We have witnessed countless fascinating films highlighting photographers: Tish Murtha. Maybe cinematic storytelling truly excels when displaying exceptionally powerful still images. Here we have a new exceptional example, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, artist and civil rights advocate who exemplified a unique artistic-political vision.
Together with his sibling Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by documenting the Harlem models in Harlem: emerging women of color who emerged as the transformative archetype for beauty, rejecting typical grooming practices and the usual Caucasian standard of womanhood.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
The iconic phrase transformed into a radical call to action, an visionary three-word prose poem for progress. Simply declaring that people of color possessed beauty became a transformative influence in society, social movements and the arts. The artist grew into part of the social justice global Black cause by capturing images of Muhammad Ali prior to his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He was appointed the exclusive photographer for the Jackson 5's African tour, and subsequently assumed the role of the official visual chronicler for the historic Apollo theatre, assembling an incredible portfolio of African American artists. Together with Elombe, he became the key organizer behind arranging for the South African leader to appear in New York.
Personal Journey
The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr shares the their campaign to ensure due acknowledgment for his parent's achievements after he was unjustly ignored in the nation's capital's Smithsonian institution, opened by Barack Obama in this century.
The film further reveals the deeply tragic inspiration of the photographer's dedication to image making: the shocking photographs of Emmett Till, the adolescent Black tragic figure whose mourning family member boldly requested an open coffin so the violent nature of racial hatred would not be covered up.
Amidst Sorrow to Hope
In this vision of tragedy, the visionary encountered a form of anti-epiphany that directed him toward visual representations of beauty. His images beautifully expressed celebratory strength and often not overtly political: he developed a new visual language of pride around which social causes could mobilize.
This represents an exhilarating record of creative genius that persists in empower decades later.
