There have been countless compelling films focusing on visual artists: Tish Murtha. It could be the film medium particularly shines when presenting particularly vivid still images. Today we have a new outstanding example, by creator Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the remarkable life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, performer and African American activist who embodied a distinct artistic-political perspective.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he virtually invented the expression “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by documenting the African American women in the cultural epicenter: young Black women who became the sensational standard for visual appeal, rejecting typical cosmetic products and the established white model of womanhood.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
This powerful statement transformed into a radical unifying message, an inspired memorable prose poem for transformation. Just stating that African Americans were beautiful emerged as a empowering power in culture, activism and the arts. The photographer emerged as part of the Black power pan-Africanist cause by capturing images of the legendary boxer prior to his historic championship fight in 1974.
He became the official image creator for the band's continental journey, and later became the official visual chronicler for the iconic Harlem venue, assembling an extraordinary portfolio of African American artists. In collaboration with his sibling, he became the central figure behind bringing Nelson Mandela to appear in Harlem.
Personal Journey
His son Kwame Jr shares the personal quest to ensure proper recognition for his parent's achievements after he was unjustly excluded in the nation's capital's National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by Barack Obama in 2016.
The film further reveals the inexpressibly painful inspiration of the artist's dedication to image making: the horrendous pictures of Emmett Till, the young African American lynching victim whose bereaved parent courageously insisted on an open coffin so the horrific reality of bigoted brutality could not be covered up.
From Tragedy to Beauty
Through this representation of violence, the visionary encountered a form of transformative realization that directed him toward images of community. His photographs beautifully expressed empowering beauty and often nuanced in approach: he curated a fresh visual language of strength upon which social causes could gather.
This represents an inspiring testament of creative genius that continues to resonate across generations.
