Main content

Far Off Sounds Ep 6 - Chief's Funeral

"For eight months in 2011 I was living and working in northern Ghana as a videographer. My company gave me a house near a small farming village called Fuo, where I lived alone for most of the time. One afternoon, the day watchman knocked on my door and invited me to the village to film the chief's funeral, which was just starting. I didn't realize that a chief's funeral is basically a huge all-night party involving hundreds of people from all over the country. I went and filmed, and understood almost nothing of what I saw. I sat on the footage for a few years until we started making Far Off Sounds, at which point I arranged a Skype interview with my good friend from Ghana, Hafiz Gbabillana, so he could begin to help me understand what I had witnessed that evening in 2011. This video is a combination of the funeral footage and my Skype'd interview with Hafiz." —Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman

Related Films

Far Off Sounds Ep 15 - Huun Huur Tu- The Tuvan Masters

"Tuvan throat-singing", or khoomei, is an ancient pastime in the steppes…

Far Off Sounds Ep 11 - Mister Moonbeam

You may find yourself serenaded by a living mannequin on Sunset Blvd.

Far Off Sounds Ep 8 - Fish & Synths

Richard Kik maintains and studies the fish at Detroit's Belle Isle Aquarium.