When Spirits Ride Their Horses
2012, 28min. Itsushi Kawase
Zar is the possession cult widely spread in the Horn of Africa and the
Middle East. In Gondar, the possessed body of the Zar spirit medium is
referred to as YäZar Färäs ‘the horse of Zar'. In this rhetoric,
spirit possession can be understood as the spirit riding the body of
the spirit medium. Participants of Zar are described as amamaqi
(literally meaning ‘the one who warms up the space’) or anqasaqaš
(‘the one who shakes and wakes you up’), while the body of the medium,
through which the spirit departs, is described with a word that best
matches ‘coldness’. The ceremonial space must be ‘warmed up’ by the
dance, music, and various kinds of smells, such as those of incense,
roasted coffee beans, and perfumes, to awaken the spirit’s power.
Spirit possession takes on almost sensuous overtones.
The film portrays one woman in Gondar who devotes her life to Zar
spirits and explore the sensory quality of the interaction between
her, participants of the ceremony and various spirits including Seyfou
Tchengar, who is said to be one of the most powerful spirits in the
region. The film also explores the syncretic aspects of the ceremony
through showing the interplay of religions in a multiphonic scape.
Selected Screenings:
・The 13th RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film, Edinburgh
・VI MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY
・The 32nd Nordic Anthropological Film Association (NAFA) Film Festival, Tromsø
・The 9th International Film Festival - The Heart of Slavonia
・The 18th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Dire Dewa
・The 4th Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions, Tokyo
・International Intangible Heritage Film Festival, Jeonju
itsushikawase.com
