The Last Dance
Photography & Documentary series
An intimate journey into the spiritual heritage of Tunisia's black communities.
The Stambali is a cult of possession, which takes his origin in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was spread in Tunisia and in North Africa with the populations brought in slavery during the oriental trade. Like the Gnawa in Morocco and the Diwan in Algeria, this ritual is practiced by the black communities of Tunisia. It is a mix between the Bori cult of the Haoussa culture from Niger and the popular cult of the Muslim saints. The Stambali has become a tradition in contemporary Tunisia.
Riadh is one of the last insider in Tunisia called Arifa. Every Friday, he opens the sanctuary to followers who come to pray to the saint and consult Riadh to talk to the spirits. He represents about twenty different spirits, divided into seven families. Each one of them is linked to a color, a smell, a particular music. They will appear in a very precise order, at the time when the musicians each one of them is linked to a color, a smell, a particular music and will appear in a very precise order. The musicians will begin the sacred repertoire.
It is through his body and through his powers that the spirits express themselves. He connects their world to humans to bring them benefit and blessing. Then Riadh will put on his outfit and will start the dance with in front of the followers. The spirits are legendary characters and mythical ancestors from Africa. They accompany men and women in their daily life, that Stambali will revive the time of a ritual.
But today, Riadh is worried. The Stambali may be living its last days. Most of the officiants have passed away and the ritual, both cult and intangible heritage, is struggling to find its place in a society undergoing profound changes. The Sidi Ali Lasmar sanctuary is now threatened to disappear. And Riadh with him.
Riadh invites us to the heart of this singular ritual, in a last frenetic dance, to save his art.
