SOUTH AFRICA: Soweto dance theatre stage musical entabeni, their version of the Gospel

Record ID: 459318

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Soweto dance theatre stage musical entabeni, their version of the Gospel
  • Date: 29th April 2003
  • Summary: (L!1) JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS) BLACK JESUS WALKING TO MUSIC ON STAGE BLACK JESUS DOING AN ENERGETIC DANCE DANCERS PERFORMING INTRICATE CHAIR DANCE JACKIE SEMELA TALKING TO PERFORMERS IN DRESSING ROOM DANCERS LAUGHING IN DRESSING ROOM (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHOREOGRAPHER, JACKIE SEMELA SAYING: "I am coming from a side whereby we still honor our ance
  • Embargoed: 14th May 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAD4I8HCKR6R84DIVAIC4NYMWDB
  • Story Text: A twist in the tale - a South African dance troupe is encouraging people to define their own Christianity. Recently they gave the bible story a distinctly African twist by depicting Jesus as a black man and including local cultural characters in their version of the gospel.
    Jesus Christ is mostly depicted as a white, Jewish male.
    But recently in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Soweto Dance Theatre Company dared to be different. Their version of Jesus is a dancing black man.
    The musical is called 'Entabeni' which is Zulu for 'mountain'after the Golgotha mountains where Jesus Christ was crucified.
    The play tells the life and times of Christianity's founder, to music recorded by the Johannesburg based Joyous Celebration.
    Choreographer Jackie Semela feels the only way Africans can celebrate Christianity is if they adapt it into their cultural context. "I am coming from a side whereby we still honor our ancestors. " he explains, "But also we do realize that there is a supernatural. There is God up there and we do recognize that, you know, Jesus, you know, is the central part in the African peoples' spirituality."
    Jackie combined traditional African movements with modern dance and includes figures from South African culture like this Sangoma or spiritual healer to tell his bible story.
    After nearly a month of back breaking rehearsals the dance group managed to resurrect Jesus Christ's bible miracles like when he healed the blind.
    The Dance Company is made of young adults from Soweto.
    The possibility of a 'Black Jesus' had never occurred to most of them until they were picked by Jackie to be in the troop.
    When twenty-year-old Mbali Nkosi isn't dancing she catches up with the chores at home, she's still saving up money to go to college. Being part of Entabeni has opened up her mind. She feels the play will have a special place in Soweto. "Here in Soweto there are so many issues. " she remarks, "Others they don't believe in Christianity, others they believe in it, others they do other rituals, others they just if you are a Christian, you don't want other people to practice what they believe so it's gonna be alright."
    "People should not just follow religiously blindly you know, and we should also take in mind the colonial impact on introducing things like religion, and stuff like that you know." Adds Jackie Semela Like the Jesus of old, Black Jesus too walked on water.
    But eventually heup both black and white. The dancers symbolically wipe paint off his face to promote universal reconciliation. "Our message is that Jesus, whether he is Black or White he is for all human beings. He can be black-he can be white." Says cast member Thobeka Yakophu Entabeni hopes it can have future performances beyond South Africa-- to encourage more people to define their own Christianity and applaud colorblind spirituality.
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