The tiny Sicilian town of Siculiana was dying. Settled by multiracial immigrants centuries ago, its industries had long since moved to nearby cities, leaving only a handful of aging residents and one sacred artefact behind. Dating back to the 1600s, the town's prized black Jesus statue had been carried on the shoulders of the faithful every year in a huge processional through the town. At the height of Italy's migrant crisis, however, the backdrop to the festival had dramatically changed. The village's failing hotel was converted into an asylum seeker reception centre, and Siculiana's population swelled by a full third. Over 1,000 newcomers from Africa and the Middle East filled the streets, as older residents looked on in surprise. When a 19-year-old Ghanaian migrant volunteers to carry the beloved statue in the parade, the tensions between villagers comes into sharp focus. Black Jesus captures what happens when traditional Christian values literally come face to face with new socio-political realities. Myrocia Watamaniuk

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MEDIA COVERAGE

• POV Magazine - Faith in Humanity