History has seen countless engaging films about photographers: Tish Murtha. Perhaps cinematic storytelling particularly shines when displaying exceptionally powerful photographs. Here comes one more exceptional case, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and social justice champion who embodied a distinct politico-aesthetic approach.
Together with his family member Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” during the sixties by documenting the Grandassa Models in New York: young African American women who emerged as the sensational template for aesthetics, moving beyond conventional beauty standards and the established Eurocentric model of femininity.
The Power of a Revolutionary Slogan
This powerful statement became a powerful rallying cry, an inspired concise manifesto for transformation. Merely stating that African Americans radiated beauty proved to be a liberating force in culture, activism and the arts. The artist grew into integral to the Black power global Black cause by photographing the sports icon leading up to his iconic Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He became the exclusive image creator for the band's African tour, and eventually was named the official visual chronicler for the historic Apollo theatre, creating an extraordinary portfolio of African American artists. Together with his sibling, he was the driving force behind securing the anti-apartheid icon to speak in Harlem.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son Kwame Jr shares the personal campaign to secure appropriate credit for his father's legacy after he was painfully ignored in the prestigious National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by Barack Obama in recent years.
The feature further reveals the deeply tragic origin of the artist's interest in image making: the horrendous photographs of Emmett Till, the teenage African American lynching victim whose bereaved parent courageously requested an public viewing so the violent nature of bigoted brutality might not be covered up.
Amidst Sorrow to Empowerment
In this image of violence, the artist discovered a kind of transformative realization that guided him toward images of aspiration. His images powerfully conveyed empowering beauty and typically subtle in messaging: he established a fresh symbolic representation of empowerment around which political movements could unite.
The documentary stands as an captivating chronicle of cultural impact that continues to inspire decades later.
