There have been many fascinating features highlighting visual artists: Vivian Maier. Maybe the documentary format particularly shines when displaying remarkably striking visual compositions. Now arrives another outstanding instance, directed by creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, musician and social justice champion who exemplified a unique politico-aesthetic vision.
Together with his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the expression “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by documenting the Harlem models in Harlem: young women of color who transformed into the transformative archetype for beauty, moving beyond typical cosmetic products and the established white standard of female beauty.
The Power of Three Words
The iconic phrase transformed into a radical call to action, an inspired three-word prose poem for progress. Merely stating that black people were beautiful became a transformative force in art, social movements and creative expression. The artist grew into a key figure in the civil rights global Black movement by photographing Muhammad Ali leading up to his historic Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He was appointed the exclusive photographer for the musical group's African tour, and later was named the official visual chronicler for the iconic cultural institution, assembling an extraordinary collection of musical pioneers. Alongside his sibling, he became the key organizer behind securing Nelson Mandela to address the public in Harlem.
Personal Journey
Brathwaite's son Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's quest to achieve due acknowledgment for his family heritage after he was hurtfully excluded in Washington DC's Smithsonian institution, established by the political leader in 2016.
This documentary further reveals the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the photographer's interest in visual storytelling: the disturbing images of the lynching martyr, the teenage African American tragic figure whose grieving mother boldly requested an public viewing so the brutal truth of racial hatred would not be covered up.
From Tragedy to Hope
From this image of violence, the visionary encountered a type of profound understanding that directed him toward photographs of aspiration. His work beautifully expressed celebratory strength and frequently nuanced in approach: he developed a innovative symbolic representation of strength through which activist groups could mobilize.
It is an inspiring chronicle of creative genius that still empower through the years.
