drumming bodies dancing

drumming bodies dancing is an intimate encounter with sabar, the dance, the drum and the community - in Senegal. The filmmaker is invited to various sabar events, including a traditional women's sabar circle, a children's drum lesson, a band's performance rehearsal. We see the origins of rap and hear the Beifall priest’s chants. Sabar permeates all life in Senegal, affirming joyful community against the odds of local fishery devastated by foreign trawlers and a drying well. The final scene shifts to a village well, shared by animals and villagers alike. During the Sunday wash, the sabar band arrives and women and children join in the spontaneous performance, demonstrating the cultural resilience rooted in tradition.