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"Ghost Movies in Southeast Asia and Beyond explores ghost movies, one of the most popular film genres in East and Southeast Asia, by focusing on movie narratives, the cultural contexts of their origins and audience reception. In the middle of the Asian crisis of the late 1990s, ghost movies became m ... more

"O presente artigo tem como tema central o programa Fala Que Eu Te Escuto, produzido pela Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus. Exibido diariamente no início da madrugada na Rede Record, trata-se de um programa em que o sagrado traveste-se de profano. Embora dê a impressão de ser um programa secular ... more

"In this article I primarily focus upon locally produced television serials (also called maboke, théâtre populaire, or télédramatiques), which constitute one important genre that help to spread what some describe as the Pentecostalist ideology. The main theme of Kinshasa’s post-millennial tele ... dramas is the spiritual battle (Li. litumba ya molimo). They show how the Devil and his accomplices (demons and witches) operate in the material world and thus combat the Christian God. Witches, fools and pastors are the main protagonists of the teleserials. The programmes often conclude with confessions and deliverances. Such rituals are connected with understandings of evil and culturally accepted means of restoration and purification. The moral progression of the serials’ protagonists reflects a didactic purpose, showing the audience how to become a good Christian and how to hold strong in the spiritual battle (Pype 2008). Special effects are deliberately deployed to make manifest the hidden workings of occult practitioners and the miraculous effects of prayers, deliverance rituals and Christian expertise. With regard to the serials’ format, the insertion of Christian songs at the beginning and ending of the episodes, the dropping of Biblical verses into scenes and display of Bible verses in the corners of the screen during the broadcasts indicate the Christian character of Kinshasa’s teleserials. All these characteristics relate both to the instructive goal of the serials and to the intentions of the dramatic artists to create a mood among the audience to watch the programs as divine lessons. As most of Kinshasa’s evangelising artists state, they aim at bringing a spiritual awareness to the audience. They also hope to transmit spiritual knowledge via the interplay of the fictitious narrative, the power of the Word (activated through the multiple Bible verses that are pronounced) and the image (special effects such as visualisations of the occult). The main questions addressed here are how, why and when Kinshasa’s television serials have acquired this Pentecostalist character. I approach Kinshasa’s teleserials not at all as quasi-timeless symbolic documents but as cultural products that carry a history embedded in the significant political and cultural processes Kinois have witnessed." (Page 133) more

"Indem Spielfilme existenzielle Probleme aufwerfen, Schuld und Sühne, die Schrecken des irdischen Lebens und die Sehnsucht nach Erlösung thematisieren, rücken unweigerlich anthropologische und religiöse Fragen in den Mittelpunkt populärer Medienkultur, die jeden angehen. Die Autoren des vorlieg ... more

Ghost Movies in Southeast Asia and Beyond: Narratives, Cultural Contexts, Audiences

Programa 'Fala Que Eu Te Escuto': O duelo subliminar entre Deus e o Diabo na terra do televangelismo

Contemporary Indonesian Film: Spirits of Reform and Ghosts from the Past

A Igreja Universal e seus demônios: Um estudo etnográfico

Historical Routes Towards Religious Television Fiction in Post-Mobutu Kinshasa

Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca, and Spiritualism in Film

Handbuch Theologie und populärer Film. Band 1

Die Erotik des Bösen: Mami Water als "christlicher" Dämon in ghanaischen und nigerianischen Videos

Africa screams: Das Böse in Kino, Kunst und Kult