We have witnessed many engaging documentaries focusing on image makers: Vivian Maier. It could be the film medium particularly shines when displaying remarkably striking visual compositions. Here comes one more exceptional instance, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the impressive life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, artist and civil rights advocate who embodied a distinct cultural-activist vision.
In partnership with his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” during the 1960s by documenting the Grandassa Models in New York: youthful African American women who emerged as the sensational archetype for aesthetics, abandoning conventional grooming practices and the established white standard of female beauty.
The Power of a Revolutionary Slogan
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a powerful rallying cry, an brilliant three-word manifesto for transformation. Merely declaring that black people radiated beauty proved to be a transformative force in culture, social movements and the arts. Brathwaite became part of the social justice African diaspora movement by documenting Muhammad Ali prior to his historic Rumble in the Jungle in that era.
He served as the exclusive image creator for the musical group's African tour, and subsequently was named the resident artist for the iconic Apollo theatre, creating an incredible portfolio of black musicians. In collaboration with his brother, he emerged as the key organizer behind securing the South African leader to address the public in New York.
Historical Recognition
His son the younger Brathwaite shares the family's campaign to achieve due acknowledgment for his parent's achievements after he was unjustly excluded in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, inaugurated by the political leader in recent years.
The feature also recounts the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the photographer's passion for image making: the shocking images of the young victim, the adolescent civil rights tragic figure whose mourning family member defiantly requested an public viewing so the violent nature of racist violence would not be covered up.
Amidst Sorrow to Empowerment
From this representation of violence, the artist discovered a kind of transformative realization that guided him toward visual representations of community. His images were eloquent of empowering beauty and frequently not overtly political: he developed a new visual language of strength around which activist groups could gather.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating testament of cultural impact that still empower through the years.
