Conjuring Ancestors in ‘Sinners’

Sinners is a symbolic movie that emobies the power of spirituality through music. The film does an excellent job of showcasing demonized Black spiritual practices such as Hoodoo and ancestral veneration. The conjuring of the ancestors through the character of Sammy is an important reminder of embracing our spiritual gifts.

Sammy’s deep soulful voice and incredible ability to play the guitar is soo transcendant that he is able to pierce through the veil of the spirit realm. The opening scene of Sinners reminds us that diffrent cultures have their own version of a griot—a storyteller who preserves history through oral traditions. A griot can pass down culture through stories, music and dance.

The power of a griot is instrumental because they connect us to our ancestral lineage and traditions. Sammy is a powerful griot because when he performs at the juke joint in Sinners, the viewers are taken through a musical transformation. We are shown the evolution of Black American music, the conjuring of the ancestors, and a glimpse of afrofuturism. Witnessing ancestors from different African tribal groups being showcased through the power of music was soo spiritually empowering.

This film is a necessary reminder that spiritual and creative gifts should be fully embraced instead of demonized. Sammy’s father who is a preacher cautions him against playing blues music and associates it with sinners. However, after Sammy’s experience of conjuring ancestors while performing blues at the juke joint, he instead chooses to leave the church and pursue music.

My biggest takeaway from Sinners is to research and honor ancestral spiritual practices.  It is also a call to action to own my spiritual creative lifeforce energy and use it as a tool for ancestral veneration.