Brief review of
documentary "Ancestral Voices" August 2011
In early of
June 2011, I found the DVD below and decided to get it after seeing a
promotion of the project done by the two project leaders on youtube. I
was not disappointed since I found the video informative. Also, one of
my friends is interviewed on this video so it came as a surprise to see
him since I was not previously aware of this project.
Viewers of
this video will find interviews of spiritualists and intellectuals some
of whom are also spiritualists. There is a focus on Afrikan (Akan,
Gabon (Eboka), Yoruba), Caribbean and North-South American (Black)
spiritual traditions including those in Brazil.
There is some good information on the Yoruba tradition dealing with the
various deities in this tradition.
The three individuals on the DVD cover are all from Ghana and they were
all interviewed in the video. The first is a descendant of the great
Okomfo Anokye and who is himself a medicine man (shaman). The second is
a medicine woman (shamaness) of the Ga people while the third is also
an Okomfo, presumably of the Akan. For me, one of the highlights of the
DVD was watching the interview of a possessed Okomfo where the nature
spirit which had possessed the traditional priest was giving a nature
spirit view of their role in creation and how they (or at least this
particular spirit) view their role in interacting with humanity.
For the various interviews alone this video may be worth your while. I
do recommend it, especially for those interested in Afrikan spiritual
traditions.
The directors of this documentary are Dalian Adofo (Akan/Ghanaian) and
Verona Spence (Caribbean). The two youtube videos below shed some info
on this documentary and were the ones I saw before getting the DVD.
