Alcune notti nel Wollo tra gli adepti di culti di possessione

Abstract

The possession cults in Ethiopia, linked to traditional beliefs and practiced in brotherhoods of believers who lean to the Christian Orthodox religion and Islam are multifaceted experiences, both ancient and well-established throughout the country but are difficult to access by Western scholars due to their esoteric character, the disapproval of the Orthodox clergy and the ambiguous relationship with the state power. The author draws on her experience in the field conducted between 2008 and 2009, carried out in some villages of Wollo, in the northern highlands. The essay manages to convey feelings and emotions experienced in person while attending the ceremonies of possession (hadra) at the home of the healer known as Ali, together with the later study of the recording of the event. Some fragments of the dialogues between the bale-zar and his followers / patients are reported and included in the text, to outline the roles and voices of the actors involved – human or otherwise – in the performative structure of the ceremonies.