In the forest there is only one God who can penetrate. As a nurturing mother for the African, the forest is the place of mystery where the visible and the invisible meet. This documentary speaks of the respect that the African has for the sacred forest and its inhabitants... the invisible beings. In the forest the virgins are prepared by the women, true artists of painting, who decorate their bodies with specially designed colors based on herbs and natural stone powder. Adorned with the most beautiful jewels, it is under the eyes of geniuses and ancestors that they are about to leave the cocoon of virginity to become women. Fetishes are the true doctors and soothsayers in the African animist society. It is for the first time, after a special sacrifice for the occasion, that a film crew is allowed to enter the sacred forest. It all starts with the dance of the fetishes before coming into contact with the geniuses. The weapons they use (kaolin and eggs) to protect themselves against attacks from other fetishes who want to appropriate their powers.... The trance that signifies the arrival of the genie in the fetish's body... The relationship between the mortal and the immortal. The sculptor, initiated to the chameleon hands that inherited the power of the ancestors, is about to cut down the tree that will become the sacred mask... A true ceremony... calling on the ancestors to help him accomplish his act... forgiveness to the genie of the tree... the collective drink between the human and the ancestors before initiating the work. The mask is sculpted in a sacred place where only the initiates can penetrate. The purification of the traditional king. The whole village escorts the king to the sacred forest in an exceptional procession where symbolically the king will die to be reborn pure. by Mohammed Soudani 1989, 16 mm, 26' Director: Mohammed Soudani Production: Amka Films/Switzerland with the collaboration of Roger Gnoan M'Bala and Jean Marie Adiaffi (Amka Films / RTI) FESTIVALS AND AWARDS Nominated among the 12 best European documentaries, MIP TV Cannes, 1990 In competition at the Touristic and Etnographic Film Festival of Milan Prix Jean d'Arcy, organized by Antenne 2, France, during MIP-TV'90, and finalist in the 12 best international documentaries.