There have been countless fascinating features highlighting image makers: Martin Parr. Perhaps the film medium particularly shines when showcasing remarkably striking visual compositions. Here we have another exceptional example, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the remarkable life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, artist and African American activist who represented a distinct politico-aesthetic perspective.
Together with his family member Elombe, he effectively created the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” in the sixties by capturing the Grandassa Models in New York: youthful Black women who became the sensational archetype for aesthetics, moving beyond traditional beauty standards and the usual Eurocentric ideal of womanhood.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a powerful call to action, an inspired memorable prose poem for progress. Merely to assert that black people radiated beauty became a empowering force in art, politics and the arts. The photographer emerged as integral to the social justice global Black cause by photographing Muhammad Ali before his legendary championship fight in 1974.
He became the exclusive visual documentarian for the band's continental journey, and subsequently became the house photographer for the historic cultural institution, creating an incredible collection of black musicians. Together with Elombe, he was the key organizer behind arranging for Nelson Mandela to appear in Harlem.
Personal Journey
The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's quest to secure proper recognition for his family heritage after he was painfully ignored in Washington DC's Smithsonian institution, inaugurated by the political leader in this century.
The feature additionally explores the deeply tragic genesis of the photographer's passion for image making: the horrendous photographs of the lynching martyr, the teenage civil rights lynching victim whose mourning family member courageously requested an open coffin so the violent nature of racial hatred might not be covered up.
From Tragedy to Beauty
Through this image of tragedy, the artist discovered a kind of anti-epiphany that directed him toward visual representations of beauty. His images beautifully expressed celebratory strength and frequently not overtly political: he established a innovative symbolic representation of empowerment around which political movements could gather.
It is an captivating chronicle of cultural impact that still empower across generations.
