Itsushi Kwase is a filmmaker and anthropologist born in Gifu, Japan. In 2001, he initiated the long-term anthropological research on hereditary singers known as Azmari and Lalibala in northern Ethiopia. He has produced several documentary films, including ‘When Spirits Ride Their Horses’(2012), the award-winning ‘Room 11, Ethiopia Hotel’ (2007) and published articles on the social roles and performances of these singers in transition. He has also investigated the prospects and challenges of imparting anthropological knowledge by actively communicating on-screen, and occasionally, debating with people through his films.
He is Associate Professor at the National Museum of Ethnology/Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan. He has taught as a visitor at the University of Hamburg, University of Bremen, SoundImageCulture(SIC) in Belgium, Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia,
Northwest University for Nationalities in China, etc.
