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Undergraduate Research Jean Rouch: Cinematic GriotAmie KarpABSTRACTAs a cinematic griot with a "cinéma vérité" style, Jean Rouch and his films remains a unity of contradictions. In his multiform collection of psychodramas, empirical documentaries and burlesque portrayals, Rouch hazards some very important questions about cultural trends and about human nature. Rouch's artistic and methodological innovations have an important influence on document-style film today. INTRODUCTIONJean Rouch is foremost a French ethnologist for the National Center for Scientific Research (Esnault 76). As early as 1947, Rouch has used the camera as a recording instrument. All of his shorts between the years of 1947 and 1954 are scientific documents that can be categorized as ethnographic film (Marie 37). During his years as a burgeoning anthropologist Rouch began to intertwine the use of a science-based format with fiction to form what is known today as ethnofiction--a once scandalous format for which Rouch has been touted both as a cinematic griot as well as the "PT Barnum" of ethnographic cinema.
Rouch is both loved and hated throughout the cinematic world. Abdu Sambo Zima, the son of a possession priest in Nigeria, was once so affected by Rouch's Pam Kuso Kar that he was moved to transform his life (Rouch#21 188). Zima, who holds an advanced degree in physics, has now immersed himself in the spiritual realm as well--he has succeeded his father as a possession priest in the Niamey tribe (Rouch#21 188). Zima, like many other Africans, hails Rouch as a cinematic "griot": a bard of sorts who passes his knowledge from one generation to the next. Songhay griots sing the praises of their ancestors to their descendants; Jean Rouch "sings" the praises of his "characters" to their peoples. In Africa, the griot is considered to be a master of the spoken word. Griots are important personalities among the Wolof of Senegal, the various Mande groups of Mali, and the Songhay of Mali of Niger (Stoller xvii). In these countries Rouch is not considered to be a filmmaker in the Western sense, he is a venerated griot whose tales are simply projected onto a screen. Yet, beneath the connotative stature of this expression lies an undercurrent of sad irony. The term griot is a bastardized version of a word that originated in the Mandikan language. Mande specialists contend that French explorers and colonizers alike mispronounced the word geeli--producing today's modern version "griot" (Stoller xvi). Although Rouch is one of the most prolific and esteemed ethnographic filmmakers in the world, he is seen by his critics as a "French" Griot--a figurative "colonizer" who produces racist films that promulgate an almost vicious western exoticism. Some African filmmakers complain of "The Barnum effect" in Rouch's films, or the fact that he sensationalizes his subjects for personal reasons. Rouch studied to become an engineer at the grande école of the Pont et Chaussées in 1937 (68). It was a perfect choice for Rouch, in class his professors stressed the artistic facets of the construction of bridges and canal systems (Stoller 25). Outside the classroom, Rouch encountered a Paris bustling with the activity of the International Surrealist Exhibition, the founding of the Musée de L'Homme, and the rumors of war in the West (Esnault 56). Rouch spent much of his time at the Musée de L'Homme, where anthropologist Marcel Griaule often lectured at the museum's Cinémathèque Française (Movahed 53). During this period Rouch was exposed to some of his first ethnographic films. These pivotal experiences both ignited Rouch's interest in anthropology. MARCEL GRIAULE AND THE ETHNOGRAPHIC TEXTGriaule made an indelible mark on Rouch's ethnographic style. As an organizer of the Dakar-Djibouti mission from 1931-33, Griaule was an anthropologist who believed in studying one society over a long period of time (Stoller 20). In this sense, Griaule is best known for his intense documentation and long-term field research of the Songhay peoples. Griaule's, Au Pays des Dogon (1938) and Sous Les Masques Noirs (1938), the first French ethnographic films in the field, are paragons of his ethnographic style. (Stoller, 20). Under the tutelage of Griaule, Rouch's written ethnographies were neither evocative nor provocative: they included painstakingly meticulous accounts of social activities, religious rituals and daily routines. Although Griaule also urged his students to film ceremonies, as a means to formulate more in-depth texts (Eaton, 12). After he began his travels, Rouch felt quite differently on this topic: unlike Griaule, Rouch eventually realized that the dead space of the printed page would not reflect the bewildering vitality of African rituals. VOYAGE TO NIGERDuring the Second World War, the Musée de L'Homme became both a beacon of artistic freedom and a center for the French Resistance (Stoller 27). Yet, in 1940 Rouch decided to apply for work as an engineer in the colonies. In 1941 a twenty-four-year old Rouch left France for Niger. In Africa Rouch immediately felt at home amongst his colleagues, most of whom were gaullists who had also fled the Vichy regime (Movahed 53). In July of that year, Rouch received a disturbing telegram stating that Dongo had killed almost thirty workers on the Niamey to Ouagadougou road. When Rouch called a meeting with his associates to find out just who this Dongo character was, Damore Zika spoke up about the matter. Zika was, coincidentally, an active practitioner of the Songhay religion and Dongo, Zika explained, was the Songhay devil of thunder. Dongo had been "disturbed" by the workers' presence in the land, and had therefore murdered the men to show his displeasure. Zika felt that his grandmother Kalia, the head priestess of the fishermen of Niamey, would be able to stop the killings. Rouch followed Zika and an entourage of spirit mediums to Kalia's dwelling where he encountered his first Songhay possession ceremony (Stoller 31). During the last years of the war, however, Rouch was drafted in the corps of engineers for the free French army. In 1944, he finally returned to a liberated Paris where he continued his studies with Griaule. In Paris, he learned about the Dogon tribes of Africa and completed certificates in anthropology, psychology, sociology and art history (Stoller 33). During these years, Rouch could not help but notice the existential change that had come over post-war Paris, and the memories of the Vichy regime that seemed to constantly haunt her people. In 1946 Rouch bought a sixteen millimeter camera and with two friends flew to Niamey (Esnault 68). PROJECT NIGER The trio decided to embark on an expedition to descend the Niger river
(Naficy 340). On this voyage Rouch shot his first film (Esnault 68).
Rouch had no filming experience and clumsily broke the camera's tripod.
For his first film, Rouch was forced to hold the camera in his own hands
(Eaton 2). This clumsy mishap was to become the earliest version of
cinema vérité (Naficy 341). PARTICIPATORY CINEMABy 1947 Rouch had discovered that ethnographic film was a more vivid device than Griaule's notebook (Stoller 39). In 1954 Rouch brought Bataille sur le grand fleuve back to Ayoru, where he had actually filmed the hippopotamus hunt. Without any announcement Rouch waited until nightfall, hung a white sheet from a brick wall, and projected the film in color. At first the projector itself attracted the people of Ayoru, however their attentions soon shifted when they recognized the ghosts of their tribesmen who had died since the initial filming three years prior (Naficy 345). The audience asked Rouch to show the film several times, and by the fifth screening they began critiquing it. They said that the film was not believable because it had music in the background--a hippo hunt requires silence because noise would chase away the hippos. In reaction to their criticism, Rouch got rid of the soundtrack and corrected other errors in the film (Esnault 74). That night Jean Rouch and the people of Ayoru gave birth to participatory cinema. Ethnography became, for a short period, a shared enterprise that was reminiscent of Robert Flaherty's ethnographic techniques (Gavron 26). Rouch's invention would never be duplicated in such a pure form. SPECIAL THANKS Mentor: Professor Sylvie Blum PRESENTATION LAYOUT
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