The Zār Spirits
Across North-East Africa and the Middle East, people believe certain spirits can settle on a person. The cure isn't to drive them out, but to make peace with them through music.
What was reported
Zār are spirits believed to possess people, most often women, in Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Somalia, Iran and the Gulf. A person troubled by a zār may fall ill, feel unhappy or behave unlike themselves.
Rather than casting the spirit out, a zār ceremony brings the person together with others to drum, sing and dance, sometimes for days, so that the spirit can make its wishes known and be satisfied. The spirit and the person then live together in peace.
Explanations offered
The tradition probably began in Ethiopia and spread with trade and travel. Anthropologists have studied zār as a way for women to speak about hardship and gain support within their community. Its music is a recognised folk art in Egypt.
- When
- Practised for centuries
- Where
- Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia
- Witnesses
- Communities in Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and the Gulf
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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