"El otro lado del alma (The orher side of the soul)"

Filmmakers: Moritz Neumueller, Claudia Hundius and Karin Neumueller

Country and Year of production: Cuba/Austria, 2002

El otro lado del alma (the other side of the soul) shows the role of the Afrocuban religions in contemporary Cuban photography. The Afrocuban Religions stem from West African cults brought to the New World by slaves imported to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations. The Africans were able to preserve the essence of their religions by fusing certain aspects with elements from the surrounding Spanish Catholic culture. These religions have even survived decades of banishment under the influence of Soviet Marxism. Since the religious liberation of 1991, the Afrocuban Religions have played an even stronger role in shaping Cuban culture and national identity. We joined the artists as they recorded religious practices, cults and rituals; we let Cuban anthropologists, priests, historians, journalists and religious practitioners, explain the process of transculturalization. The narrative thread of the documentary is formed by Patakís (legends of African origin), allowing the oral tradition to shape the formal structure of the film.

Color, Running Time 20 min.

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