There have been numerous fascinating features highlighting image makers: Tish Murtha. Perhaps the documentary format truly excels when displaying remarkably striking visual compositions. Here we have one more outstanding instance, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, performer and African American activist who represented a special artistic-political approach.
Together with his brother Elombe, he pioneered the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” during the sixties by capturing the Grandassa Models in Harlem: young women of color who transformed into the sensational standard for aesthetics, moving beyond traditional grooming practices and the established white standard of womanhood.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
Black Is Beautiful became a radical rallying cry, an visionary memorable declaration for change. Merely to assert that black people were beautiful emerged as a liberating force in culture, social movements and the arts. The artist became a key figure in the civil rights global Black struggle by capturing images of the legendary boxer before his legendary championship fight in that era.
He served as the official photographer for the musical group's continental journey, and subsequently became the house photographer for the iconic cultural institution, building an extraordinary collection of African American artists. Alongside his sibling, he emerged as the central figure behind bringing Nelson Mandela to speak in the community.
Historical Recognition
His son Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's quest to ensure appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was unjustly excluded in the nation's capital's cultural museum, opened by the former president in 2016.
The film further reveals the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the artist's dedication to photography: the horrendous pictures of Emmett Till, the teenage African American tragic figure whose mourning family member courageously requested an open coffin so the brutal truth of bigoted brutality could not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Beauty
From this image of tragedy, the visionary found a form of transformative realization that guided him toward photographs of community. His images powerfully conveyed community pride and frequently nuanced in approach: he curated a fresh visual language of empowerment upon which political movements could gather.
The documentary stands as an inspiring record of creative genius that persists in empower through the years.
