Possessed and dispossessed youth: spirit possession of school children in northwest Madagascar.

In northwest Madagascar, young adolescent schoolgirls in Ambanja commonly experience possession by Njarinintsy spirits, a volatile and dangerous class of spirits that is a relatively recent phenomenon compared to older tromba spirits. These girls are essentially young migrants who have moved alone to town to attend school. Their possession reflects the conflicts and contradictions of shifting from rural to town life and from youth to adulthood, compounded by educational policy issues. Possession offers these girls a way to express the chaos of their fragmented daily lives.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Spirit possession is a common experience shared by many women in northwest Madagascar. In the town of Ambanja, possession by volatile and dangerous Njarinintsy spirits is an affliction which strikes young, adolescent schoolgirls. When Njarinintsy is contrasted with tromba, another well-known class of spirits found in this region, it becomes clear that Njarinintsy possession is a relatively recent phenomenon, and its victims form a discrete and unusual group. These girls are, in essence, young migrants, who have moved alone to town in order to attend school. Close examination of their experiences reveals that these young girls must cope, on their own, with the conflicts and contradictions that plague the shift from rural to town life, and from youth to adulthood. Such problems are further complicated by those associated with educational policy in Madagascar. These children, more than any other members of this community, suffer from the contradictions of a fragmented world. Possession provides them with a means through which to express the chaos inherent in their daily lives.