
Yenendi de Ganghel (Rain Dance at Ganghel)
Lightning struck the hut of a Fulani shepherd near a village of settled fishermen, Ganghel, in Niger. A yenendi, a purification ceremony to obtain "water from the sky but not fire from the sky", is organized, with Sorko priests, ritual musicians and dancers, and the faithful from Niamey. The musicians call on Dongo, god of storms, and his brother Kirey, god of lightning. To the rhythm of the orchestra, a man goes into a trance, becoming Dongo's horse and at the same time the riding genie. Then a woman is possessed by Kirey. When the riding gods have mastered their horses, the gods visit the men. Dongo purifies the lightning-struck land and the oldest fisherman prepares the purification vessel, addressing Dongo.
PlayMore Like This

Harlem School 1970

Circumcision
Mangbetu

Expedition Niger: Real Africa

An Unholy Dance

Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti
An Afghan Village

Aloni

A Wife Among Wives

The Bounty Hunter of Mongolia

Pylon
Los Toques del Tambor Afro Montevideano