Gozitan artist Manuel Farrugia has painted a religious portrait depicting the late Lassana Cissé, who was brutally murdered in 2019. The portrait, named “Il-Barrani” is part of a 4-part project “Fejn hu ħuk” inspired by Acts of Mercy for this year’s Novena.
Farrugia chose Cissé as the subject of the painting based on the fact that he was murdered purely because he was an immigrant. Farrugia believes that the Christian community has no other choice but to defend immigrants, as Jesus Christ himself was an immigrant. Lassana is representing all those who are considered outsiders.
To the left and right of Lassana Cissé are the two other elements in the painting, society and the Church. Society is represented in the form of a woman looking at her phone, this being a comment on how we perceive the world through social media and how we have a choice to speak up or “keep scrolling”. The Church is represented in the visage of a priest holding Lassana.