Possessed but Free Women

The Moussey (Musey) women of Chad between sacred possession and social liberation: the new exhibition will take visitors to the heart of one of the most fascinating and complex ritual practices in sub-Saharan Africa.

Goal and Target

The new exhibit entitled "Possessed but Free Women" offers a journey through one of the most ancient ritual practices, shared by many populations of northern Cameroon and Chad.

Elderly women, freed from domestic obligations, embark on a journey of transformation that leads them to become "su fulina" — embodied spirits — taking on a central role in the community that transcends family and village boundaries.

Necklaces of Musey Women

Necklaces

They are the emblem of the new status of women. Fragments of the bones and horns of animals recently sacrificed during the ritual, are interspersed among the beads, as well as roots and pieces of wood endowed with magical properties.

Cameroun

Features

A journey through objects and symbols

Pearl necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, ritual axes, bells, pipes, and belts reveal the symbolic universe of possessed women, along with the sacred colors — red and white, smeared on their bodies — that depend on the spirit that inhabits them

Pipes

Made of terracotta or metal, they are the identifying ornaments of possesed women. Tobacco, which arrived towards the end of the sixteenth century, became one of the most common offerings to the deities. They are smoked by possessed women when they are consulted as oracles.

Cameroun (20^th century)

Bracelets and anklets

Made of brass, copper, and more recently aluminum, they are cast using the lost-wax technique (the model is coated with a refractory material, which forms a mold). The wax is then melted and allowed to flow out, creating an empty space inside the mold into which the molten metal is poured. Also worn by ordinary people, those of possessed women are more valuable and elaborate.

Su Fulina photographs

The photographs immortalize "su fulina," women possessed by spirits, who are performing ritual activities and wearing traditional accessories. The photographic reportage was created by the French missionary Jean Loutron, who worked among the Moussey of Chad in 1960.

Benin Bronzes

Bracelets and Anklets

Axes and Throwing Knives

Generally made of aluminum, sometimes iron, these objects are not used as actual weapons, but rather are waved by the possessed women, when they are animated by the spirit, to threaten and intimidate others.

Cameroun Chad Collection (20^th century)

Visiting Times

The exhibit “Possessed but Free Women” is open from Tuesday to Saturday 9.00am-1.00pm and 3.00pm-7.00pm, and on Sunday 3.00pm-7.00pm till September 28^th, 2025.

Tel. 0521-257.337
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Guided Tours

Your visit will be guided. The museum space is designed for groups of about 20 people (or less), so as to help appreciate and see the exhibits. The same opening hours of the Museum.
Please call 0521-257.337.

Women at the Center

The exhibition is not only an opportunity to discover artifacts, expressions of ancient craftsmanship, but also a clear demonstration of how women can place themselves at the center of vital social and cultural dynamics, transforming their own status and the customs of an entire people.