We have witnessed numerous fascinating films highlighting visual artists: Tish Murtha. Perhaps the film medium particularly shines when displaying remarkably striking still images. Here we have another remarkable instance, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and African American activist who embodied a distinct politico-aesthetic perspective.
Together with his sibling Elombe, he virtually invented the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by capturing the Grandassa Models in the cultural epicenter: youthful women of color who transformed into the transformative template for visual appeal, abandoning typical beauty standards and the usual Caucasian model of female beauty.
The Power of a Revolutionary Slogan
This powerful statement evolved into a powerful rallying cry, an inspired three-word declaration for progress. Merely stating that black people radiated beauty proved to be a liberating force in society, activism and creative expression. The photographer became part of the Black power global Black cause by photographing Muhammad Ali before his historic championship fight in the seventies.
He was appointed the exclusive visual documentarian for the Jackson 5's international performances, and subsequently was named the official visual chronicler for the iconic Harlem venue, building an extraordinary portfolio of musical pioneers. Together with his brother, he emerged as the central figure behind bringing the anti-apartheid icon to appear in the community.
Personal Journey
His son his namesake shares the their mission to achieve proper recognition for his parent's achievements after he was painfully excluded in the nation's capital's National Museum of African American History and Culture, inaugurated by the political leader in this century.
The feature further reveals the profoundly sorrowful inspiration of the photographer's passion for photography: the shocking pictures of the lynching martyr, the adolescent civil rights tragic figure whose bereaved parent courageously insisted on an public viewing so the horrific reality of bigoted brutality would not be concealed.
From Tragedy to Hope
In this image of horror, the visionary found a type of anti-epiphany that led him toward photographs of community. His images beautifully expressed celebratory strength and often nuanced in approach: he developed a new symbolic representation of empowerment upon which activist groups could mobilize.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating chronicle of cultural impact that still resonate through the years.
