ABASEZI
Emile Dinneen | Ireland 2014 | 80 Min. | OmeU
Amidst the heat and haze of Uganda’s bustling capital Kampala, a rapidly growing breakdance movement is producing some of the best hip-hop dancers in Africa. And Tabu Flo are Uganda’s leading crew. They dream of one day taking their dance beyond Uganda, beyond Africa as representatives of their culture on a global stage.When the artistic director of a large dance festival in London arrives in Uganda to find an African crew to commission for his festival, the dancers are confronted by the opportunity to fulfill this dream. They decide to explore a controversial local belief in the Abasezi or Nightdancers, a community said to possess the power to resurrect the dead through ritual dances on their tombs.With vivid pictures the filmmakers creates an extraordinary access to the topic possession. Abasezi is a unique portrait of a group of young people navigating their way through the crossroads of a rapidly modernizing Africa and a cultural heritage too powerful to leave behind.
