A friend of mine (who’s actually been among slum-dwellers in the Philippines) had this to say about the recent movie Slumdog Millionaire. With his permission, I’ll share it here with you:
While most of us were touched by the faithful romantic love demonstrated by Jamal (the protagonist), I hope we did not miss the underlying yet foundational theme of social injustice and poverty.
Due to this mission trip experience, I feel compelled to share some of my thoughts regarding the film:
1) Children in the Slums:
We are first introduced to the young Jamal and his friends running away from policemen when they were playing cricket at the airport runway. This was accompanied by an exciting chase scene through the Mumbai slums. The camera captured many poignant scenes of slum life, which I hope we all noticed. There were cramped houses, polluted drains, litter-filled alleyways and housefly infested rubbish piles. Perhaps you also noticed a skinny man trudging through a disgusting drain picking out recyclable cans. Maybe you even saw some people idling around with swatting irritating houseflies.
This is the true depiction of life in the slums. Children and adults alike live in sub-human conditions like these. They do not have access to medical supplies- dysentery and cholera constantly ravage their health. Neither do they have basic sanitary facilities (I’m sure everyone remembers Jamal being trapped in the toilet/latrine), which actually exacerbates the spread of tropical diseases.
The worst deprivation is, in fact, the inability to get proper education. You probably remember Jamal and Salim (his brother) running late for class. In fact, most slum kids do not get schooling. Those fortunate enough to get education drop out after primary education, due to lack of money to pay fees. This promotes what sociologists call the ‘cycle of poverty’. Since slum dwellers are too poor to afford education, they are doomed to a life of lowly jobs, and this cycle continues through the generations. Most of them give up on their lives, knowing they can do nothing to break out of this system of injustice.
Prayer pointers:
- May the Lord break our hearts when we think of the poor. I am once again reminded of how lucky I am to be in wealthy Singapore . Let us pray for compassion and zeal in intercession. While we may not be able to effect long term change, we can pray that more Christians become aware of social injustice. Let us at least intercede in fervent prayer.
- We have an education system that slum kids would view as heavenly opportunities. Let us be thankful for it. Also, let’s pray that governments in 3rd World countries will implement policies that promote equal education opportunities for all, especially those in the slums.
2) Child Exploitation and Prostitution
Many of us will remember the heart-wrenching scene of Jamal’s friend losing his eyes after singing beautifully. Not many of us will have noticed that when the protagonists were first brought into the child camp, they were not allowed to interact with the rest of the children. The reason was because many of them were handicapped- purposely maimed by the Mamal and his henchmen to be beggars. It was also painful for us to watch how girls were being trained (like Latika) or sold into prostitution at a tender age.
In my own experience in Dagupan, greedy landlords would mercilessly evict slum dwellers into the streets if they could not pay rent.. Some are even particularly harsh to Christian tenants.
Prayer Pointers:
- Pray against the exploitation of slum children. Due to their lack of education and money, they are often coerced into illegal and shameful occupations. While our childhoods are filled with memories of toys and loving parents, they remember only abuse, beatings and exploitation.
- In many countries, the law enforcers are ‘wilfully blind’ towards child exploitation and other injustices. Recall how the police refused to tend to the flaming man during the religious riot. Also note how the police inspector interrogating Jamal merely walked out of his office after ascertaining that Jamal was innocent. He realised there was nothing he could do anyway… Pray that the Lord will cultivate agents of justice in such countries who will wield the law effectively to protect the under-privileged.
3) Religious and Racial Conflict
When Jamal was asked the question concerning the Hindu god, he recounted his experience. I hope you remember what he said after that, which I felt was one of the most powerful lines in the movie. He lamented, “I wake up everyday wishing I did not know the answer to that question. I might still have my mother then.” His mother died in the Hindu-Muslim riot.
This happens all over the world today. The starkest example of course is full-blown war between Israel and Palestine . There is also strained border conflict between India and Pakistan . Serbia and East Timor are also countries with histories of racial disharmony. These are real people dying for false beliefs.
Prayer Pointers
- Pray that God will send more missionaries to preach the Good News to these people, that they may come to believe in Jesus. Perhaps then they will see that God intends for us to love our enemies, co-exist in peace and honour Him.
- Pray that Christian missionaries will not be viewed as neo-colonialists. This is a surprisingly still a barrier in many Middle-Eastern countries, especially anti-American ones. May the Lord open doors and protect his servants in these countries.
4) Income Inequality
This is a major theme that runs through the movies. The police officers continually call Jamal a ‘slumdog’. The gangster boss lives in a big house and even has money to develop property. He also owns a luxurious car. What do the slum dwellers have in comparison? Most live in filthy huts, walk barefooted and prowl the streets as beggars. The wealth of the rich is often built on the misery of the poor.
Prayer Pointers:
- Pray that the Lord will correct the wrongs that the rich have committed upon the poor. May the rich realise how blessed they are, and learn to share with their impoverished brethren. God loves all of us equally, both rich and poor. Sometimes, ‘God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.’[1 Cor 1:27].
- Let us review our lives and our spending. Perhaps many of us find it normal to splurge on luxury handbags and gadgets. We can afford it, and even have enough savings. But is this the best way to spend our money? I try (but sometimes fail) to ask myself before I make a purchase, “What would my friends in the Slums think if I bought this product (e.g. latest Nokia handphone when there are $0 ones on sale)?” Maybe it’s time we reflected whether God indeed intended us to enjoy luxuries so indiscriminately when others are struggling with basic needs and suffering economic exploitation. It is true that the money we save does not automatically go to the poor. But, when there is a crisis like East Timor conflict, do we regret not having enough savings to help them out because we splurged on luxuries?
Concluding Remarks and Biblical Basis (important!!)
I’m sure most of you have many more thoughts about the movie, and my comments here are not exhaustive. Whatever the case, we as Christians should not walk out of the movie only thinking, “Wow! That was a great show!” We should not remain oblivious to the plight of the poor. Let us be willing to at least pray against social injustice.
My parting remark is an extensive quote from the Bible (which incidentally talks about social injustice more than salvation)… As you read Isaiah 58:5-10 below in its whole context, you will realise it speaks of how we cannot fast properly without upholding social justice.. The same applies for all our ‘spiritual activities’. Can we truly serve the Lord while numbing ourselves to the plight of the poor?
“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.”
Additional References:
1) ‘Good News to the Poor’ – Tim Chester
God bless,
W.C.
PS: This email is not intended to condemn or criticise you. You can disagree with my comments as they may be rather extreme to some. Apologies for any distress caused.
