Original subtitles

"The Producer..

in showing these documents to the public..

Without holding back nor hiding anything,

would like to warn of the violence and cruelty of certain scenes.

It is all part of a particular solution to the problem of readaptation.

The film shows, indirectly,

how some Africans see our occidental civilization."

This film has been awarded THE FIRST PRIZE

of the Ethnographic, Geographic, Touristic and Folk Films ..

of The 1957 'International Film Festival of Venice'.

Pierre Braunberger presents a production by Film De La Pleiade

LES MAITRES FOUS (The Mad Masters)

A Film By JEAN ROUCH

Sound Recording: DAMOUR� ZIKA IBRAHIMA

Editing: SUZANNE BARON Sound Engineer: ANDR� COTIN

Film made during a mission (project) of the NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CENTRE...

- and the FRENCH INSTITUTE of BLACK AFRICA (Sub-Saharan Africa)

Coming from the scrublands to the cities of "black africa"

young men are confronted with mechanised civilisation.

Hence are conflicts and new religions born.

Hence, since around 1927, has developed the cult of the Haouka.

This film shows an episode of the life of the Haouka from the town of Accra.

It was shot by request of the priests...

- proud of their art, Mountyeba and Moukayla.

None of the scenes is forbidden nor secret,

but open to those who want to play along...

And this violent game is nothing ..

but the reflection of our civilization.

Accra,

Capital of the Gold Coast,

is the true Black Babylon.

Here,

you will meet men from all parts of West Africa

Nigeria,

Niger,

Haut Volta, Sudan.

They have come to live the great adventure - of African cities.

Here, traffic never stops.

Here, noise never stops.

The most interesting group in Accra

may be the Abrama Community.

They are: Sonray; and Djarma, from the North

, from Gao and from Miame.

They work as stevedores in the port.

"Smuguly", Smugglers.

"kayakaya", Carriers.

"Grass boys", Manufacturers of Tropical Lawn.

"Hygiene boys", Mosquito killers.

"Cattle boys", Cattle traders in the great Markets

- of Accra in Kumasi.

"Bottle boys", Empty beer bottle sellers.

"Tin boys", who sell and take petrol drums.

"Timber boys", Selling timber.

"Gutter boys", Who tend the gutters of the cities.

"Goldmine boys", Who work underground.

and -

By day and by night, in the bars

"Weekend in California!", "Weekend in Havana!"

- you can hear the calypso, from the west Indies.

Every Saturday and Sunday there are..

people in the streets.

These are Yoruba's celebrating a wedding.

These are roused up prostitutes,

protesting against lowering wages.

These are "Daughters of Jesus" singing their faith in the streets.

All this noise, all these Brass Bands,

yet these men have come from the North,

from silent savanas, to seek some peace in the suburb of a city.

And there, every Sunday night they go to ceremonies, not yet known to us.

They call on The New Gods.

Gods of the City, The Gods of Technology, The Gods of Power: The Haouka.

The meeting place of The Haouka, in Accra, is in The Salt Market.

There, members of the Sect meet every noon after work.

They gather round Muykayla-kiri Muykayla of the Salt.

They pretend to read a paper, by Guyeba, with his checkered shirt.

And those who have not been possessed for some time sleep on the couch,

falling asleep to the guitar playing the tunes of the Haouka.

One Sunday morning, in many wagons, Trucks, which pick up passengers,

private cars or Taxis..

All the members of the sect leave the city.

They drive off the main road

onto one, which is perhaps, the first tarmac road in West Africa.

These days it is overrun by grass.

Then they walked for an hour, to get to Muntyeba compound.

Muntyeba: A man from the Niger, a cocoa farmer and the High Priest of all the Haouka.

Coloured rags, flutter in the sky they are ... the 'Union Jacks'.

Just below is a statue of the Governor with his moustache, his sword..

..his guns and his horses.

The first part of the ceremony, is the nomination of a new member.

This man has been sick for a month. For one month, he has one problem after another.

He sleeps in the cemetary and - digs up the corpses.

Everybody knew: That this man is possessed by The Haouka.

He is not yet entitled to wear a pith helmet.

In two or perhaps, three months, he will be initiated when he has to be.

But for the time being, he has simply been nominated.

He takes out two wooden guns which he strikes together to imitate the noise of gunshot.

He threatens the Elders.

Then begin the posessions.

Another one, confused, is rushed on him to beat him

because that is the initiation.

They separate them, but the new initiate is hurt badly.

The nomination is over.

A new Union Jack is hoisted...by Muntyeba.

The second part of the ceremony is the Public Confession.

Around the concrete altar, the guilty Haouka must confess their wrong-doings.

One Says: 'I have had intercourses, - with the girlfriend of one of my friends'

'-and for two months, have been impotent!'

Another Said: 'I never wash, I am dirty!' 'I am not elegant!'

And another says: 'I don't care about the Haouka!' 'Sometimes, I even feel they don't exist!'

One member is fined a Ram and a Chicken.

When the whistle blows, the Haouka's form two lines ...

The penitents on one side and the others facing them.

One of Muntyeba's assistants holding the sacrificial chicken swings his arm to and fro to tell the Gods:

'we give you this chicken, never in front, nor in back.'

The blood is poured on the concrete altar and on a termite hill,

previously painted black and white to represent The Governors Palace.

The Penitents come before the blood drenched altar to take The Great Oath.

They swear not to do it again

'if we do it again, we ask our Haouka to finish us - by DEATH.'

Then the Penitents are sent outside the compound.

They will have to be possessed before they are allowed back into the Holy Circle.

In the spirit of purification, Muntyeba makes a libation of Gin.

He pours it over the olive trees, the poles which holds the Union Jacks, and

on the Governors Palace.

On the Governors Palace, a telegram.. movie poster for "The Mark of the Zorro"

above, is the Secretary General.

Here is where Muntyeba keeps the Sacrificial eggs.

The sentries, Mountain Guard and Muntyeba break the eggs

over the steps, and balconies of the Governors Palace.

It is ten in the morning, it rains., A one string fiddle is playing The Haouka tunes.

Men are waiting.,

And Muntyeba has gone to sleep...

resting his head on the Governors Palace.

They are waiting for a dog.

Why a dog?

Because, it is a strict 'taboo' and if The Haouka slaughter a little dog..

they will prove, that they are stronger than you and me, whether black or white.

The guns and red sashes are gathered around the altar.

The guns are arranged, to get ready for the sacrifice.

Then starts the dancing.

Muntyeba is the first to dance for ALL the Haouka must be possessed.

The sentries surround the dancers,

they carry the guns, and the whips - (made out of Fan Belts).

Guyeba, one of the penitents, wants to join the dancers..

but he's not allowed to since he is not yet possessed.

Muntyeba chases him off into the bush.

The Impotent man has also ran out and sentries are placed

all around the compound.

Striking their wooden rifles together and stopping the penitents.

Other sentries watch over those who are going to be possessed,

aiming their rifles at them, in standing-up prone position...

and the trance starts,..slowly..

in the left foot, then, in the right foot,. it travels upward..to the hands, arms, shoulders

- up to the head.

And the first man possessed gets up- He is Capra Haidi, the corporal of the Guard.

He salutes everyone.

Then he asks for fire, fire to burn himself with

to prove he is no longer a man - but a Haouka.

When saluted, one of the other men shouts:

(It's Djerba, the one of the penitents -who was in the bush)

Djerba is possessed by the Haouka known as 'Sankaki', -'The Train Engineer'

The Engineer pulls up his shorts and gathers all the rifles

to carry them to the altar, for the sacrifice.

The Captain of the Guard is now wearing his red sashes.

And the third Haouka rises. He is Captain Malia,

The Captain of the Red Sea,

who does a slow march: The parade march of The British Army.

Here, again the Train Engineer.

And here is the fourth man seized, he is Madame Lokotoro.

Acting coy, Madame Lokotoro, the Dr's wife, recieves a womans dress.

The corporal of the guard goes on, saluting everyone.

And the engineer shuttles back and forth between the Governors Palace

and the altar.

This one is Lieutenant Malia -

The Lieutenant of the Red sea.

Breathing becomes heavy, eyes turn white.

Next, the Governor is reaching the climax.

The Lieutenant calls for help

and the Corporal of the Guard

comes to the assistance of the Governor.

The governor is standing, he speaks French and insults everyone.

He calls his Lieutenant and his Lieutenant makes a sign, meaning -

'I hear you, but I'm not here yet!'

and the Lieutenant stands to salute the Governor.

A woman has fallen on the ground..

She is Magasia, the Queen of the Accra prostitutes

She is possessed by a she demon-'Madame Salma'

Madame Salma was a wife of one of the first French officers to come to Niger

at the end of the last century.

Madame Salma is now wearing a pith helmet and a dress.

She inspects the new statue of the Governor

and the Lieutenant breaks an egg on the Governors head.

Why an egg?

To imitate the plume worn by British Governors on their helmet.

Here he is the real Governor, at

'The Trooping of The Colours'

in the opening of the Assembly in Accra.

Guns salute and, amid the crowd,.

there are Haouka dancers looking for their model.

And, if the order is different here, from there: The protocol remains the same.

The Generals' staff are gathered together to inspect

the Governors Palace.

The Corporal of the Guard stands at the entrance

and the Governor and Lieutenant check the fresh coat of paint on the building

Muntyeba, the man in charge, is worried

if the Governor complains he will be fined

a sheep or even a steer maybe.

This man dressed in blue, is possessed by the General.

The Governor insults the General and the man gets

into a rage and says 'I am going to bring the General back'

The General gets really furious and says

'It's always the same!

No one will listen to me: The General!'

Then the Governor invites him to a roundtable conference.

The General calls his Orderly Syobo Tuymuku,

nearly knocks himself out, then he gets up

and comes to pay his respects, with the General.

The other men who were in the bush are now possessed,

and they come out.

The Secretary General,..

Maimota the truck driver,

and Major Mugu (The Wicked Major).

The Wicked Major comes to pay his respects

to the General, Who then orders him:

Burn yourself! As the others did.

Show that you are really The Wicked Major

The Major takes a very small torch as the General insults him

and asks for a larger one.

The Major takes it and sets fire to his rayon shirt!

Fire won't burn The Wicked Major.

Then the Governor calls together another roundtable conference.

It is a conference of the dog.

All the Haouka are now gathered and the dog

is to be slaughtered, and eaten up.

The Captain would like to slaughter the dog

..but finally, Muykayla-kiri the White Priest

cut the dogs throat in order to avoid accidents.

The Governer says: 'Keep Quiet!' The General says: 'Keep Quiet!'

And hardly has the beasts throat been cut

that the Haouka walk forward to drink the blood

or lick it off the altar stone.

Madame Doctor starts cutting up the dog.

The Captain places Sentries and then demands a new conference.

The problem is:

whether the animal is eaten raw or cooked?

'Nobody listens to me!' Says the General.

'It's always the same!'

He insults his soldiers and finally manages

to get the meeting going.

The Captain tells the Governor -

'We must cook this dog, so that we can take pieces to those who could not come'

Maimota the truck driver suggests that he will

transport the dog and the Governor says 'Haouka! Look!..'

'I shall teach you to carve a dog before you cook it'

The Wicked Major gives the Governor some tips

Then, the Major says to Muykayla-kiri, the White Priest,

'We must bring back bits of the dog, to those who didn't come'.

'And also some of the Dog Soup'

Meanwhile, the Train Engineer is pacing back and forth

between the sacrificial altar and the Governors Palace.

As soon as the pot is boiling, the Haouka

who are near the fire or boiling water,

dip their hands straight into the cauldron

to fish out pieces of stewed dog.

The Wicked Major obtains the best piece:

The head.

The train Engineer, eats an ear.

The most looked for pieces are also the v�sceras

The Haouka are fighting...

to get the best pieces.

Bits of cooked dog are wrapped in banana leaves

and empty bottles are filled with Dog Soup.

It's getting late.

Trucks and Taxis have been hired for the day,

and if the feast's not over soon, 'night fares' will have to be paid.

so one by one, the Haouka move away.

The assistants guide them to the Governors Palace,

where the trance is nearly over.

However, Guyeba the Engineer refuses to leave,

they have removed his ceremonial garb

but he stays on and calls out

to Muykayla-kiri (The White Priest)..

He says 'Muykayla! Muykayla! This years festival was a GREAT SUCCESS INDEED!'

'The next year we must have TWO festivals! ..and we, The Haouka, will be very pleased'.

And thus, from one festival another is born.

And even the Train Engineer ...finally goes away

and night falls on the red rags, dirty clothes and the Governors Palace.

The day after, we went to see the Haouka at work, in Accra...

In the salt market, the White Priest still rules (Muykayla-kiri)

and one after the other the Haouka's join him.

Here comes Major Mugu (The Wicked Major)

who maybe has resumed a conversation he started yesterday with Muykayla

But today, the Major is no longer Impotent!

and his girlfriend is very happy.

And not far away..

another roundtable conference is being held here.

but this time, the point is not whether to eat a dog raw or cooked,

but simply, to play cards.

Madame Lokotoro (the Drs wife) is to be found in a Penjabi shop.

Madame Lokotoro, is a rather effeminate boy

who uses a lot of hair vaseline but, as a shop clerk, is excellent.

The Corporal of the Guard owns three trucks

and holds a Gravel monopoly of the Accra Traffic Department.

The Lieutenant is a pickpocket!

He awaits his 'customers' and also

he hands out cards for the West African Trading Company.

The General, in real life, is just a Private.

And by chance we find the Generals' staff from yesterdays ceremony

in front of the mental hospital of Accra.

The Governor, the Train Engineer and the Truck Driver-

all three work for The Accra Waterworks.

Those who, like Guyeba, were doing penance,

have shaved off their hair and are no longer impure.

And when looking at these happy faces,

and being told they are the among the best workers of the waterworks department.

When comparing the smiles with the contractions of yesterday,

one really wonders, whether these men of Africa

have found a panacea against mental disorders.

One wonders whether, they may have found a way

to absolve our inimical society.

Subs by Fa. [KG]