We have witnessed numerous fascinating documentaries focusing on image makers: Vivian Maier. It could be cinematic storytelling truly excels when showcasing exceptionally powerful still images. Now arrives another exceptional case, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the extraordinary life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and civil rights advocate who exemplified a distinct cultural-activist approach.
Together with his family member Elombe, he virtually invented the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” during the 1960s by photographing the African American women in the cultural epicenter: emerging Black women who emerged as the groundbreaking standard for beauty, rejecting traditional beauty standards and the predominant Caucasian ideal of female beauty.
The Influence of a Simple Phrase
The iconic phrase became a radical rallying cry, an visionary concise declaration for transformation. Just stating that people of color radiated beauty emerged as a transformative influence in art, social movements and the arts. The photographer emerged as integral to the social justice pan-Africanist cause by capturing images of Muhammad Ali prior to his iconic Rumble in the Jungle in that era.
He served as the official photographer for the band's international performances, and later assumed the role of the house photographer for the historic cultural institution, assembling an incredible archive of black musicians. In collaboration with his brother, he became the key organizer behind bringing Nelson Mandela to speak in New York.
Personal Journey
The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr is interviewed the their mission to achieve proper recognition for his family heritage after he was unjustly ignored in the nation's capital's National Museum of African American History and Culture, established by the former president in 2016.
The film additionally explores the inexpressibly painful inspiration of the artist's interest in visual storytelling: the horrendous pictures of Emmett Till, the teenage Black tragic figure whose grieving mother courageously demanded an uncovered casket so the horrific reality of racist violence would not be hidden.
Amidst Sorrow to Empowerment
Through this vision of violence, the artist encountered a type of anti-epiphany that led him toward photographs of community. His work powerfully conveyed community pride and typically subtle in messaging: he curated a fresh visual language of pride through which political movements could mobilize.
The documentary stands as an captivating record of artistic vision that continues to inspire through the years.
