Abstracts Category : Other

Blackaesthetics and the son of man film

by Katleho Karabo Mokoena

The Son of Man (2006) is the first film in the Jesusfilm genre with an entirely black cast, including the leading roleof a black Jesus. Historically, the Jesus film genre has beenproduced by western filmmakers with a white cast in ancient filmsets, portraying how the world of Jesus would have been in firstcentury Palestine. Portrayals of Jesus are, thus, typicallyportrayed as a white man with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and longwhite/brown robes with sandals. Son of Man however, places thenarrative of Jesus in a contemporary South African context. Jesusis black, bald-headed, speaks isiXhosa, and upholds isiXhosaculture and tradition. Son of Man is a transcultural narrative ofJesus, relating the gospel narrative(s) to the black experience inSouth Africa. Son of Man diminishes the perception that the imageof Jesus can only be portrayed as western. It reinforces theideology of Black Consciousness and the praxis of Black Theologycreatively and artistically through film. This study analysesarguments about the purpose and role of art (film) in the blackexperience. This study will demonstrate how art may be used toaddress social injustices in post-1994 South Africa and the Son ofMan film will be used as a case study. First, we will discuss theinterdisciplinary study in the fields of Theology and Film Studies:provide the history of the portrayal of the Jesus figure in film,and define black aesthetics. Second, we will relate blackness andart from the Black Power Movement in the United States of Americaand the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa during the1960s. We will also discuss how Black Liberation Theology relatesto aesthetics. Third, we will discuss the relationship betweenaesthetics and ethics. Fourth, we will explore what it means to beblack and Christian in post-apartheid South Africa. Last, we willintegrate these findings and provide a conclusion.Advisors/Committee Members: Vellem, Vuyani Shadrack (advisor).