Shot in the Ivory Coast in 1998-1999, this film by Hugo Zemp takes us to the funeral rites of the Senoufo, a village people among whom the music of the balafon orchestras (resonator xylophones from French-speaking West Africa) fills a indispensable social and ceremonial role. An investigation by a learned musicologist and a tribute by a bold filmmaker to the beauty and fragility of a traditional rural African culture. Each blade of the balafon has a name and a function. The art of making the reeds sing, the repertoire of themes and variations that distinguishes the virtuoso soloist, the role of percussion, the complex composition of an orchestra, are taught from father to son. As master balafonist Nahoua Silue reveals his secrets, funeral rituals unfold in five Senoufo villages. Here the balafons parade, the women dance, there they prepare the meal of mourning: "Music and dance ease the pain." Funeral rites and festive sociability are rooted in a skilfully preserved traditional culture. From the wrapping of the body in fabrics to the burial and decoration of the tomb with shards, passing through masks, songs of lamentation or entertainment and acrobatic dances, the ceremonies unfold a spectacular ritual and sumptuous.
