AFTER WAR, BEFORE PEACE - IN SEARCHING OF DEMOCRACY IN CENTRAL AFGHANISTAN
Switzerland, 2008, 34 min
Christof Thurnherr
29.01.2010 18:45
Lal, a remote bazaar surrounded by the high mountains of the Western Hindu Kush in Central Afghanistan, struggles to find peace after more than 30 years of war. Everyday life in these harsch wintery surroundings don't seem to leave much space to deal with the new situation. Former Mujaheddin Commanders, religious leaders and newly elected state officials each have their respective views of this new system called 'democracy'. In this film these different actors tell us about their past, explain their respective views on the democratic changes and reveal their individual expectations for the future.
Language of dialogues: Farsi, English
Language of subtitles: English
„Ritual reversals“ or „ritual of rebellion“ are concepts used for mock rituals performend in Southern and Eastern Africa. During fertility rituals, like rain making ceremonies, women in their songs and dances demonstrate obscene behaviour while they behave like men. These are secret performance open strictly for eldery men and women. Still, we were invited to record the rain making ceremony in the land of Chief Chassuka, Manika Province in Mozambique in order to document the ritual for the younger generations. These rituals are a fading tradition probably due to the special character of the songs and dances.
In the summer of 2001 the IWF in Göttingen hosted the conference »Origins of Visual Anthropology – Putting the Past Together«. Important representatives of the field came together to discuss the history of the subdiscipline. Three students were equally interested in their visions about »The Future of Visual Anthropology«. They conducted brief interviews concerning this question with filmmakers and scholars such as Jean Rouch, Ian Dunlop, Paul Henley, Karl Heider, Howard Morphy, Peter Crawford, Harald Prins and Jay Ruby.