De dansande andarnas skog (2013) Online

De dansande andarnas skog (2013) Online

"In the beginning, women lived apart, unaware of the existence of men. Until one day, when the first woman, Toli, who was brave and adventurous traveled deep into the forest. Toli discovered solitary creatures with big muscles who knew how to climb trees and harvest wild honey. When Toli tasted their honey, she thought they should all live together...." That is how one of the creation stories of the Akka people from the tropical rainforest of the Congo Basin goes. Akaya, Kengole, Dibota and their friends and family are hunters-gatherers (and also great story-tellers) who guide us through their world. They explain their origins, myths, and the very spiritual meaning of life. The film follows their unique community life as it unfolds over many years. We experience the practice of their spirituality in the most difficult situations. Their religion is playful and highly creative in dealing with deeply serious matters of life and death, and may be the oldest human religion practiced on ...

Linda Västrik's first feature documentary filmed on film. The idea of making it took shape after she had heard musical recordings from the Mbuti in Ituri Congo Zaire from 1942. Forest of the Dancing Spirits was shot inside the tropical rain forest of the Congo Basin and has the worlds longest shooting times on location with participants living in such remote locations. The film was made right after the civil war in Congo-Brazzaville and is the first extended document produced from inside of this country at this time.

Since Linda Västrik did not master the local language and didn't want to use translators that often, she often spoke to the Aka people in her native language Swedish and this way managed to communicate surprisingly well.