Already have some rather visceral examples of lynchings, and some more subtle ones. Will list over email so it won't take up too much space in rehearsals? The variety of lynching styles ... makes it harder to choose, ironically.
I couldn't resist, after last night, passing this on: The reality of extreme Jim Crow is veiled but still present in "expectations" in the U.S., yes, but is active and out in the open today--in India--in ways that completely parallel what my own parents and grand parents went through under "JC" (a loaded acronym). Search:"Dalit" caste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
It’s no coincidence that Dalits are dark and Brahmins are "fair", as they call it, and that white invasions into the country long before Caesar had influences on this ancient system and changed it, like Christianity, into a belief system extolling whiteness. This was not the case before white invasion, but has been the case sense, to the point of color casting become "normalized" in their religion. The women you constantly hear of being gang-raped, for example, are almost always from the Dalit caste, and below them (which is already rock bottom) is the Siddi caste (former African slaves, who were brought to India for unpaid labor, and left by the Europeans and Arabs centuries ago). They have their own Emmit Till, their own Medgar Evers, etc.
Jim Crow came out of the "Black Codes" phenomenon of slavery, of course (ex.: so's not to confuse the white folk, mixed black slaves had to wear head scarves, for example--so their hair texture and length wouldn't remind whites of their likely parentage. Head scarves, unlike the wearing of them now by Africanist or Muslim women, were about oppressing one's hair, making it unseen, to deny reality and keep up the charade. There are so many parallels betwen the Dalit and Jim Crow reality, that now there is a civil rights movement IN INDIA, met with the same kinds of violence in this necessary fight. Dalit farmers quoting MLK, NOT Ghandi (who was okay with the caste system against his own country's people and didn't respect Africans, either ...). It grates on me that his statue is placed at the MLK memorial in Atlanta--NOT a statue of King?!? It would be amazing to have dark-skinned Indians in this play ... talk about adding another dimension ... those who, like some black Americans, can recognize their positionality and resist, not live in fear and acceptance of what is. It's also interesting to note that Krishna, the main Hindu god--whom Dalits in particular worship with an extra, almost gospel-like fervent--is their Jesus redemption figure in India and is dark blue/black or green in color, but the further into Brahmin spaces you go, the whiter he looks ... much like earlier depictions of Jesus in Ethiopia and Yemen prior to white invasions. Lot of overlap and room to play here, in my opinion. Okay, I used to date a Dalit guy, who thought I was Dalit (in fact, I have some E. Indian ancestry in the way-way back machine; genetics, probably through the Carribbean slave trade which had Indian and Blacks in the same situation around Barbados/Trinidad/Tobago, where my slave ancestors are from). Just as blacks can "see" into the faces with veiled African features, Dalits can see who's got Dalit ancestry. Amazing. Whole new/old world going to those family gatherings ...
I'm not keen or particular on any type of interpretation of the Passion, btw, but if its open to interpretation, as I mentioned, I tend to throw everything up and see what sticks or fits, so consider whatever I suggest a noodle thrown against the wall. :-)
That said, I mentioned the book, "The Master and Margarita". Its just another take on things; splits and mixes the story of Jesus and the Devil, with its own interesting interpretation of these stories. The book is better, kind of hilarious, but the realities it touches on are not. So there's this very flat objective take on things, rather non-religion, more "municipal", but I've added a clip below. The point is that Jesus is portrayed not necessarily as divine, but a charismatic street preacher who causes a riot, a community leader who is busted and legally punished. In fact, only outsiders, criminals, and dark-skinned foreigners were hung on the cross. That it is a symbol of Christianity is merely incidental and based on perceived class status, along with many others before Him. In parts of Africa, it is the storm that ensued immediately during/after that is the symbol for his divinitybecause of its timing, not the structure he was killed on, which was commonly used and seen at their public trials. I find that interesting, as the storm is caused by nature and space and the elements, but the cross is merely man-made...a symbol imbued with a power that the environment actually had a the moment of Jesus' death.
In the end, it came down in this interpretation to a jockeying for mind control over the masses, covered as a crime against the state. Pilot actually admired "Ha Nozri" in the book because he admired smart people, but was bound by law and custom to follow the rules ... but yet the Devil was there, because he's the one recounting the story to a band of atheist Russians who didn't believe in Jesus. Geesh, this doesn't help, and I don't know if the movie adaptations will. Sometimes (and there is no time), you just have to read the book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
[Sister Veronica asks: For the sake of throwing everything in the air and seeing what sticks... What if the Christ character was a woman?]
I with you Veronica, but here's my take (haven't seen emails from others on this, so I tend to respond in a vacuum lol): Women have been so blocked in as secondary figures of both religious and political movements (from Mary Magdeline, who seemed to be Jesus' muse (at the very LEAST), actually, to Rosa Parks--Parks being the person who actually sparked the Civil Rights movement, to be honest, with MLK a mere passenger on her activism train; her bus ride was like, LATER ON lol). And what usually happens happend: King recognized her power, got a clue; she was told in so many ways to "let the men take the wheel now), then they took over. Nowadays her name is thrown in for good measure, but all the cred goes to the men in almost every case, despite none of them topping Harriet, Fannie, or Rosa.
Its a risk I'm open to supporting, but its a risk maybe we shouldn't take here because already a lot of layers for the audience to cut through. That's no excuse for a take-no-prisoners type like me about feminism but sexism is "complete" in that most people would tune that out like they tune out the WNBA lol, despite the team's stellar record. Its already a "cause"-based play, and should stay focused if this wasn't in the original semination of the work. I actually think superimposing womanist theology or feminist messages on top of an already stacked cake would do feminism an injustice, actually, as it could get lost in the other messages, weakening them all. That is to say, I think its a big enough issue that it needs its OWN passion play, or the process would need more time...For me, race and gender, then class, are the 3 factors that have made my life a very challenging one, and I ... just don't want to do the work of tackling two of the 3 in one play. Call me lazy, call me traumatized, or call me practical. I don't know. Because we could also make the argument. Why not a gay Jesus? Why NOT a white Jesus? etc. All this and in the back of my head ... there is Mary. Its a Catholic church (decoded: cult of Mary, more than her son), so there IS wiggle room for this idea I think, Veronica. I just think it has to be introduced somewhat formed already if so.
Noodle thrown with exquisite decisiveness lol,
-Diane
PS: Will bring my African Heritage Bible in tomorrow. The pictures are a combo of hilarious and priceless ...
PPS: I'm into alternative depictions or representations of Jesus and Mary, by the way. I collect art, photos, posters, films, whatever. I just never really focused on the final day of Jesus much; more the teachings. Maybe these will inspire something for someone, though, the way they have me? That is, on several levels--artistic, visual, cultural, spiritual, and actually a few more. Of course these are "other era" and "inner space" images to consider, none related to the 60s ...
1. Ethiopian Mary and Son
2. Taoist Mary
3. Buddhist Jesus (ie. Dalit caste's idealization of Buddha who was often depicted early on as dark in color as Krishna)
4. Basquiat's "Mater" (or, Original Mother, or Mary, described as both, not to be confused with some primal "Eve" figure--forming a sort of cross of her own making, naked with a halo, instead of her male son. Basquiat, ah ...) I think it captures the incomparable pain, necessary other-worldness, divinity, and courage of black women of the Diaspora and in the far reaches of time, who know what crucifixion really means ...
5. Ethiopian Jesus (the 'fro is always a dead giveaway its old-world Ethiopian/Byzantine-inspired).
6. A movie poster from artist Chisholm Larsson, for the Italian passion play film "Lotr Po Pravici" which, ironically, DIDN'T have a black Jesus in the film as the poster would suggest, but was better than most films at depicting the reality of most of Jesus' early, ardent followers were people of color and women, not just a few Roman disciples Hollywood focuses on. The use of a black Jesus here is mainly because of the Ethiopian Orthdox Christian influence on Southern Europe since there was a Southern Europe. Ethiopia and Sudan were a seminal part of bringing Christianity to Southern Europe, as much as the "blackamoors" brought Islam to Portugal and Spain. Its an implicit thing now (my best analogy for how Italians see Jesus, if they're honest, is like how Americans ignore Native Americans, but there's no desputing how they are related American nature and wild spaces), So, the Larrson image was controversial but no one thought it unrealistic ... Here's a clip of the long walk to the Cross:http://www.youtube.com/watch?
7. The Black Madonna being prayed to by the Pope. Just search "The Black Madonna" and be prepared to have your mind implode on where these shrines and alters are located--none of which are in Africa ...
"I freed thousands of slaves. I could have freed thousands more
if they had known they were slaves." - Harriet Tubman
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