Tabita RezaireMamelles Ancestrales, 2019
This cinematic installation unfolds at the centre of a replica stone circle and the core of a debate about the search for knowledge about these structures. Megaliths are ancient stone monuments, often in the form of a circle, and are found all over the world. In The Gambia and Senegal, they are seen as shrines, reminding the locals of the rich cultures that existed in the region before it was colonised. The film asks the question: should scientific explanations get priority over spiritual or cultural interpretations?
As the film progresses, the meaning of the structures changes. Interviewees see them as the resting place of prominent figures from the community, as a geological phenomenon or as an archaeological site. Their stories highlight the difference between the modern world of measurement and prediction and that of mythology and ancient cosmology. But the images, animations and sounds used also demonstrate that these different forms of knowledge sometimes have more similarities than initially thought.
