The renowned Mahazer from Cairo aspires to keep the music of the Zãr, a ritual originally from the area that is now called Ethiopia, alive. The Zãr uses traditional songs and hypnotic polyrhythms made by a six string harp, the tanbura, to remove and calm spirits. Even though religious authorities in Egypt are sceptical about the Zãr, front woman Umm Sameh and her group are determined to conserve the Zãr’s legacy.
