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Issues and Problems in the Construction of

Cultural Others in Les Maitres Fous

Jean Rouch 's (1955 ) documentary `Les Maitres Fous ' is perhaps one of the most provoking ethnographies ever made . `Les Maitres Fous ' documents the Hauka spirit possession rituals of the Songhay people , a migrant tribe from the Nigers which was driven by French religious repression into the Gold Coast cities of Accra . Upon its release , the film was criticized by both Europeans and Africans for supposedly portraying them in a bad light as the possessed Hauka adherents mocked European behavior

br and at the same time confirmed prevailing Western stereotypes about African culture . Undoubtedly , the portrayal of cultural `others ' in documentaries have often been wrought with problems in terms of from whose perspective these representations are formed and whether an objective `reality ' can really be achieved in filmmaking

Clearly , one of the issues raised by the representation of others in Jean Rouch 's `Les Maitres Fous ' and other documentaries is the manner by which `reality ' is usually presented from a single , dominant perspective . Scheinman (1998 ,

. 202 ) contends that one of the challenges confronted by ethnographic film is to free itself from the extreme privilege accorded the framer of a text who is empowered to speak for others ' In `Les Maitres Fous ' Rouch ' interpretation of the Hauka cult inevitably mediate between the film and the viewers understanding of the social , political , and cultural significance of the possession ritual . In this sense , Rouch 's cultural identity as a Western filmmaker...