With the recents foreign investments in mongolia, local people fear for the sustainability of their culture. With little less than 3 millions inhabitant, the youth is concerned about the disparition of their language and tradition. I met three different young mongolian and tried to understand how they were feeling about the rapid modernization of their country. The documentary was synthesized in a photo / audio portfolio visible here : http://vimeo.com/29558880
Geegii...
more »With the recents foreign investments in mongolia, local people fear for the sustainability of their culture. With little less than 3 millions inhabitant, the youth is concerned about the disparition of their language and tradition. I met three different young mongolian and tried to understand how they were feeling about the rapid modernization of their country. The documentary was synthesized in a photo / audio portfolio visible here :
http://vimeo.com/29558880
Geegii is in her late twenties. At first she seems to be just like everybody, drive her daughter to school, plays folk music and go out with friends to clubs on the week end. But some days of the week, she is a very respected Shaman Master. During her ceremony, dozens and dozens of people come to have a chance to communicate with the underworld.
In her living room, people sit on the ground, waiting for geegii to slowly enter in her transe by chanting and playing her drums. Suddenly, as she falls on the ground, a 70 year old angel / ghost is possessing her. During the next 6 hours , she will answer and heal the people who came to see her. With the help of an assistant, who is here to translate old mongolian ( ghosts are usually 200 years old ) to new mongolian, she will heal, tell the past & / or the future.
As those practices can seem odd from a western point of view, they are very much believed and accepted inside the mongolian youth. Shamanist tradition is also inspiring a lot of the local hip hop singer. Geegii's brother, also a shaman, is the lead singer of Mongolia's biggest hip hop band, Ice Top.
In: photojournalism piece about Mongolian Youth / Portraits of the mongolian Youth
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