By Gilles Pastor
“Furies” is the title of my research programme in Salvador da Bahia (Br).
It means anger, excess provoked by passion, but also elation, inspiration, possession – possession but also trance – trance through candomble.
Candomble is a religion of the body, the gods or “Orixas” become appearent through the initiated whose bodies are taken.
In the 21th century, Bahia was the economic heart of colonial Brasil; the development relied on black slaves deported from Benin. The slaves used to meet secretly to celebrate the candomble, a religious syncretism. Religion and afro-brasilian cult are deeply linked, African deities and Catholic saints are blended together.
After having burried myself in my epileptic theatre with the performance “Close your eyes, Mr Pastor” (Fermez vos yeux Monsieur Pastor), I wanted to carry on my work on body’s disorders through trance and candomble possession.
In Salvador’s candomble, you meet violence of deportation and slavery. A specific affect which may not exist in Africa.
In Salvador, you meet mother Africa, dreamed and mythical Africa. That is what is embodied with trance, a memory revival.
The creation of Thirteen degrees south (2009) was constructed after my journey in Salvador, in cooperation with artists from Salvador, dancers and musicians. A six weeks work for the French-Brasilian team, searching and inventing possibilities between Shakespeare’s play, Elizabethan music and Salvador’s city.
