Filmed in May 1971 in Niger, this short documentary records a possession ritual performed by the Simiri people in response to a locust invasion. The ceremony centers on the beating of the archaic drums Tourou and Bitti, used to invoke spirit forces through music, dance, and trance. Shot in a single continuous take, the film documents a concentrated moment of collective ritual practice, reflecting Jean Rouch’s first-person ethnographic approach and direct participation in the event.
Direction
One continuous take = Rouch becoming invisible, then complicit.
Sound
Tourou and Bitti drums that literally summon spirits.
Cinematography
16mm vérité that feels like trespassing and transcending at once.
Director
Jean Rouch
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Rouch pioneered 'shared anthropology,' where filming became participatory — here he literally drummed alongside subjects.
The Simiri's Hauka possession cult was famously misunderstood as 'primitive' by colonial observers; Rouch's earlier film 'Les Maîtres Fous' accidentally sparked moral panic.
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