WEBVTT

00:02:06.633 --> 00:02:11.033
NARRATOR:
Accra, capital
of the Gold Coast,

00:02:11.033 --> 00:02:13.767
is a true black Babylon.

00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.734
Here, you\'ll meet men

00:02:17.734 --> 00:02:21.133
from all parts
of West Africa:

00:02:21.133 --> 00:02:22.567
Nigeria,

00:02:22.567 --> 00:02:24.133
Upper Volta,

00:02:24.133 --> 00:02:25.200
Niger,

00:02:25.200 --> 00:02:26.433
Sudan.

00:02:26.433 --> 00:02:30.000
They have come
to live the great adventure

00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.133
of African cities.

00:02:32.133 --> 00:02:35.367
Here, traffic never stops.

00:02:35.367 --> 00:02:38.300
Here, noise never stops.

00:02:38.300 --> 00:02:41.166
The most interesting group
in Accra

00:02:41.166 --> 00:02:43.633
may be the Zabrama community.

00:02:43.633 --> 00:02:46.233
They are Sonrai and Germa,

00:02:46.233 --> 00:02:47.700
from the North,

00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:49.066
from Gao,

00:02:49.066 --> 00:02:51.233
and from Yeme.

00:02:51.467 --> 00:02:57.100
They work as stevedores
in the port.

00:02:58.700 --> 00:03:02.100
\"Smuguli,\" smugglers.

00:03:03.734 --> 00:03:06.633
\"Kayakaya,\" carriers.

00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:15.400
\"Grass Boys,\"

00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:19.333
manufacturers of tropical loam.

00:03:24.200 --> 00:03:28.533
\"Hygiene Boys,\"
mosquito killers.

00:03:29.533 --> 00:03:30.767
\"Cattle Boys,\"

00:03:30.767 --> 00:03:33.467
cattle traders
in the Greek Markets

00:03:33.467 --> 00:03:34.767
of Accra and Komensi.

00:03:34.767 --> 00:03:38.533
\"Bottle Boys,\"
empty bottle sellers.

00:03:38.533 --> 00:03:43.633
\"Team Boys,\"
who sell empty petrol drums.

00:03:43.633 --> 00:03:47.533
\"Timber Boys,\"
selling timber.

00:03:50.266 --> 00:03:51.200
\"Gutter Boys,\"

00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:54.033
who tend the gutters
of the city.

00:03:54.033 --> 00:03:59.333
\"Goldmine Boys,\"
who work underground.

00:04:00.433 --> 00:04:04.367
(men speaking foreign language)

00:04:11.166 --> 00:04:15.367
NARRATOR:
And, by day and by night,
in the bars,

00:04:15.367 --> 00:04:17.133
\"Weekend in California,\"

00:04:17.133 --> 00:04:18.700
\"Weekend in Havana,\"

00:04:18.700 --> 00:04:20.533
you can hear the Calypso

00:04:20.533 --> 00:04:22.367
from the West Indies.

00:04:22.367 --> 00:04:23.567
Every Saturday and Sunday,

00:04:23.567 --> 00:04:26.200
they are positioned
in the streets.

00:04:26.200 --> 00:04:31.000
These are Yorubas,
celebrating a wedding.

00:04:31.667 --> 00:04:34.233
These are Aoutsa prostitutes,

00:04:34.233 --> 00:04:39.200
protesting against lower wages.

00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:45.333
These are \"Daughters of Jesus,\"

00:04:45.333 --> 00:04:49.000
singing their faith
in the streets.

00:04:49.700 --> 00:04:53.333
All this noise,
all these brass bands,

00:04:53.333 --> 00:04:57.667
forces the men
who have come from the north,

00:04:57.667 --> 00:04:59.066
from silent savannas,

00:04:59.066 --> 00:05:03.266
to seek some peace
in the suburbs of the city.

00:05:03.266 --> 00:05:04.567
And there, every Sunday night,

00:05:04.567 --> 00:05:09.333
they go through ceremonies
not yet known to us.

00:05:09.333 --> 00:05:11.100
They call the new gods,

00:05:11.100 --> 00:05:12.633
the gods of the city,

00:05:12.633 --> 00:05:14.333
the gods of technology,

00:05:14.333 --> 00:05:16.000
the gods of power:

00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:17.600
the Hauka.

00:05:19.233 --> 00:05:22.333
The meeting place
of the Hauka in Accra

00:05:22.333 --> 00:05:24.000
is in the Salt Market.

00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:26.467
There, members of the sect

00:05:26.467 --> 00:05:28.667
meet every evening after work.

00:05:28.667 --> 00:05:31.700
They gather around
Moukayla-Kiri,

00:05:31.700 --> 00:05:33.500
Moukayla of the Salt.

00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:34.734
They pretend to read the paper,

00:05:34.734 --> 00:05:38.433
like Gerba,
with his checkered shirt.

00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:47.033
And those, who have now been
possessed for some time,

00:05:47.033 --> 00:05:48.100
sleep on the cots,

00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:53.700
indifferent even to the tunes
played to the Hauka.

00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:58.567
One Sunday morning,

00:05:58.567 --> 00:05:59.767
in mammy wagons,

00:05:59.767 --> 00:06:02.734
trucks which pick up
passengers,

00:06:02.734 --> 00:06:04.266
private cars or taxis,

00:06:04.266 --> 00:06:09.200
all the members of the sect
leave the city.

00:06:14.767 --> 00:06:17.100
They drive off
the main road onto one,

00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:20.533
which is, perhaps,
the first tarmac road

00:06:20.533 --> 00:06:21.700
in West Africa,

00:06:21.700 --> 00:06:25.200
and is today overrun by grass.

00:06:25.200 --> 00:06:27.066
Then they walk for an hour

00:06:27.066 --> 00:06:29.467
to get to Mountyeba\'s compound.

00:06:29.467 --> 00:06:32.600
Mountyeba,
a man from the Niger,

00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:33.567
a cocoa farmer,

00:06:33.567 --> 00:06:38.133
and the High Priest
of all the Hauka.

00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:43.533
Colored rags float in the sky.

00:06:43.533 --> 00:06:47.266
They are the \"Union Jacks\".

00:06:47.266 --> 00:06:50.367
Just below is a statue
of the Governor,

00:06:50.367 --> 00:06:52.066
with his mustache,

00:06:52.066 --> 00:06:54.300
his sword, his guns,

00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:55.400
and his horses.

00:06:55.400 --> 00:06:57.066
The first part of the ceremony

00:06:57.066 --> 00:07:00.166
is the nomination
of a new member.

00:07:00.166 --> 00:07:04.000
This man has been sick
for a month.

00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:04.734
For one month,

00:07:04.734 --> 00:07:08.000
he has one fit after one other.

00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:09.233
He sleeps in the cemetery

00:07:09.233 --> 00:07:11.066
and digs up the corpses.

00:07:11.066 --> 00:07:13.233
Everybody knew that this man

00:07:13.233 --> 00:07:14.400
is possessed by a Hauka,

00:07:14.400 --> 00:07:17.767
and Moukayla-Kiri,
wearing his felt hat,

00:07:17.767 --> 00:07:19.033
watches over him.

00:07:19.033 --> 00:07:21.233
He is not yet entitled to wear

00:07:21.233 --> 00:07:22.266
the pith helmet.

00:07:22.266 --> 00:07:24.333
In two,
or perhaps three months,

00:07:24.333 --> 00:07:26.066
he will be initiated,

00:07:26.066 --> 00:07:27.500
when he asks to be,

00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:30.033
but for the time being,

00:07:30.033 --> 00:07:32.166
he has simply been nominated.

00:07:32.166 --> 00:07:35.266
He takes out two wooden guns,
which he strikes together,

00:07:35.266 --> 00:07:38.233
to imitate the noise
of gunshots.

00:07:38.233 --> 00:07:42.300
He threatens the elders.

00:07:42.300 --> 00:07:45.767
(commotion)

00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.500
NARRATOR:
The nomination is over.

00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:10.100
Mountyeba has hoisted

00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:13.266
another Union Jack.

00:08:13.266 --> 00:08:15.400
The second part of the ceremony

00:08:15.400 --> 00:08:18.233
is the public confession.

00:08:18.233 --> 00:08:21.100
Around the concrete altar,

00:08:21.100 --> 00:08:24.100
the guilty Hauka must confess

00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:25.166
their wrongdoings.

00:08:25.166 --> 00:08:27.767
One says, \"I\'ve had intercourse

00:08:27.767 --> 00:08:30.767
with the girlfriend
of one of my friends,

00:08:30.767 --> 00:08:32.367
and for two months,

00:08:32.367 --> 00:08:35.166
I have been impotent.\"

00:08:43.633 --> 00:08:46.166
Another says, \"I never wash.

00:08:46.166 --> 00:08:49.367
I\'m dirty. I\'m not elegant.\"

00:08:49.367 --> 00:08:53.500
MAN:
(speaking foreign language)

00:08:55.100 --> 00:08:58.500
NARRATOR:
And another says,
\"I don\'t care about the Hauka.

00:08:58.500 --> 00:09:01.266
Sometimes,
I even say they don\'t exist.\"

00:09:01.266 --> 00:09:06.667
One member has given
a ram and a chicken.

00:09:06.667 --> 00:09:08.467
When the whistle blows,

00:09:08.467 --> 00:09:10.600
the Haukas form two lines.

00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:12.700
The penitents on one side,

00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:15.700
and the others facing them.

00:09:15.700 --> 00:09:19.500
(indistinct chatter)

00:09:21.166 --> 00:09:25.000
NARRATOR:
One of Mountyeba\'s assistants,

00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:27.500
holding the sacrificial
chicken,

00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:30.400
swings his arm to and fro,

00:09:30.400 --> 00:09:31.767
to tell the gods,

00:09:31.767 --> 00:09:33.533
\"We give You this chicken,

00:09:33.533 --> 00:09:36.066
neither in front, nor in back.\"

00:09:36.066 --> 00:09:40.000
The blood is poured
on the concrete altar,

00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:41.266
and on a termite hill,

00:09:41.266 --> 00:09:43.433
previously painted
black and white,

00:09:43.433 --> 00:09:47.266
and representing
\"The Governor\'s Palace.\"

00:09:47.266 --> 00:09:51.767
The penitents come
before the blood-drenched altar

00:09:51.767 --> 00:09:53.600
to take the great oath.

00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:57.233
They swear not to do it again.

00:09:57.233 --> 00:09:58.333
\"If we do it again,

00:09:58.333 --> 00:10:02.500
we ask our Hauka
to punish us by death.\"

00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:07.600
Then the penitents
are sent outside the compound.

00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:09.100
They will have to be possessed

00:10:09.100 --> 00:10:14.567
before they are allowed back
into the holy circle.

00:10:14.567 --> 00:10:16.066
In a spirit of purification,

00:10:16.066 --> 00:10:19.033
Mountyeba makes
a libation of gin.

00:10:19.033 --> 00:10:21.700
He pours it
over the holy trees,

00:10:21.700 --> 00:10:24.467
the poles
with all the Union Jacks,

00:10:24.467 --> 00:10:26.133
and the Governor\'s Palace.

00:10:26.133 --> 00:10:29.133
On the Governor\'s Palace,
a telegram,

00:10:29.133 --> 00:10:34.333
the movie poster
for\"The Sign of Zorro\".

00:10:35.133 --> 00:10:36.500
Above is a repository,

00:10:36.500 --> 00:10:40.100
where Mountyeba keeps
the sacrificial eggs.

00:10:40.100 --> 00:10:41.734
A sentry is mounting guard,

00:10:41.734 --> 00:10:43.734
and Mountyeba breaks the eggs

00:10:43.734 --> 00:10:45.767
over the steps and balconies

00:10:45.767 --> 00:10:47.166
of the Governor\'s Palace.

00:10:47.166 --> 00:10:51.400
MAN:
(speaking
foreign language)

00:11:03.367 --> 00:11:06.533
NARRATOR:
It is 10:00 in the morning.
It rains.

00:11:06.533 --> 00:11:12.066
The one-string fiddler
is playing the Hauka tunes.

00:11:12.734 --> 00:11:15.700
Men are waiting.

00:11:16.033 --> 00:11:18.000
And Mountyeba
is going to sleep,

00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:22.433
resting his head
on the Governor\'s Palace.

00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:26.533
They are waiting for a dog.

00:11:26.533 --> 00:11:27.633
Why a dog?

00:11:27.633 --> 00:11:30.533
Because it is a strict taboo.

00:11:30.533 --> 00:11:33.467
And if the Hauka slaughter
and eat a dog,

00:11:33.467 --> 00:11:38.567
they will prove that they are
stronger than the other men,

00:11:38.567 --> 00:11:40.734
whether black or white.

00:11:40.734 --> 00:11:43.166
The guns and red sashes

00:11:43.166 --> 00:11:46.633
are gathered around the altar.

00:11:46.633 --> 00:11:50.433
(indistinct chatter)

00:11:53.233 --> 00:11:55.500
(music playing)

00:11:55.500 --> 00:11:58.400
NARRATOR:
Then starts the dancing.

00:11:58.400 --> 00:12:00.300
Mountyeba is the first
to dance,

00:12:00.300 --> 00:12:04.633
for all the Hauka
must be possessed.

00:12:05.066 --> 00:12:07.567
The sentries
surround the dancers.

00:12:07.567 --> 00:12:10.633
They carry the guns
and the whips,

00:12:10.633 --> 00:12:13.100
made out of fan belts.

00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:16.567
(music playing)

00:12:37.266 --> 00:12:41.066
(indistinct chatter)

00:12:45.333 --> 00:12:48.667
NARRATOR:
Gerba, one of the penitents,

00:12:48.667 --> 00:12:50.700
wants to join the dancers

00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:53.633
but is not allowed to,

00:12:53.633 --> 00:12:55.100
since he\'s not yet possessed.

00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:58.767
Mountyeba chases him off
into the brush.

00:12:58.767 --> 00:13:01.600
The impotent man
is also run out,

00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.033
and sentries are placed

00:13:04.033 --> 00:13:05.300
all around the compound,

00:13:05.300 --> 00:13:09.133
striking their wooden rifles
together,

00:13:09.133 --> 00:13:11.633
and stopping the penitents.

00:13:11.633 --> 00:13:17.367
Other sentries watch over those
who are going to be possessed,

00:13:17.367 --> 00:13:19.700
aiming their rifles at them,

00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:23.400
in standing or prone position.

00:13:25.066 --> 00:13:29.467
And the trance starts, slowly,

00:13:29.467 --> 00:13:31.333
in the left foot.

00:13:31.333 --> 00:13:34.033
Then in the right foot.

00:13:34.033 --> 00:13:35.567
It travels upward,

00:13:35.567 --> 00:13:37.467
through the hands,

00:13:37.467 --> 00:13:40.200
arms, shoulders,

00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:42.734
up to the head.

00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.533
And the first man possessed
gets up.

00:13:47.533 --> 00:13:49.100
He is Kapragardi,

00:13:49.100 --> 00:13:52.200
the Corporal of the Guard.

00:13:54.233 --> 00:13:57.000
He salutes everyone.

00:13:59.367 --> 00:14:02.000
Then he asks for fire.

00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.433
Fire to burn himself with,

00:14:03.433 --> 00:14:06.266
to prove
that he\'s no longer a man,

00:14:06.266 --> 00:14:08.734
but a Hauka.

00:14:09.233 --> 00:14:13.033
(indistinct chatter)

00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:41.400
NARRATOR:
When saluted,
one of the other men shouts.

00:14:41.400 --> 00:14:42.367
He is Gerba,

00:14:42.367 --> 00:14:45.400
one of the penitents
who was in the brush.

00:14:45.400 --> 00:14:48.133
Gerba is possessed by the Hauka

00:14:48.133 --> 00:14:50.567
known as Samkaki,

00:14:50.567 --> 00:14:53.266
the train engineer.

00:14:54.734 --> 00:14:57.333
(indistinct chatter)

00:14:57.333 --> 00:15:01.033
NARRATOR:
The engineer
pulls up his shorts

00:15:01.033 --> 00:15:03.166
and gathers all the rifles

00:15:03.166 --> 00:15:06.266
to carry them to the altar.

00:15:08.233 --> 00:15:13.367
The Corporal of the Guard
is now wearing his red sashes.

00:15:13.367 --> 00:15:15.533
And the third Hauka rises.

00:15:15.533 --> 00:15:17.333
He is Captain Malia,

00:15:17.333 --> 00:15:20.033
the Captain of the Red Sea,

00:15:20.033 --> 00:15:21.333
who does a slow march,

00:15:21.333 --> 00:15:26.133
the parade march
of the British Army.

00:15:26.133 --> 00:15:29.734
(indistinct chatter)

00:15:31.333 --> 00:15:34.066
NARRATOR:
And here is
a fourth man seized:

00:15:34.066 --> 00:15:35.300
he is \"Madame LeCortereau.\"

00:15:35.300 --> 00:15:39.433
Acting coy, Madame LeCortereau,
the doctor\'s wife,

00:15:39.433 --> 00:15:41.633
receives a woman\'s dress.

00:15:41.633 --> 00:15:44.433
(indistinct chatter)

00:15:45.400 --> 00:15:47.633
NARRATOR:
The Corporal of the Guard

00:15:47.633 --> 00:15:51.767
goes on saluting everyone.

00:15:53.100 --> 00:15:56.700
And the engineer
shuttles back and forth

00:15:56.700 --> 00:16:01.166
between the Governor\'s Palace
and the altar.

00:16:01.467 --> 00:16:04.633
This one is Lieutenant Malia,

00:16:04.633 --> 00:16:06.300
the Lieutenant of the Red Sea.

00:16:06.300 --> 00:16:11.433
Breathing becomes heavy,
eyes turn white.

00:16:13.300 --> 00:16:19.233
Next, the Governor
is reaching a climax.

00:16:22.433 --> 00:16:24.367
The Lieutenant calls for help,

00:16:24.367 --> 00:16:25.633
and the Corporal of the Guard

00:16:25.633 --> 00:16:28.633
comes to the assistance
of the Governor.

00:16:28.633 --> 00:16:32.433
(indistinct chatter)

00:16:38.133 --> 00:16:39.633
NARRATOR:
The Governor is standing.

00:16:39.633 --> 00:16:44.233
He speaks French
and insults everyone.

00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:46.633
He calls his lieutenant,

00:16:46.633 --> 00:16:48.266
and his lieutenant
makes a sign,

00:16:48.266 --> 00:16:52.667
meaning, \"I hear you,
but I\'m not here yet.\"

00:16:52.667 --> 00:16:56.467
(indistinct chatter)

00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:04.367
NARRATOR:
And the Lieutenant stand

00:17:04.367 --> 00:17:07.333
to salute the Governor.

00:17:08.600 --> 00:17:12.400
(indistinct chatter)

00:17:17.066 --> 00:17:20.333
NARRATOR:
A woman has fallen
on the ground.

00:17:20.333 --> 00:17:21.300
She is Magasia,

00:17:21.300 --> 00:17:24.367
the Queen of the Accra
prostitutes.

00:17:24.367 --> 00:17:27.333
She\'s possessed by a she-demon,

00:17:27.333 --> 00:17:28.667
Madame Salma.

00:17:28.667 --> 00:17:30.333
Madame Salma was the wife

00:17:30.333 --> 00:17:33.667
of one of the first French
officers to come to Niger,

00:17:33.667 --> 00:17:37.467
at the end of the last century,
Captain Salma.

00:17:37.467 --> 00:17:40.233
Madame Salma is now wearing

00:17:40.233 --> 00:17:42.000
a pith helmet and a dress.

00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:45.333
She inspects
the new statue of the Governor,

00:17:45.333 --> 00:17:48.333
and the Lieutenant
breaks an egg

00:17:48.333 --> 00:17:49.700
on the Governor\'s head.

00:17:49.700 --> 00:17:51.000
Why an egg?

00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:52.100
To imitate the plume

00:17:52.100 --> 00:17:56.100
worn by British governors
on their helmet.

00:17:56.100 --> 00:17:59.567
Here he is the real Governor,

00:18:01.033 --> 00:18:02.767
at the trouping of the colors,

00:18:02.767 --> 00:18:07.233
of the opening
of the assembly in Accra.

00:18:10.233 --> 00:18:11.734
Guns salute,

00:18:11.734 --> 00:18:14.166
and amid a crowd,

00:18:14.166 --> 00:18:16.500
there are Hauka dancers,

00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:18.166
looking for their model.

00:18:18.166 --> 00:18:23.300
And if the order
is different here from there,

00:18:23.300 --> 00:18:26.700
the protocol remains the same.

00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:30.500
(indistinct chatter)

00:18:37.100 --> 00:18:40.000
NARRATOR:
The General Staff
is gathered together

00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:42.200
to inspect
the Governor\'s Palace.

00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.600
The Corporal of the Guard
stands at the entrance,

00:18:45.600 --> 00:18:47.033
and the Governor and Lieutenant

00:18:47.033 --> 00:18:50.633
check the fresh coat of paint
on the building.

00:18:50.633 --> 00:18:55.100
Mountyeba, the man in charge,
is worried.

00:18:55.100 --> 00:18:57.367
If the Governor complains,

00:18:57.367 --> 00:18:59.266
he will be fined a sheep,

00:18:59.266 --> 00:19:02.066
or even a steer, maybe.

00:19:02.066 --> 00:19:05.667
(indistinct chatter)

00:19:08.533 --> 00:19:10.667
NARRATOR:
This man, dressed in blue,

00:19:10.667 --> 00:19:14.233
is possessed by the General.

00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:18.667
The Governor
insults the General,

00:19:18.667 --> 00:19:21.633
and the Lieutenant
gets into a rage and says,

00:19:21.633 --> 00:19:25.100
\"I\'m going to bring
the General back!\"

00:19:25.100 --> 00:19:27.533
The General
gets really furious and says,

00:19:27.533 --> 00:19:28.600
\"It\'s always the same.

00:19:28.600 --> 00:19:31.567
No one will listen to me,
the General.\"

00:19:31.567 --> 00:19:33.600
Then the Governor invites him

00:19:33.600 --> 00:19:36.166
to a round-table conference.

00:19:36.166 --> 00:19:39.767
(indistinct chatter)

00:19:45.467 --> 00:19:48.333
NARRATOR:
The General calls his orderly.

00:19:48.333 --> 00:19:52.500
The soldier Timuku
nearly knocks himself out,

00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:53.533
and then gets up

00:19:53.533 --> 00:19:57.166
and comes to pay his respects
to his General.

00:19:57.166 --> 00:19:59.400
The other men,
who were in the brush,

00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:02.367
are now possessed and come out.

00:20:02.367 --> 00:20:04.000
The Secretary-General.

00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:07.266
Mayimota, the truck driver.

00:20:14.300 --> 00:20:19.667
NARRATOR:
And Major Mugu,
the \"Wicked Major.\"

00:20:19.667 --> 00:20:21.200
The Wicked Major comes

00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:23.567
to pay his respects
to the General,

00:20:23.567 --> 00:20:28.400
who orders him: \"Burn yourself,
as the others did!\"

00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:29.467
And the Governor asks,

00:20:29.467 --> 00:20:32.600
\"Show that you are really
the Wicked Major!\"

00:20:32.600 --> 00:20:35.500
The Major takes
a very small torch,

00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:37.266
and the General insults him

00:20:37.266 --> 00:20:38.533
and asks for a larger one.

00:20:38.533 --> 00:20:42.633
The Major takes it
and sets fire to his own shirt.

00:20:42.633 --> 00:20:47.166
They have to extinguish
the Wicked Major.

00:20:51.667 --> 00:20:54.533
Then the Governor
calls together

00:20:54.533 --> 00:20:56.300
another round-table conference.

00:20:56.300 --> 00:20:58.200
It is the Conference
of the Dog.

00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:00.567
All the Hauka
have now gathered,

00:21:00.567 --> 00:21:03.100
and the dog
is to be slaughtered

00:21:03.100 --> 00:21:04.100
and eaten up.

00:21:04.100 --> 00:21:08.767
The Captain would like
to slaughter the dog,

00:21:08.767 --> 00:21:10.433
but finally,

00:21:10.433 --> 00:21:12.467
Boukelakiri,

00:21:12.467 --> 00:21:14.033
the quiet priest,

00:21:14.033 --> 00:21:16.100
cuts the dog\'s throat

00:21:16.100 --> 00:21:19.633
in order to avoid accidents.

00:21:19.633 --> 00:21:22.166
And the Governor says,
\"Keep quiet!\"

00:21:22.166 --> 00:21:26.266
And the General says,
\"Keep quiet!\"

00:21:26.600 --> 00:21:29.433
And hardly has the beast\'s
throat been cut,

00:21:29.433 --> 00:21:34.400
that the Hauka rush forward
to drink the gushing blood,

00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:38.367
or lick it off the altar stone.

00:21:40.467 --> 00:21:44.266
(indistinct chatter)

00:21:51.266 --> 00:21:55.433
NARRATOR:
Madame Doctor
starts cutting up the dog.

00:21:55.433 --> 00:21:57.367
The Captain places sentries

00:21:57.367 --> 00:21:59.600
and calls together
another conference.

00:21:59.600 --> 00:22:02.200
The point is whether the animal

00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:05.333
must be eaten raw or cooked.

00:22:05.333 --> 00:22:09.133
(indistinct chatter)

00:22:11.100 --> 00:22:14.200
NARRATOR:
\"Nobody listens to me,\"
says the General.

00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.500
\"It\'s always the same.\"

00:22:16.500 --> 00:22:17.667
He insults his soldiers,

00:22:17.667 --> 00:22:22.767
and finally managed
to get the meeting going.

00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:25.367
(indistinct chatter)

00:22:25.367 --> 00:22:27.734
NARRATOR:
The Captain tells the Governor,

00:22:27.734 --> 00:22:29.066
\"We must cook this dog

00:22:29.066 --> 00:22:30.467
so that we can take pieces

00:22:30.467 --> 00:22:33.567
to those who could not come.\"

00:22:33.567 --> 00:22:37.367
(indistinct chatter)

00:22:39.300 --> 00:22:41.500
NARRATOR:
Mayimota, the truck driver,

00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:45.767
suggests that
he will transport the dog,

00:22:46.066 --> 00:22:48.200
and the Governor says,
\"Hauka, look,

00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:51.233
I shall teach you
to carve a dog

00:22:51.233 --> 00:22:52.500
before you cook it.\"

00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:58.233
The Wicked Major gives
the Governor unwanted advice.

00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:03.433
Then the Major says
to Moukayla-Kiri,
the quiet priest,

00:23:03.433 --> 00:23:06.433
\"We must bring back
bits of the dog

00:23:06.433 --> 00:23:07.767
to those who didn\'t come.

00:23:07.767 --> 00:23:12.200
And also some of dog soup.\"

00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:16.000
(indistinct chatter)

00:23:16.266 --> 00:23:19.433
NARRATOR:
Meanwhile, the engineer
travels back and forth

00:23:19.433 --> 00:23:24.233
between the sacrificial altar
and the Governor\'s Palace.

00:23:24.233 --> 00:23:28.033
(indistinct chatter)

00:23:37.767 --> 00:23:40.433
NARRATOR:
As soon as the pot is boiling,

00:23:40.433 --> 00:23:45.300
the Hauka, who fear
neither fire nor boiling water,

00:23:45.300 --> 00:23:48.033
dip their arms
straight into the cauldron

00:23:48.033 --> 00:23:52.600
to fish out
pieces of stewed dog.

00:23:52.600 --> 00:23:56.400
(indistinct chatter)

00:24:17.033 --> 00:24:21.400
NARRATOR:
Bits of cooked dog
are wrapped in banana leaves,

00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:27.133
and empty bottles
are filled with dog soup.

00:24:27.133 --> 00:24:30.734
(indistinct chatter)

00:24:32.033 --> 00:24:33.400
NARRATOR:
It\'s getting late.

00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:37.100
Trucks and taxis
have been hired for the day.

00:24:37.100 --> 00:24:39.567
And if the feast
is not over soon,

00:24:39.567 --> 00:24:42.567
night fares
will have to be paid.

00:24:42.567 --> 00:24:46.367
So, one by one,
the Hauka move away.

00:24:46.367 --> 00:24:50.433
The assistants guide them
to the Governor\'s Palace,

00:24:50.433 --> 00:24:55.133
where the trance
is nearly over.

00:25:02.600 --> 00:25:06.400
(crickets chirping)

00:25:13.600 --> 00:25:18.567
NARRATOR:
However, Gerba, the engineer,
refuses to leave.

00:25:18.567 --> 00:25:21.667
They have removed
his ceremonial garb,

00:25:21.667 --> 00:25:22.700
but he stays on,

00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:26.066
and calls out to Moukayla-Kiri,
the quiet priest.

00:25:26.066 --> 00:25:27.400
He says, \"Moukayla, Moukayla,

00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:31.633
this year\'s festival
was a great success, indeed.

00:25:31.633 --> 00:25:35.166
Next year,
we must have two festivals,

00:25:35.166 --> 00:25:36.767
and we, the Hauka,

00:25:36.767 --> 00:25:38.033
will be very pleased.\"

00:25:38.033 --> 00:25:43.433
And so, from one festival,
another is born.

00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:48.200
(indistinct chatter)

00:25:49.633 --> 00:25:53.467
NARRATOR:
And even the engineer
finally goes away,

00:25:53.467 --> 00:25:54.633
and night falls...

00:25:54.633 --> 00:25:56.400
on the red rags,

00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:58.000
soiled clothes,

00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:01.500
and the Governor\'s Palace.

00:26:03.033 --> 00:26:05.667
(car honks)

00:26:07.333 --> 00:26:08.734
NARRATOR:
The day after,

00:26:08.734 --> 00:26:11.667
we went to see
the Hauka in Accra.

00:26:11.667 --> 00:26:16.433
In the Salt Market,
the quiet priest still rules,

00:26:16.433 --> 00:26:20.433
and one after the other,
the Haukas join him.

00:26:20.433 --> 00:26:24.467
Here comes Major Mugu,
the \"Wicked Major.\"

00:26:24.467 --> 00:26:27.400
Ooh, maybe resuming
a conversation

00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:31.166
he started yesterday
with Moukayla.

00:26:31.300 --> 00:26:35.567
But today the Major
no longer is impotent,

00:26:35.567 --> 00:26:39.633
and his girlfriend
is very happy.

00:26:41.433 --> 00:26:42.667
And not far away,

00:26:42.667 --> 00:26:46.400
another round-table conference
is being held,

00:26:46.400 --> 00:26:47.333
but this time,

00:26:47.333 --> 00:26:52.100
the point is not whether
to eat a dog raw or cooked,

00:26:52.100 --> 00:26:55.533
but simply to play cards.

00:27:05.100 --> 00:27:06.333
Madame LeCortereau

00:27:06.333 --> 00:27:09.367
is to be found
in Benjabi\'s shop.

00:27:09.367 --> 00:27:12.533
Madame LeCortereau,
the \"doctor\'s wife,\"

00:27:12.533 --> 00:27:14.200
is a rather effeminate boy

00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:16.200
who uses
a lot of hair Vaseline,

00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:19.567
but as a shop clerk
is excellent.

00:27:19.567 --> 00:27:23.367
The Corporal of the Guard
owns three trucks,

00:27:23.367 --> 00:27:25.333
and holds the gravel monopoly

00:27:25.333 --> 00:27:29.333
for the Accra
Public Works Department.

00:27:30.100 --> 00:27:31.600
The Lieutenant is a pickpocket,

00:27:31.600 --> 00:27:35.300
and awaits his customers
under the arcades

00:27:35.300 --> 00:27:39.233
of the West African
Trading Company.

00:27:46.033 --> 00:27:48.600
The General, in real life,

00:27:48.600 --> 00:27:52.033
is just a private.

00:27:59.533 --> 00:28:00.633
And, by chance,

00:28:00.633 --> 00:28:04.200
we find the General Staff
of yesterday\'s ceremony

00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:08.066
in front of
the Mental Hospital of Accra.

00:28:08.066 --> 00:28:10.367
The Governor, the engineer,

00:28:10.367 --> 00:28:11.467
and the truck driver...

00:28:11.467 --> 00:28:17.100
all three work
for the Accra Water Works.

00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:21.333
Those who, like Gerba,
were doing penance,

00:28:21.333 --> 00:28:23.100
have shaved off their hair,

00:28:23.100 --> 00:28:25.166
and are no longer impure.

00:28:25.166 --> 00:28:28.266
And, when looking
at these happy faces,

00:28:28.266 --> 00:28:31.367
and being told
they are among the best workers

00:28:31.367 --> 00:28:33.533
of the Water Works Department;

00:28:33.533 --> 00:28:35.367
when, comparing these smiles

00:28:35.367 --> 00:28:37.533
with the contortions
of yesterday,

00:28:37.533 --> 00:28:41.433
one really wonders
whether these men of Africa

00:28:41.433 --> 00:28:45.000
have found a panacea
against mental disorders.

00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:49.100
One wonders whether
they may have found a way

00:28:49.100 --> 00:28:53.700
to have solved
our inimical society.