Christian devotees in a small town in Ghana, Africa commemorated Palm Sunday by holding a procession with a man dressed as Jesus Christ to depict events that happened more than 2,000 years ago. Photos of the occasion, however, drew fierce criticism online because it showed a Caucasian Jesus Christ.
The man who represented Jesus rode the donkey amid a crowd of African Christians who gathered for the special Sunday service as they held palm branches. The images of a white Jesus as he headed to the Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine, however, went viral because the poster had added a caption, "Couldn't they find a black Jesus?"
Netizens criticized the event as idol worship, while some accused the church that had organised the procession of racism. Others raised issues like colonialism and cited that even among Africans, the same perception existed that the Son of Man must be fair-skinned.
Jesus Christ's actual appearance has been a source of debate throughout history since the Gospels never described his physical features. The image of Jesus as a white man, however, proliferated in the arts and the media for centuries. Various representations through history have shown his image as Caucasian, but a recent study claims that Jesus might have actually been a short man with Middle Eastern looks.
Despite the controversy, some Christians have hit back at critics saying that it doesn't matter if the small African Church community picked a white man to play Jesus in their re-enactment. Some even accused critics of being anti-religious to begin with and suggested their outrage could turn off others from praying.
"It's not your color that matters," one netizen stated. "It's not your tribe that matters. It's not the shape of your nose that matters. What matters is your heart and mission God ordained unto you."
Catholic, Episcopal and Christian denominations have observed Palm Sunday last weekend. The event marks the start of the week leading to the arrest of Jesus on Maundy Thursday, his crucifixion on Good Friday, and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
