Title : Advocate and Friend (Jesus for the Nations)
Commissioned by Amira Perera
and designed by Steve Stanczyk (http://stanczykdesign.com)
This poster is a multimedia print created from photography, charcoal drawing and digital art processes. So far it has gone to quite a few countries as a tool for ministry. It has been placed in prayer rooms and ministries in Canada, US, and in Africa. In Calcutta, Thailand, Pakistan, Singapore, and a few other countries, this poster is going to be used by ministries to bring hope to prostitutes, street children, child slaves, and victims of domestic violence because an artwork can be understood even by people that don’t read or write. It is not only for victims: since a poster is not threatening to perpetrators of violence, and I am hoping that such people will heed the message, and that their lives will change.
There were two main reasons I commissioned this poster. The first is because when I was in Africa, Jamaica, Mexico, and Asia I only recall seeing posters of a blond-haired Jesus. It was very rare to see non white-people on on Christian materials. From the time I was a child, living in Asia, to now, whenever I prayed I could only see a white Jesus in my mind’s eye. Such is the power of art. Eventually I did see a poster done by Wicliff Bible Translators that included people of other culture, which I still love. Maybe there are many more Christian works of art that are multicultural oriented, but I've never seen them. I asked the artist if he could come up with a more Middle Eastern Jesus with darker-skinned people on the poster.
The second reason I wanted this poster is because I wanted to convey a message of hope. In most non-Western countries people are greatly suffering because of war, family violence, poverty, etc. Even many immigrants and refugees here in Canada have suffered greatly in the old country, and are still remembering the suffering. The South Asian population in Canada has seen quite a few murders of women and children within the last few years. (I have also been hearing of suicides resulting from domestic abuse amongst South Asian people, and these are never reported in the media). I wanted the poster to convey Jesus’ heart: that He will never leave them nor forsake them when they are in pain; that Jesus will change their lives for the better. Often a work of art can touch a place in the heart that no amount of words can. In a way this poster is me, a South Asian survivor of abuse, testifying to the World that Jesus and the Bible really work.
Another reason for the poster's commission was that I want non-Caucasian people in developing countries to see that Christianity is not a colonial-oriented religion with negative associations (to be blamed and rejected); but that it is a positive life changing experience from the heart that really works, and that it is for everyone.
Years ago, when I worked with a Mission organization in Mexico and Jamaica I noticed how giving even a small item from North America made a deep impact to the poor people we ministered to in these countries. What we gave became a treasure in their eyes. And when I was a child living in South Asia, when my father would go on his business travels and bring small items from other countries we were so excited. Because of this, I know that anything from Canada will make an impact on those in other countries.
Why a poster? It is because posters are very important in some cultures. I noticed some South Asian Hindu friends have posters in their house related to their religion. People can be open to an artwork even if they don’t want to listen to you speak. If they can identify with something in that poster they are even more open to that artwork. Suffering is universal and hope is a much-needed commodity when you are suffering. I want my message about suffering to go to as many countries as possible and impact people’s lives.
Since this poster is also to represent multiculturalism in Canada, we tested this poster on a few Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh folk. It was well received. They were excited because they recognized their language; and of course seeing people they can identify with touched their hearts. A Muslim woman from Iran asked me if she could have a copy for her son because “everything he has gone through is in this poster and he wants one” she said. An Oriental man who used to abuse his wife and children asked me for a copy because it depicted his life one upon a time.
This poster has
- the words ‘advocate and friend’ in 15 languages (Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Singhalese, Tamil, Filipino, French, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, English)
- the scripture "I will never leave you nor forsake you"
Size: 18” x 24”
The artist’s set price for the poster is $25 ea. plus shipping and handling costs.