History has seen countless fascinating features highlighting image makers: Vivian Maier. Perhaps the film medium particularly shines when displaying particularly vivid visual compositions. Now we have a new exceptional case, from writer-director Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and social justice champion who represented a unique politico-aesthetic perspective.
In partnership with his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” in the sixties by capturing the Harlem models in Harlem: emerging women of color who became the groundbreaking archetype for visual appeal, moving beyond conventional grooming practices and the predominant Eurocentric standard of womanhood.
The Influence of a Simple Phrase
The iconic phrase transformed into a radical rallying cry, an brilliant memorable declaration for change. Simply stating that people of color possessed beauty emerged as a liberating power in culture, politics and the arts. Brathwaite grew into part of the Black power pan-Africanist movement by documenting the sports icon prior to his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
He became the official photographer for the Jackson 5's international performances, and eventually became the resident artist for the iconic Apollo theatre, building an amazing archive of musical pioneers. In collaboration with his brother, he became the driving force behind arranging for the South African leader to appear in Harlem.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son Kwame Jr recounts the family's mission to ensure proper recognition for his parent's achievements after he was hurtfully ignored in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the former president in this century.
The feature further reveals the inexpressibly painful origin of the artist's dedication to photography: the horrendous photographs of the lynching martyr, the adolescent civil rights lynching victim whose mourning family member boldly insisted on an public viewing so the horrific reality of racial hatred might not be covered up.
From Tragedy to Empowerment
In this representation of tragedy, the artist encountered a type of profound understanding that directed him toward visual representations of beauty. His photographs powerfully conveyed community pride and typically nuanced in approach: he developed a new visual language of strength around which activist groups could gather.
This represents an captivating chronicle of artistic vision that continues to resonate through the years.
