There have been numerous compelling films highlighting visual artists: Vivian Maier. Perhaps cinematic storytelling naturally comes alive when showcasing exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Today comes a new remarkable case, by creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, artist and social justice champion who embodied a special cultural-activist approach.
Alongside his family member Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the sixties by documenting the Grandassa Models in the cultural epicenter: young Black women who transformed into the groundbreaking standard for beauty, rejecting traditional grooming practices and the predominant white ideal of womanhood.
The Power of a Simple Phrase
The iconic phrase evolved into a transformative rallying cry, an inspired three-word manifesto for progress. Simply stating that people of color were beautiful emerged as a transformative power in culture, politics and culture. The photographer became a key figure in the social justice pan-Africanist cause by documenting the sports icon before his legendary Zaire bout in the seventies.
He was appointed the primary visual documentarian for the Jackson 5's international performances, and subsequently was named the official visual chronicler for the iconic Apollo theatre, building an extraordinary archive of black musicians. In collaboration with his sibling, he was the driving force behind arranging for Nelson Mandela to appear in Harlem.
Personal Journey
Brathwaite's son his namesake recounts the personal campaign to ensure proper recognition for his family heritage after he was hurtfully ignored in Washington DC's cultural museum, opened by the political leader in recent years.
The film further reveals the profoundly sorrowful genesis of Brathwaite's passion for image making: the horrendous pictures of the lynching martyr, the adolescent Black lynching victim whose mourning family member boldly insisted on an uncovered casket so the horrific reality of racist violence might not be covered up.
Amidst Sorrow to Empowerment
In this vision of violence, Brathwaite found a type of anti-epiphany that guided him toward visual representations of beauty. His images beautifully expressed empowering beauty and typically not overtly political: he developed a new visual language of pride upon which political movements could gather.
The documentary stands as an inspiring testament of artistic vision that continues to inspire across generations.
