BAME Anglican

I have just finished watching the BBC series Broken, these are a few things that struck me so I am putting them down as they come to be. Spoiler alert. I don’t think I have seen anything so moving about my faith. Broken captures the grit and the everyday struggles of Christians. Moments of self-doubt, fear, guilt and shame are captured with the six episodes of the series. Broken delivers on presenting what the title suggests.   One of the issues I am glad the series addresses is the unlawful shooting of a black teenage boy. Black Lives Matter is often construed as an American issue, seeing the brutality in an area that is recognisable sends home a powerful message that violence against black people is part of the everyday fabric of our society. I am also glad a black Christian woman was presented with dignity onscreen. Most times black Christian women are treated as hysterical, superstitious and spewing politically incorrect nonsense. Helen Oyenusi t...

In 1992 when I was a pre-teen, I was exposed to a wave of cinema and television that is bland by today’s comparison but was racially progressive. Sister Act featuring Whoopi Goldberg was released that year. The film told the story of a black woman who witnesses a murder and seeks protection in a convent. Dolores Van Cartier is not   your stereotypical victim, she is sassy, bold, opinionated and black. Trapped in a convent till her case comes to trial, she decides to put her showbiz skills to good use. Teaching the all white convent how to sing in tune and joyfully, her unconventional efforts are resisted at first but are slowly accepted by the nuns and the community. Dolores as Sister Mary Clarence makes the Church come alive with her talent to entertain people. She is a lapsed Catholic and an entertainer who uses her knowledge of the church and the world to bring the Gospel to an inner city community. The popularity of the first f...