English Word - PRIX PICTET HUMAN Artiste Photographe Hoda Afshar " Speak the Wind, 2015–20" Biography

PRIX PICTET HUMAN Artiste Photographe Hoda Afshar " Speak the Wind, 2015–20" Biography Born Tehran, Iran, 1983 Lives and works in Melbourne, Australia Speak the Wind, 2015–20 In the islands of the Strait of Hormuz, off the southern coast of Iran, a distinctive local culture has emerged as the result of many centuries of cultural and economic exchange. Central to this culture is a belief in the existence of winds — generally thought of as harmful — that may possess a person, causing illness or disease. A corresponding ritual practice involves a hereditary cult leader, who speaks with the wind through the afflicted patient in one of many local or foreign tongues in order to negotiate its departure. Beliefs about these winds are rarely openly discussed, whether its because some are suspicious or because some believe language has the power to manifest the invisible. The existence of similar beliefs and practices in many African countries suggests the cult may have been brought...