There have been many compelling features focusing on image makers: Vivian Maier. It could be cinematic storytelling truly excels when presenting particularly vivid visual compositions. Here arrives one more outstanding example, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the remarkable career of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, performer and African American activist who exemplified a unique cultural-activist perspective.
Together with his family member Elombe, he effectively created the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” in the 1960s by capturing the African American women in the cultural epicenter: youthful Black women who transformed into the transformative standard for visual appeal, moving beyond conventional grooming practices and the predominant Eurocentric ideal of femininity.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
The iconic phrase became a transformative rallying cry, an visionary concise declaration for transformation. Just stating that people of color radiated beauty became a liberating influence in art, politics and creative expression. The photographer became a key figure in the civil rights African diaspora struggle by documenting the sports icon prior to his historic championship fight in 1974.
He was appointed the primary photographer for the musical group's African tour, and later became the official visual chronicler for the legendary cultural institution, creating an amazing collection of black musicians. In collaboration with his sibling, he emerged as the key organizer behind bringing Nelson Mandela to appear in New York.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son the younger Brathwaite shares the personal quest to ensure appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was painfully overlooked in the prestigious cultural museum, opened by the former president in 2016.
The film additionally explores the profoundly sorrowful inspiration of Brathwaite's interest in image making: the disturbing images of the lynching martyr, the teenage civil rights tragic figure whose bereaved parent boldly demanded an open coffin so the horrific reality of racial hatred could not be covered up.
Amidst Sorrow to Beauty
From this vision of horror, the visionary encountered a type of anti-epiphany that guided him toward visual representations of community. His work beautifully expressed celebratory strength and typically not overtly political: he developed a fresh visual language of pride upon which activist groups could mobilize.
It is an inspiring testament of creative genius that still resonate through the years.
