SCULPTING THE SPIRITS # 84

13:00, Tuesday 16th June, Cinema 1

Director/Anthropologist: Luis Correia, Noemie Mendelle, Edinburgh College of Art, Amelia Frazao Moreira
Year of Release: 2014
Duration: 54 mins
Country of Production: Portugal/ Scotland
Location: Guinea- Bissau
Ethnic Group: Bijagos
Language: Bijagos & Creole with English subtitles

This 54’ story is about the magical world of the Bijagós people whose close relationship with spirits and nature informs their daily life and every decision taken by the community. Their belief that man, nature and spirits are equal and interdependent makes the Bijagós a lost paradise. It is through sculpture that the intricate relationship of the Bijagós with nature and spirits is best expressed. Banca, a famous sculptor of Iras (spirits), feeling tired, old and worried for the future of a society in profound transformation, does his last sculpture instructing his son in the hope he will take over.  Guided by a storyteller and our character's voice Sculpting the Spirits is a journey exploring how women embody spirits while men can only sculpt or perform them.

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