Les Tambours d'avant / Tourou et Bitti . Tourou and Bitti: The Drums of the Past

The most important moment of a possession ritual, during the course of which men from the village of Simiri demand that the spirits of the wilderness protect the coming harvests from locusts. The orchestra is composed of archaic drums, tourou and bitti, which are played on that occasion. We see the...

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Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Rouch, Jean
Institution:Open Society Archives at Central European University
Language:French
Published: CNRS/CFE 1972
France
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10891/osa:ca37565e-b085-446c-9fa7-6ced79f21e24
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author2 Rouch, Jean
author_facet Rouch, Jean
collection OSA Film Library
dateSpan 1972
description The most important moment of a possession ritual, during the course of which men from the village of Simiri demand that the spirits of the wilderness protect the coming harvests from locusts. The orchestra is composed of archaic drums, tourou and bitti, which are played on that occasion. We see the outside of the priest Zima's terrain, then the sacrificial goat; then we penetrate into the dance arena where old Sambou is dancing without great conviction. The camera follows him and approaches the orchestra. Suddenly the drums stop beating. But the director continues filming. The lute resumes its solo; its player has "seen the spirit." Immediately Sambou enters into trance. He is possessed by the spirit Kure ("the butcher," "the hyena"). Then it is old Tusinyé Wasi's turn. She is possessed by the spirit Hadyo. Next we see the priests consulting the spirits, and the demand for a sacrifice. The film ends with a general view of the terrain, already invaded by darkness. Introduction by Bernard Surugue.
genre libraryUnit
geographic France
id bulk_7C31081C-61C8-4FEF-8A93-F2756EA22D9C
institution Open Society Archives at Central European University
language French
publishDate 1972
publisher CNRS/CFE
France
spellingShingle Les Tambours d'avant / Tourou et Bitti . Tourou and Bitti: The Drums of the Past
[Documentary film]
title Les Tambours d'avant / Tourou et Bitti . Tourou and Bitti: The Drums of the Past
topic [Documentary film]
url http://hdl.handle.net/10891/osa:ca37565e-b085-446c-9fa7-6ced79f21e24