Shango

During a voodoo sacrificial ceremony in homage to Shango, the god of thunder of the Yoruba people, a white cockerel is sacrificed– the piece is a reference to the human sacrifices that still take place in the Caribbean Islands.

During a voodoo sacrificial ceremony in homage to Shango, the god of thunder of the Yoruba people, a white cockerel is sacrificed – the piece is a reference to the human sacrifices that still take place in the Caribbean Islands. The boy killing the cockerel is suddenly possessed by Damballa, the serpent god. The priest protects him with incantations and drives evil from the community. Shango is the African god of thunder and justice, and has a major presence in the Afro-Caribbean culture that Katherine Dunham studied in Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad and Jamaica.

Credits

Choregraphy : Katherine DunhamRerun in 2009 by : James CarlèsTransmission : Emilio Lastaria, Jacky WalcootSupervision : Marie-Christine Dunham-PrattDuration : 12 min