Jean Rouch on Youtube

The Mad Masters, documents a 1954 Hauka ritual in Accra, Ghana.

Hauka was developed by migrants of rural west African communities as they settled in larger urban areas. The migrants with different cultural and religious backgrounds found common ground in their shared possession cult traditions, and created new rituals based on their new experiences in urban colonial Africa.

While in a trance state, the participants literally exorcise the psychic demons of state control, intentionally breaking taboos and allowing themselves to become living effigies of the occupying military force.

When the ritual is over the participants get into taxis and go to their regular jobs the next day.

I've only seen this before on 16mm really with distorted sound,and no subtitles.
It was pretty rare for awhile, now there's a few of Rouch's anthropological films on youtube, there must be a dvd box set somewhere...

dinner at the boys and girls club.

flowers

my sister hailing the goat while somebody from american idol sings to rich people

awesome haircut on waiter

jennifer not being excited about the cameraphone action

open bar sweetness

melty-est face man i've ever seen

table 37

american idol lady

i thought this guy was wearing a mask

i wish i had gotten shots of the fireworks...

...or of condileeza rice's stepmom...

manly men?

psychedlipropagandia

WILLIAM BLAKE 11:11

Yeah, just found out about the paintings of William Blake...

amazing

of course I had to co-opt their intensity:

YAY!!!