If you are spiritually undernourished by Christianity, or suspect there is more to black empowerment than electing black politicians, then the Saint Louis Art Museum has a movie for you: … Minha Cara/That’s My Face by Thomas Allen Harris, which screens Friday evening.
But be prepared to be insanely jealous of this guy.
Harris grew up in the Bronx, a borough of New York City that saw an explosion of black culture in his youth, which created (among other things) the exuberance of hip-hop.
Then, his mother moved him and his brother to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, when it was the epicenter of Pan-African politics. As a boy, the city struck him like a vision of Miami, which only made it, in addition to a great place to be black, a good place to go to the beach!
Finally, as a man, Harris completed a sort of black cultural power trifecta by journeying to Salvador da Bahia, the African heart of Brazil, home to Carnival and samba and Candomble, a form of worship that adapts Yoruba orishas and ritual to Catholicism.
How cool is that? If you share any of this man’s hungers n for a religion with African roots, for a home where almost all of the faces are black n you will feast on his journey.
His skills (or, perhaps, budget) for reporting this journey are not as enviable as the journey itself, but this does not distract from the inspirational power of his film.
Harris’ materials are what amounts to home movies of every phase of his life and his travel notes, written in the awkward mode of a bright person whose first talent is not writing. And his narration is overacted; at each pivotal moment in his spiritual quest, Harris drops his voice to a stagey whisper.
It also must be admitted that a traveler’s camera turned on public events (mostly, Carnival) is not a great visual match for a spiritual quest, although the images themselves are full of life.
The amazing thing about this little (56-minute) film is that its shortcomings do not reduce its basic value as a spiritual wake-up call for black folks. The apparent modesty of its budget and awkwardness of its technique leave the viewer with the strong feeling of “I could do that!”
Furthermore, Harris’ courage in pursuing the many cultural options afforded to him will make many people think, “I want to do that!” And the map of a spiritual journey that makes other people want to get on the path is a successful map indeed.
… Minha Cara/That’s My Face screens in the art museum’s auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4. Filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion.