Abstract
Son of Man (2006) is the first Jesus film to be produced in South Africa and the first Jesus film with an all-black cast amongst all films about the life of Jesus. Son of Man retells the story of Jesus from the pre-1994 South African context and the transition to democracy. The film portrays a Jesus who is concerned about social justice and seeks to dismantle systems that perpetuate and maintain subjugation, oppression, discrimination and marginalisation. The film reinforces the ideology of black consciousness and the praxis of black theology creatively and artistically through film. Jesus in Son of Man embodies the life of Stephen Bantu Biko, and Steve Biko is thus given a Christ-figure around four things: non-violence, ideology, disappearance and death. A black Christological perspective is used to analyse the nature of Jesus Christ in Son of Man.
Highlights
Son of Man (2006) is the first film in the Jesus-film genre with an entirely black cast, including the leading role of a black Jesus
Black theology identifies with the Jesus that was born poor, humiliated and suffered and his message focussed on liberation to the poor
Mofokeng’s reverse question is created, provoked and guided by the ‘anthropological’ question of the oppressed black South Africans who struggle for liberation: ‘who does Jesus Christ say that we are and how shall we become ourselves, our liberated selves?’ This question deepens the struggle of the black people and their encounter with Christ in order to rediscover their true humanity and dignity
Summary
Son of Man (2006) is the first film in the Jesus-film genre with an entirely black cast, including the leading role of a black Jesus.
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