son the younger Brathwaite is interviewed the family's mission to ensure appropriate credit for his father's legacy after he was hurtfully excluded in the prestigious cultural museum, established by the political leader in this century.
The film also recounts the inexpressibly painful genesis of the photographer's dedication to image making: the horrendous pictures of the lynching martyr, the adolescent African American murder victim whose grieving mother defiantly demanded an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of bigoted brutality might not be hidden.
From Tragedy to Hope
From this image of horror, the visionary encountered a kind of transformative realization that guided him toward images of aspiration. His photographs were eloquent of community pride and typically not overtly political: he curated a fresh iconography of strength around which political movements could unite.
It is an inspiring chronicle of cultural impact that continues to inspire through the years.
