We have witnessed numerous engaging films about visual artists: Martin Parr. It could be the documentary format naturally comes alive when showcasing particularly vivid still images. Today arrives one more outstanding example, from creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the extraordinary life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and social justice champion who embodied a distinct cultural-activist approach.
Together with his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” during the mid-century era by capturing the Harlem models in New York: youthful Black women who emerged as the groundbreaking standard for aesthetics, moving beyond traditional cosmetic products and the usual Eurocentric standard of female beauty.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a powerful rallying cry, an inspired memorable declaration for change. Merely to assert that people of color were beautiful emerged as a liberating force in society, politics and culture. Brathwaite emerged as a key figure in the Black power global Black struggle by photographing Muhammad Ali before his iconic Zaire bout in the seventies.
He became the exclusive photographer for the Jackson 5's international performances, and subsequently was named the resident artist for the iconic Apollo theatre, assembling an extraordinary portfolio of black musicians. In collaboration with Elombe, he emerged as the central figure behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to speak in the community.
Historical Recognition
The photographer's offspring the younger Brathwaite is interviewed the family's quest to ensure appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was unjustly excluded in the prestigious Smithsonian institution, opened by the former president in recent years.
The feature further reveals the inexpressibly painful genesis of the photographer's dedication to photography: the disturbing images of Emmett Till, the adolescent Black lynching victim whose mourning family member boldly requested an open coffin so the horrific reality of racial hatred could not be concealed.
From Tragedy to Hope
Through this vision of horror, the visionary discovered a type of anti-epiphany that directed him toward visual representations of beauty. His photographs were eloquent of empowering beauty and often nuanced in approach: he curated a fresh visual language of strength around which activist groups could mobilize.
It is an captivating testament of creative genius that continues to inspire decades later.
