Democratic Republic of Congo

LOOK: The Resurrection by André Kamba Luesa

André Kamba Luesa (Congolese, 1944–1995), *La résurrection* (The Resurrection), 1992. Peinture grattée on canvas, 45 × 58 cm. © missio Aachen.

The risen Christ bounds victoriously over the abyss—using his cross like a pole vault!—in this scratched painting by the Congolese artist André Kamba Luesa (1944–1995). The flaming pit of hell has been conquered, cleared. And crossing over from death to life, Christ brings us with him. That’s why the men, women, and children lift high their hands in celebration. His victory is ours!

The Gospel of Matthew describes the Crucifixion-Resurrection event as causing a geological quaking; “the earth shook and the rocks were split” (Matt. 27:51; cf. 28:2). Kamba Luesa portrays this frightening phenomenon in his Resurrection. And yet he also uses warm reds, oranges, and yellows to convey the radiant joy of resurrection. The sky is awash in a soft glow. The Son rises with the sun, its orb a halo behind his head.

As is common in Christian art, the artist connects the Resurrection to his own cultural context. His Jesus is African and wears traditional printed cloth, just like those who praise him from the sides. As much as Jesus’s rising was a historical happening that took place some two thousand years ago outside Jerusalem, it is also an ongoing reality whose implications continue to reverberate as the life of God is made manifest in believers all over the globe.

I originally wrote this art commentary for the Daily Prayer Project’s Easter 2023 prayer periodical.

LISTEN: “Mfurahini, Haleluya” (Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia) | Words by Bernard Kyamanywa, 1966 | Traditional Tanzanian tune | Performed by the Azania Front Lutheran Cathedral Main Choir (Kwaya Kuu), Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, 2018

Mfurahini, haleluya,
mkombozi amefufuka.
Amefufuka, haleluya,
msifuni sasa yu hai.

Refrain:
Tumwimbie sote kwa furaha.
yesu ametoka kaburini.
Kashinda kifo, haleluya;
haleluya, Yesu yu hai.

. . .

[I can’t find the Swahili lyrics to verses 2–5]

This Easter text was written in Swahili by Rev. Bernard Kyamanywa (born 1938), a Tanzanian Lutheran pastor, while a student at Lutheran Theological College Makumira (now Tumaini University Makumira). He set it to a tune from the Haya people of northwestern Tanzania, an ethnic group he belongs to.

The English version of the song, “Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia,” is relatively popular throughout the world. Here’s a video of Christ the King Choir in Molyko Buea, Cameroon, singing the song in English:

Christ has arisen, alleluia!
Rejoice and praise him, alleluia,
For our Redeemer burst from the tomb,
Even from death, dispelling its gloom.

Refrain:
Let us sing praise to him with endless joy;
Death’s fearful sting he has come to destroy,
Our sins forgiving, alleluia.
Christ has arisen, alleluia!

For three long days the grave did its worst
Until its strength by God was dispersed.
He who gives life did death undergo;
And in its conquest his might did show. [Refrain]

The angel said to them, “Do not fear!
You look for Jesus who is not here.
See for yourselves the tomb is all bare;
Only the grave cloths are lying there.” [Refrain]

“Go spread the news: He’s not in the grave;
He has arisen this world to save.
Jesus’ redeeming labors are done;
Even the battle with sin is won.” [Refrain]

Christ has arisen; he sets us free;
Alleluia, to him praises be.
Jesus is living! Let us all sing;
He reigns triumphant, heavenly King. [Refrain]

Trans. Howard S. Olson, 1977 (admin. Augsburg Fortress)

There are many more examples on YouTube of church choirs performing the song, in locales ranging from India to Nebraska in the US. It also appears on the Art & Theology Eastertide Playlist.

Treading the Basilisk by Brian Kershisnik — Brian Kershisnik (American, 1962–), *Treading the Basilisk*, 2003. Oil on panel, 85 × 32 in.

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

. . .

You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name . . .”

—Psalm 91:9–10, 13–14

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SONG: “Anyataka” (Victory), a Congolese folk song | Performed by New City Fellowship, July 21, 2013

This video is from a Sunday worship service at New City Fellowship (previously here and here), a multicultural church in St. Louis, Missouri. The church contains a fair number of immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including on its leadership team, which has led it to partner with churches in the DRC, a relationship of mutual encouragement. “Anyataka” was introduced to the congregation by Athoms Mbuma, a visiting pastor and musician from Kinshasa and a member of the popular Congolese worship band Le Groupe Adorons L’Éternel (GAEL).

Anyati Satana lelo! (“We stomp on Satan!”), sing the worshippers in Lingala, miming the action with gusto. “Victory! We have victory in Jesus.” And the refrain: “Yahweh, you reign.”

Click here for a leadsheet, as well as music for trumpet, alto sax, flute, and trombone.

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Many Christians read Psalm 91 as a messianic psalm, prophesying Christ’s victory over Satan. (Visual theologians included: check out the fascinating super aspidem motif, aka “Christ treading on the beasts.”) But it can also be applied more broadly, as the psalmist no doubt intended, to the people of God.

An adder, or viper, is a venomous snake; the word is sometimes alternately translated as “asp,” “cobra,” or even “basilisk,” a mythical reptile. According to the ESV Study Bible commentary, “The lion and the adder are probably images for people bent on harming the faithful (cf. Ps. 58:3–6; Deut. 32:33), or perhaps the demonic agents that inspire the harm.” I’m reminded of Luke 10:19 (cf. 9:1), where Jesus delegates his power over demons to his disciples: “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

The Christian’s power over evil is rooted in the very power of Christ, who by his death and resurrection has vanquished the Enemy. Now we, too, can put evil under our feet.

Both works of art in this post—the painting by Kershisnik and the Congolese worship song—are inspired by Psalm 91 (the song a little less directly), but they approach it with different tones. The song is very exultant, heightened by a demonstrative performance in which the singers enact the victory of which they sing. By contrast, the figure in the painting is very matter-of-fact about her crushing of the snake; by the power of the word (signified doubly by the book in one hand and the sword in the other), she quietly and assuredly renders it powerless. She appears completely undisturbed by the incident; it barely registers!

Both responses to the text are, I think, appropriate. Christ’s victory, which he grants to us, ought to elicit our loud and happy praise, befitting the context of a worship gathering. But what Kershisnik gives us in this private devotional painting is a calm assurance that in our day-to-day, when the Enemy rears its head, we need not fear one bit; we can carry on unfazed because the battle has already been won—we merely need to claim the victory.

This post belongs to the weekly series Artful Devotion. If you can’t view the music player in your email or RSS reader, try opening the post in your browser.

To view all the Revised Common Lectionary scripture readings for the First Sunday in Lent, cycle C, click here.