History has seen numerous compelling features focusing on photographers: Vivian Maier. Maybe cinematic storytelling particularly shines when presenting particularly vivid photographs. Here we have one more exceptional case, directed by creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the extraordinary professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, musician and social justice champion who exemplified a special politico-aesthetic approach.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” during the sixties by documenting the African American women in New York: emerging women of color who became the transformative template for beauty, abandoning traditional grooming practices and the established Caucasian ideal of femininity.
The Influence of a Simple Phrase
The iconic phrase evolved into a radical call to action, an visionary three-word declaration for transformation. Simply to assert that people of color were beautiful became a transformative force in culture, social movements and creative expression. Brathwaite emerged as a key figure in the civil rights African diaspora cause by capturing images of the sports icon prior to his legendary championship fight in the seventies.
He became the official image creator for the band's continental journey, and later was named the resident artist for the legendary Apollo theatre, creating an amazing archive of musical pioneers. Together with his sibling, he became the central figure behind arranging for the anti-apartheid icon to appear in Harlem.
Personal Journey
The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr recounts the their campaign to secure proper recognition for his family heritage after he was painfully excluded in the prestigious cultural museum, inaugurated by Barack Obama in recent years.
The film additionally explores the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the artist's dedication to visual storytelling: the horrendous photographs of Emmett Till, the young African American tragic figure whose grieving mother defiantly insisted on an open coffin so the brutal truth of racist violence might not be concealed.
From Tragedy to Beauty
In this representation of tragedy, the visionary encountered a type of profound understanding that led him toward visual representations of beauty. His work beautifully expressed community pride and often nuanced in approach: he curated a innovative visual language of empowerment through which social causes could unite.
It is an exhilarating chronicle of creative genius that still resonate through the years.
