We have witnessed countless fascinating features about photographers: Tish Murtha. Perhaps the film medium naturally comes alive when displaying exceptionally powerful still images. Here comes another exceptional example, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the extraordinary career of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, musician and civil rights advocate who represented a unique artistic-political perspective.
Together with his sibling Elombe, he virtually invented the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” in the sixties by capturing the Grandassa Models in the cultural epicenter: young women of color who became the groundbreaking template for beauty, moving beyond typical cosmetic products and the predominant Caucasian model of femininity.
The Influence of a Revolutionary Slogan
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a radical rallying cry, an brilliant concise declaration for progress. Merely to assert that people of color possessed beauty proved to be a liberating force in society, activism and culture. The photographer emerged as part of the civil rights global Black movement by photographing Muhammad Ali prior to his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in that era.
He served as the official photographer for the musical group's continental journey, and eventually became the official visual chronicler for the iconic cultural institution, creating an incredible collection of musical pioneers. In collaboration with his sibling, he became the key organizer behind securing the South African leader to address the public in the community.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son Kwame Jr recounts the personal mission to secure appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was painfully ignored in the prestigious cultural museum, opened by Barack Obama in this century.
The feature further reveals the deeply tragic genesis of Brathwaite's dedication to photography: the disturbing photographs of the lynching martyr, the adolescent civil rights lynching victim whose mourning family member defiantly demanded an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of racial hatred could not be covered up.
Amidst Sorrow to Empowerment
In this representation of tragedy, the artist discovered a kind of anti-epiphany that directed him toward images of beauty. His work were eloquent of celebratory strength and often not overtly political: he developed a fresh visual language of strength through which activist groups could gather.
This represents an exhilarating testament of creative genius that persists in empower decades later.
