Area Studies: Africa Filmography
Titles Available as of May 15, 2009

Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the ALADIN catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible; for example, this filmography was created primarily by selecting from the results of the following keyword search:

"Africa" and "eaun"

To find titles acquired after this filmography was last updated, use keyword searching in ALADIN.

Central Africa | East Africa | Northern Africa | Southern Africa | West Africa

Africa a history denied. 1995. (ca. 50 min.). Film looks at the extraordinary achievements of Africa's indigenous civilizations. Because Africa's white settlers couldn't believe that natives were responsible for the once great kingdoms of Great Zimbabwe and the Swahili Coast, these ancient cultures were credited to everyone from wandering Phoenicians to the Queen of Sheba. Now the place where human history began is being reclaimed from centuries of indifference by the descendants of those lost kingdoms and the glories of their accomplishments are being revealed. VHS 5178

Africa in defiance of democracy. 2003. (56 min.). "Throughout Africa, democracy has long been touted as the cure for the continent's ongoing unrest. But can such a form of government flourish in countries where extreme poverty is the norm and violence is the chief tool of statecraft? Spanning the continent from Libya to South Africa, this program seeks to understand Africa's complex political situations, addressing the 'Big Man' syndrome and the one-party state, the destabilizing effects of armed conflict, the mismanagement of industry and natural resources, and strained relations with the industrialized world"--Container. Streaming web video. Available to AU community. DVD 1796

Africa's poaching wars. 1991. (ca. 50 min.). The black rhinoceros and the African elephant are threatened with extinction by poachers seeking their horns and tusks. Guest host Peggy Fleming joins a poaching patrol in Kenya, learning how they thwart poachers and Jim Fowler travels to Zimbabwe where he witnesses crossfire between poachers and park guards protecting black rhinos. VHS 4790

Africa's search for common ground. 1997. South Africa. (270 min.). Filmed in various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, this series profiles a wide variety of formal efforts to resolve contemporary conflicts without resorting to violence. VHS 7931-7939

Africa the uncovered continent. 1995. (25 min.). Part 1, report from Mogadishu, Somalia, examining the pros and cons of humanitarian military interventions and their human rights impacts; interviews in Somalia and The Sudan, along with footage from Liberia and Rwanda; plus a human rights hero in Zaire. VHS 6940

African guitar solo fingerstyle guitar music, composers and performers of Congo/Zaire, Uganda, Central African Republic, Malawi, Namibia, and Zambia : audio-visual field recordings, 1966-1993. 1995. (60 min.). African guitar presents cultural anthropologist Gerhard Kubik's personal field recordings from 1966-1993. This video offers a rare view into the rich textures of African fingerstyle guitar music. VHS 3645

Africa Who is to blame? 2005. (61 min.). Former President of Ghana Jerry Rawlings and Kenyan law student June Arunga travel through Tanzania and Rwanda, witnessing the economic and social situations of the people they meet and considering what measures would improve life for the people of Africa generally. DVD 4435

Afro@digital. 2003. Democratic Republic of the Congo, France. (53 min.). Looks as the information technology revolution which has become a daily reality in many African countries where the Internet, mobile telephones and digital video cameras are being used with extraordinary creativity. Visits a marabout who explains he no longer replies by letter to questions but uses his mobile phone and email to transmit his advice. Another illustration of the digital revolution in Africa is the rise of internet cafes and cyber teahouses. In some towns in Senegal and the Congo, increasing numbers are connecting to internet using a laptop computer with a mobile phone. VHS 7722

Balancing acts. 2004. (23 min.). In Pakistan, seventeen-year-old Hina is challenging tradition to complete her education. In Afghanistan, returning refugees like Maa Gul want the government to honor their right to shelter. In Kenya, Rose, who is HIV positive, is championing rights to independence for widows. And in Nigeria, market trader Tematayo is demanding the government acknowledge her worth as a successful businesswoman. DVD 1695

The bible and the gun/This magnificent African cake. 1984. (114 min.). The Bible and the gun: The 1880's saw a 30-year "scramble for Africa" when nearly the entire continent became subject to European colonial rule. Film looks at the impact on African society of three different groups, slave traders, missionaries and colonialists. This magnificent African cake: Traces the major developments of African history between the 1880's and 1945. Looks at the different ways colonial rule was established and the emergence of nationalist movements, focusing on Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Mozambique. VHS 590 Part 5

Black Athena. 1990. (60 min.). Reviews evidence that the culture of ancient Greece had its origins in Africa and the East and that the West should recognize what it owes to Black and Eastern cultures. Explores the debate around Prof. Martin Bernal's book on the African origins of Greek culture, Black Athena. Leading classicists and Egyptologists discuss Bernal's indictment that 19th century scholars systematically denied the connections between Greece and the non-European cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean. VHS 1608, HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 1608

A brotherhood of words. 1991. (30 min.). How does the Western media cover development issues in the Third World? How does the media of the Third World itself report on their societies? These questions are dealt with extensively in this provocative film, which contains original footage from the Philippines, India, Morocco, Zimbabwe and the United States. VHS 2300 Part 5

Can tropical rainforests be saved? 1991. (ca. 120 min.). From a global perspective, examines ways in which rainforests are being depleted and the needs for their survival. Studies rainforests and deforestation in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Includes Japan, the world's largest importer of rainforest wood; the Amazon; Indonesia; the Penans of Sarawak and the Batacs of Palawan, who are fighting to save their forest; Thailand and Ivory Coast; the Philippines; Costa Rica; Rwanda; Camaroon; Madagascar; and Panama, where the Kuna Indians are working to preserve their rainforest. VHS 1739

Changing nature population and environment at a crossroads. 2005. (58 min.). A look at the ecological impact of overpopulation and the effect of urbanization, industrialization & agriculture on the global environment. Concludes that "... all ecological problems are essentially global and require global solutions"--Back of case. "This program examines how urbanization, industrialization, and overreaching agriculture are depleting the Earth of its natural resources. Citing environmental changes in Morocco, Ghana, Ukraine, Mexico, and Vietnam, the program studies the impact of population growth and profiles organizations that respond to ecological crises stemming from such growth. With a focus on educational outreach efforts, particularly those for women and children, and the promotion of sustainable development in environmentally compromised regions, Changing Nature concludes that all ecological problems are essentially global and require global solutions." -- from www.films.com. Streaming web video. Available to AU community. VHS 6800

A clash of cultures. 1986. (58 min.). Discusses the conflicts and compromises which emerge from the coexistence of many African traditions and modern life. Explores the question of whether Africa can synthesize its own heritage with the legacies of Islam and the West. VHS 1271

Coming to say goodbye stories of aids in Africa. 2002. (30 min). This documentary is a collection of stories about courageous people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya and Tanzania. Interspersed throughout the stories are the commentaries of church workers and educators, who stand by those suffering, especially those thousands of children orphaned by AIDS. DVD 2701

Destructive engagement. 1987. (53 min.). Investigation of South Africa's use of violence and military incursions to destabilize the states of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia and Angola. Shows how the civil war in South Africa affects its neighbors causing billions of dollars of damage to buildings and untold human pain and suffering of the populations. VHS 559

Different but equal/Mastering a continent. 1984. (114 min.). Different but equal: This program describes how some of the world's greatest early civilizations had their origins in the heart of black Africa and discusses some of their artistic, technical and scientific achievements. Mastering a continent: Looks at two important developments in early African society, the growth of cattle keeping and agriculture. Focuses on the activities of three communities, the Pokot in Northern Kenya, Sukor in Nigeria and the Dogon of Mali. VHS 588 Parts 1 & 2

Educating Lucia. 2000. (24 min.). Part 25 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Focuses on the story of three African sisters who want to graduate to secondary school but are more likely to receive no formal education, working as seasonal laborers on one of Zimbabwe's large tobacco farms. They're being raised by their grandmother who can only afford school fees for one girl. In African countries such as Zimbabwe, Uganda and Benin the odds are dramatically against girls getting an education. VHS 7179

The elephants of Africa. 1997. (ca. 60 min.). Elephant expert Cynthia Moss, noted for her work with the elephants who live on the savannah in Kenya's Amboseli National Park, visits other areas of Africa to look at elephants who live in a variety of places like deserts, forests, mountain tops and even the beach. VHS 4982

The faces of AIDS. 1992. (20 min.). This video shows the human experience of living with AIDS in Africa. VHS 2778

Forbidden fruit. 2000. (30 min.). This docu-drama examines long held taboos about sexual identity and lesbian love in African society. VHS 7899

Hopes on the horizon. 2001. (115 min). Chronicles the rise of pro-democracy movements in six African countries during the 1990s: Benin: a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy -- Nigeria: a human rights movement challenges the military -- Rwanda: Historians build a platform for dialogue -- Morocco: Women's rights activists reform the traditional religious family code -- Mozambique: Agricultural cooperatives advocate economic reform and land rights -- South Africa: A township unites to promote quality education. VHS 6831

In search of international justice. 2005. (67 min.). Discusses the evolution of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the world's first, permanent, international judicial body capable of prosecuting individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so. The film travels to Kosovo, northern Uganda, Iraq, Rwanda and Darfur, focusing on offenses that have or could have fallen under the ICC's jurisdiction. The film also discusses the United States' current opposition to the ICC. DVD 4180

Inside the poison trade. 1990. (50 min.). Recently, more than 20 ships loaded with toxic waste from chemical plants have left European ports bound for the Third World. Favored targets for dumping the lethal cargo are the impoverished nations of Africa. Focusing on Italy's exports of industrial residues, film features interviews with waste brokers, public officials, environmental workers, and concerned citizens. VHS 1421

The JVC Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music and dance of Africa. 1996. (156 min.). This anthology looks at many of the folk music traditions in Africa. VHS 7421

The JVC video anthology of world music and dance Middle East & Africa II : Egypt/Tunisia/Morocco/Mali/Cameroon/Zaire/Tanzania. 1988. (56 min.). Presents examples of music and dance from the Middle East and Africa documented by text. VHS 7776

The JVC video anthology of world music and dance Middle East & Africa III : Chad/Cameroon. 1988. (41 min.). Presents examples of music and dance from the Middle East and Africa documented by text. VHS 7777

The JVC video anthology of world music and dance Middle East & Africa IV : Ivory Coast/Botswana/Republic of South Africa. 1988. (44 min.). Presents examples of music and dance from the Middle East and Africa documented by text. VHS 7778

Malaria fever wars. 2005. (120 min.). "Malaria: Fever Wars" highlights man's interminable fight against malaria, a disease which kills millions every year, and which is continuing to worsen. It delivers an up to date account of the global malaria situation from the perspectives of a few heroic individuals, each fighting their own very different battles against the disease."-- PBS's website. DVD 2140

The origins of AIDS. 2004. (ca. 92 min.). An exploration of a theory of how AIDS was introduced to the human population. Illustrates the thesis presented in Edward Hooper's book The river : journey to the source of HIV and AIDS, and expands on it with new reporting. Many believe the answer lies in the research undertaken by scientist Hilary Koprowski, who between 1957 and 1960, injected his experimental polio vaccine into almost one million people in the former Belgian Congo. The film interviews scientists and journalists, as well as Africans who worked in the labs where the alleged vaccines were made, and also documents the ongoing battle between journalists and scientists in proving the theory's viability. DVD 1615

Paying the price. 2001. (27 min.). Paying the Price investigates the history of AIDS treatment in Africa. It details Uganda's success with a UN-sponsored program of price reduction and medical education, and South Africa's refusal to begin a national AIDS treatment program despite defeating a drug company court challenge to the government's import and manufacture of generic antiretroviral drugs. Finally, it looks at the success of smaller local programs that are bringing hope for the future to many infected Africans. VHS 7193

Practice to policy making the connections. 2002. (31 min.). Shows examples of practical peacebuilding from four different African countries -- Kenya, Somaliland, South Africa and Uganda. It challenges the stereotypes of people as passive victims or active purveyors of violence. It shows how community members -- elders, women's groups, young people, ex-combatants and others -- act together to build peace from the bottom up. The focus of this film is on making the links between these grass roots activists and policy makers working at government and international levels. VHS 5122

Regulation of industry. 1998. (29 min.). Examines government promotion and regulation of industry in Korea, Chile, Tanzania, Uganda, and India. VHS 1828

The rise of nationalism/The legacy. Presented in association with the Nigerian Television Authority. 1984. (114 min.). The rise of nationalism: Follows the course of the major independence struggles beginning with the situation in the Gold Coast and concluding with the fight for majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The legacy: Explores the problems and successes of the newly liberated African states during the aftermath of colonial rule. Deals with racism, other social and economic problems, technological growth and the associated problems of over-population, crime and poor living conditions. VHS 591 Part 1

Seas of grass. 2003. (57 min.). This film "investigates the serious threats to one of our most treasured natural resources. Grasslands cover almost one-third of the Earth's surface, house nearly a billion people, and are in grave danger of disappearing"--Container. Journeys to Inner Mongolia, Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, and the American West. VHS 7416

Senator Obama goes to Africa. 2007. (60 min.). Senator Barak Obama travels to the land of his ancestry. From South Africa to Kenya to a Darfur refugee camp in Chad, Obama explores the vast continent that is gaining increasing importance in this age of globalization. DVD 4436

Sub-Saharan Africa realm of reversals. 1995. (58 min.). Ivory Coast, the legacy of colonialism, explores the history and current economic development of the Ivory Coast. Gabon, a future in oil? analyzes a failed attempt at economic growth and a poorly developed infra-structure in Gabon whose future may lie in petroleum development. Kenya, understanding sickness, investigates the roots of disease in Kenya. South Africa, this land is my land, examines the new land-reform policies in post-apartheid South Africa. VHS 3769 - 3770

The timber mafia. 2003. (45 min.). Reports on the highly organized, world-wide timber smuggling racket destroying protected forests in Asia, Africa and South America. Follows the illegal trail from Indonesia to the West flourishing amid the complexity of international legal jurisdictions and trading rules. DVD 1152

La vie sur terre = Life on Earth. 1999. Mali, Mauritania, France. (ca. 60 min.). La vie sur terre is a "poetic meditations on Africa at the beginning of a new millennium." Sissako's "challenge ... was to make a film about the significance of the start of the 21st century for people still struggling to enter the 20th; in other words, to show Africa's simultaneous connection to and isolation from modernity, our so-called Information Age. His solution ... was to improvise a 'fictional documentary' out of daily life in Sokolo, his father's village in Mali near the southeastern corner of Mauritania. He then overlaid these vignettes with readings from Aim Cesaire, locating them within the poet's critique of the relationship between metropole and periphery. Behind all of this, he weaves the melancholy tones of the great Malian tenor, Salif Keita. (Summary taken from California Newsreel website: http://www.newsreel.org). VHS 6001

Visages de femmes = Faces of women. 1995. (103 min.). Politically and stylistically adventurous film exploring the links between feminism, economics and tradition in modern-day Africa. African women, who daily face hardship and obstacles, mainly as a result of traditional social mores, explore ways to better their lot, to gain a measure of commercial and cultural freedom and equality. VHS 3402

When things fall apart Breaking the cycle. 1997. (26 min.). When Things Fall Apart: In the waning days of the Mobutu regime, people in Kinshasa return to traditional mechanisms to resolve conflict in a tribal court, in which the plaintiff, the accused, the lawyers, judge, and jury put their dispute into song and dance - and come up with a solution that the whole community accepts. Breaking the Cycle: Domestic Violence: In South Africa's Alexandra Township, we meet abusers and victims working to break the vicious cycle of domestic violence. Crucial to their strategy is involving men as part of the solution. VHS 7932

The wind of change the end of colonialism in Africa. 2002. (57 min.). Discusses nationalism in black Africa through the experiences of the Gold Coast, French Guinea, and the Belgian Congo, the first colonies to gain independence after World War II. Also considers the effects on Africa of the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union. DVD 4034

Women & war. 2000. (52 min.). Interwoven with footage from recent conflicts in the Middle East, Bosnia, northern Uganda, and South Africa, this program captures women's personal experiences of military violence, explains how they survived, and reflects on their growing resistance to war. The women's feelings of loss, uncertainty, and anguish are expressed through stories of cruelty, degradation, and psychological trauma, while their attempts to achieve reconciliation and rebuild shattered communities demonstrate their positive efforts to create a more peaceful future for everyone. VHS 7111

Wonders of the African world. 2000. (330 min.). This documentary presents Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on a journey from Zanzibar to Timbuktu, the Nile River Valley to Great Zimbabwe, the slave coast of Guinea to the medieval monasteries of Ethiopia in search of the lost wonders of the African world. DVD 369

Central Africa
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo

Afrique, je te plumerai = Africa, I'm going to fleece you. 1992. (89 min.). An overview of 100 years of cultural imperialism in Africa that makes the cultural and intellectual conflicts of present-day Africa easier to understand. Director Jean-Marie Teno uses Cameroon, the only African country colonized by three European powers, for a case study of the devastation of traditional African societies by imposed colonial cultures. Focuses on historical as well as contemporary European cultural domination, particularly in the publishing and media industry. VHS 3629

Bye bye Africa. 1999. (86 min.). In this reflexive docu-drama about the difficulties of making films in Africa, an exiled film director returns to Chad after the death of his mother. There he discovers, as a result of wars, that motion picture theaters have been abandoned in favor of makeshift video theaters often in private homes. Haroun visits a producer who suggests that he make a film using a video camera and concludes that the important thing is to continue to produce films no matter what the circumstances. VHS 7212

Congo white king, red rubber, black death. 2006. (ca. 90 min.). Describes how King Leopold II of Belgium turned Congo into its private colony between 1885-1908. Under his control, Congo became a labor camp of shocking brutality. People were starved and tortured in the name of harvesting rubber. DVD 1907

Ebola the plague fighters. 1996. (60 min.). An investigation into the deadly Ebola virus and the 1995 outbreak of the disease in Kikwit, Zaire. VHS 7094

The greatest silence rape in the Congo. 2007. (76 min.). Since 1998 a brutal war has ravaged the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing over 4 million people and resulting in many tens of thousands of women and girls being systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army. Until now, their stories have never been told to the world. DVD 4456

Heart of the Congo. 2004. (57 min.). Amid threats of violence, corruption, and a legacy of colonial dependency, aid workers in the Congo help refugees who have lost everything. They seek to strengthen villagers' will, essential for a self-sufficient future. Heart of the Congo is a film about courage, perseverance and ways in which humanitarian aid makes a lasting difference. DVD 2110

The last great ape. 2007. (56 min.). "Deep in the Congo lives a little-studied group of apes called the bonobos. Like the more-familiar chimpanzees, bonobos are among the humans' closest relatives, but unlike the chimps, known for their violent behavior, bonobos are far more peaceful."--Container. DVD 4752

Lumumba la mort du prophete = death of a prophet. 2002. (69 min.). This film recounts Lumumba's 200 day rule culminating with his assassination. Reveals how a weakened democratic movement succumbed to the only well-financed and organized force in the country--the military. DVD 488, VHS 3686

Matamata and Pilipili. 1996. (55 min.). Matamata and Pilipili were the comic heroes in a series of films made in the 1950s by Albert Van Haelst, a Belgian missionary in the Congo. Tristan Bourlard, some 50 years after their creation, uses the film (from the original negatives) to tell the story of the creation of the series, their reception by the Congolese audiences, their disappearance, and what happened later to the filmmaker and his two Congolese movie-stars. Film explores the complex terrain of colonial relationships and media representations. VHS 4583

Mobutu, King of Zaire an African tragedy. 1999. (156 min.). "The definitive visual record of the rise and fall of Joseph Désiré Mobutu, ruler of Zaire (the Congo) for over 30 years. Drawing upon 140 hours of rare archival material found in Kinshasa, and 50 hours of interviews with those once close to him, it tells the story of the man at the heart of Central Africa's post-colonial history"--Container. VHS 6611

The peacekeepers prix de la paix. 2005. (84 min.). With unprecented access to the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping, 'The Peacekeepers' provides an intimate and dramatic portrait of the struggle to save a failed state. We follow the determined and often desperate manoeuvres to avert another Rwandan disaster, this time in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are with the peacekeepers in the 'crisis room' as they balance the risk of loss of life on the ground with the enormous sums of money required from uncertain donor countries. And we are with the UN troops as the northeast Congo erupts and the future of the DRC, if not all of central Africa hangs in the balance. -- from container. DVD 1748

Quartier Mozart. 1992. Cameroon. (80 min.). Film uses traditional Cameroonian folk beliefs to explore the sexual politics of an urban neighborhood. Covering 48 hours in a working class neighborhood in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, it recounts the education of a young schoolgirl. Queen of the 'Hood is a proud young girl who doesn't want to be taken advantage of by men. She befriends a local sorceress who helps her enter the body of a young man, My Guy, so she can discover for herself the real "sexual politics" of the quarter. Meanwhile, the sorceress assumes the shape of Panka, a familiar comic figure in Cameroonian folklore with sexual powers. Traditional wit and music-video style are used to create an imaginary world where women's wisdom and witchcraft help them achieve a balance of power with the men they both love and struggle against. VHS 4325

Ralph Bunche the odyssey continues--. 2003. (57 min.). Within days of celebrating its independence on June 30, 1960, the Congo, a former Belgian colony fabulously rich in natural resources, is faced with mutiny and the threat of civil war. Caught between a ruthless Cold War power struggle for control of the Congo's vast resources, and bitter internal political rivalries, Dr. Bunche and UN peacekeeping efforts are not enough to keep the newly independent nation from disintegrating. When Bunche sees he can no longer be of help, he returns to New York. Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is assassinated and it is three years before the UN and Bunche can act to restore the country's original boundaries and install a legitimate government to replace that of the assassinated premier. DVD 2641 - 2652

Return to Cameroun. 1993. (56 min.). Biography of Fred and Roberta Brown Hope, Presbyterian missionaries to Elat, Cameroon by their grandson who travelled to Cameroon 80 years after they first worked there. VHS 3389

Sisters in law. 2005. (104 min.). A documentary record of a courtroom in Kumba, Cameroon, where a female prosecutor and judge work to put an end to their community's tacit acceptance of child abuse, wife beating and rape. DVD 2599

Strange beliefs. 1985. (52 min.). Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard was the first trained anthropologist to do work in Africa, where he lived among the Azande and studied their belief in witchcraft. VHS 1070

East Africa
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda

Abc africa. 2001. (84 min.). Over the course of a 10-day visit to Uganda, Abbas Kiarostami uses his camera to capture and caress the faces of a thousand orphans, many whose parents died of AIDS. Alternately heartbreaking and optimistic. DVD 1345

Africa's poaching wars. 1988. (ca. 50 min.). The black rhinoceros and the African elephant are threatened with extinction by poachers seeking their horns and tusks. Guest host Peggy Fleming joins a poaching patrol in Kenya, learning how they thwart poachers and Jim Fowler travels to Zimbabwe where he witnesses crossfire between poachers and park guards protecting black rhinos. VHS 4790

Ambush in Mogadishu. 1998. (90 min.). Frontline investigates what went wrong with the peacekeeping mission in Mogadishu. On Oct. 3, 1993, elite units of the U.S. Army's Rangers and Delta Force were pinned down on the streets of Mogadishu by forces of Somali warlord, Mohammed Farah Aidid. Eighteen American soldiers died and seventy-five were wounded. The incident caused the U.S. to rethink its response to the world's humanitarian crises. VHS 5627

Among the wild chimpanzees. 1984. (59 min.). Documents Jane Goodall's twenty-two year field research on the wild chimpanzees of East Africa. Shows the chimpanzees' nomadic behavior, their family structure, and their ability to hunt and make and use tools. Also looks at discoveries of warfare and cannibalism. VHS 7836

As we forgive. 2008. (53 min.). "Rosaria and Chantal are two Rwandan women coming face-to-face with the men who slaughtered their families during the 1994 genocide. The subjects of As We Forgive speak for a nation still wracked by the grief of a genocide that killed one in eight Rwandans in 1994. Overwhelmed by an enormous backlog of court cases, the government has returned over 50,000 thousand genocide perpetrators back to the very communities they helped to destroy. Without the hope of full justice, Rwanda has turned to a new solution: Reconciliation."--film's website. DVD 4729

Born in Africa. 1990. (88 min.). Philly Bongoley Lutaaya was a celebrated singer/musician from Uganda who died of AIDS in December 1989. But he died a national hero because he gave his nation new hope in battling the devastation of the disease. Program chronicles his remarkable last year of life as he traveled across Uganda in a crusade to help stop the spread of AIDS, even as the disease ravaged his body. Filmed in Uganda and Sweden. VHS 789

Caught in the crossfire. 1998. (15 min.). This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. This segment looks at Fiji which, since the armed coup in 1987, has become a cauldron of ethnic persecution and human rights abuses. Male authority in Pacific culture is so deeply entrenched that women have no power to say "no" to sexual exploitation. Prostitution is a taboo subject in Fiji and is illegal, but it is the women and not the men who get prosecuted. VHS 5512

Chronicle of a genocide foretold. 1996. (141 min.). Explores the the 1994 massacre of 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda. Blood was flowing like a river: Explores the genesis of the genocide in two key regions of Rwanda: Kibuye and the Bugesera, where "blood was flowing like a rive" and "Rwandans will never again be the same.". We were cowards: Explores how and why the international community abandoned Rwandans to their killers. Focusing on the largest massacre in Kigali and featuring unique footage shot by a UN peacekeeper, this documentary looks at the experiences of UN soldiers who pulled out of Kigali, and of the victims who were left behind. We feel betrayed: Following the genocide, the Hutu majority is subjected to crimes perpetrated this time by the new Rwandan government led by Tutsi extremists. This final part records the search for justice in a land where reconciliation is still a long way off. VHS 4565

Cleaning up corruption. 1998. (30 min.). This program deals with anti-corruption measures in Uganda, Brazil and Singapore. DVD 1827-1829

The coffee-go-round. 2004. (26 min.). Globally, 400 billion cups of coffee are drunk each year. Coffee experts say demand is increasing world-wide. And yet many of the world's coffee growers say they are in the middle of a crisis. Life visits Ethiopia, the cradle of coffee, and speaks to players in the international coffee trade to find out how individual coffee growers can survive the boom and bust of the global coffee market. DVD 1692

Consuming hunger. 1988. (87 min.). If the Vietnam conflict was a "television war," then the starvation in Ethiopia was a "television famine." Our thoughts and feelings about it and responses to it have been completely shaped by television images. Consuming Hunger analyzes how these images became our reality. Pt. 1: Asks why it took so long for Western television to cover the famine in Ethiopia. Explores how the media shapes our view of what is happening, transforming television images into our reality. This segment investigates the difficulty in publicizing the Ethiopian famine. Journalists tell of their struggles to convince networks to broadcast humanitarian footage, revealing the interest of the networks in showing sensationalist images. Pt. 2: Explores how the media shapes our view of the world, transforming television images into our reality. Look at the misrepresentations that result from stereotyped portrayals of Africa, juxtaposing typical media images with documentary images of African life. Examine
s what was done with the famine story, including use of celebrities, for-profit commercials based on the situation, the Live Aid fundraising, and some Africans' criticism of Western coverage. Pt. 3: Explores how the media shapes our view of what is happening, transforming television images into our reality. This segment asks what we have learned from the tragedy of the Ethiopian famine. Shows how the deaths of thousands there made the U.S. more aware of the plight of its own poor, hungry and homeless. Tells how the famine gave birth to the mega-event as a relief tool, using Live Aid and Hands Across America as examples. Examines the Madison Avenue treatment of problems such as domestic hunger and homelessness and the conscious decision by the organizers to avoid the political aspects of the problems. VHS 578

The day I will never forget. 2002. (90 min.). "This film examines the practice of female genital mutilation in Kenya and the pioneering African women who are bravely reversing the tradition. In this work, women speak candidly about the practice and explain its cultural significance within Kenyan society. From gripping testimonials by young women who share the painful aftermath of their trauma to interviews with elderly matriarchs who stubbornly stand behind the practice, Director Kim Longinotto paints a complex portrait of the current polemics and conflicts that have allowed this procedure to exist well into modern times." --from www.wmm.com. VHS 5886

The debt police. 2000. (24 min.). Part 29 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Uganda has recently benefited from a debt relief initiative, but in a country where corruption is rife, is this relief really going to reach the poor? This program travels in rural Uganda with the Uganda Debt Network, an NGO working to ensure that this aid does reach the poor and improves their lives, and reports on the thriving anti-corruption movement that has sprung up, with popular theater and campaigning schoolchildren. VHS 7182

The dream becomes a reality nation building and the continued struggle of the women of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front : a documentary. 1995. (48 min.). Interviews with women who were treated as equals during the struggle for Eritrean independence about their current employment and social conditions. Most have continued to work in their professions or vocations although the traditional cultural forces make full sexual equality impossible. VHS 4158

The first family. (60 min.). Tells of the 1974 discovery in Ethiopia of the oldest, most complete skeleton of human ancestry and the discovery in 1975 of the remains of thirteen persons believed to be three million years old. Curator of physical anthropology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and American leader of the exploration team, Donald C. Johanson, discusses the significance of the discovery. VIC 610

Forsaken cries the story of Rwanda. 1997. (35 min.). In 1994, close to one million people were killed in Rwanda. Documentary examines Rwanda as a case study of the human rights challenge of the 21st century. Film incorporates historical footage, interviews with genocide survivors, and analyses of such issues as: the international laws of genocide, a history of the Great Lakes region, the failure of the international community, U.S. policy, and non-governmental organizations, the refugee crises, etc. VHS 4808

Frontline World stories from a small planet March 25, 2004. 2004. (60 min.). "PBS' international newsmagazine follows reporter Sharmeen Obaid as she journeys across her native Pakistan to gauge the feelings of the Pakistani people regarding their presiden'ts crackdown on domestic terrorism and his efforts to secure peace with the country's bitter enemy, India. Also featured, a report from Kyrgyzstan, where the tradition of kidnapping brides has come back stronger than ever in the post-Soviet era; and a visit to Kenya, where local women are breaking records and breaking down social barriers by training to join the ranks of the world's elite long distance runners"--Container. VHS 7819

Frontline world stories from a small planet October 31, 2006. 2006. (60 min.). Reporter Evan Williams travels undercover to Burma to expose the unprecedented violence and repression being carried out by the government against its own people. Clark Boyd reports on an internet company that connects small businesses in Uganda directly with international lenders. Marco Werman reports on an eclipse observed from Libya. DVD 3156

Gacaca living together again in Rwanda? 2002. (55 min.). In 1994, decades of politically motivated ethnic scapegoating culminated in a wholesale slaughter of the Rwanda's Tutsi minority, along with many Hutu moderates. Today, Rwanda is rebuilding, but its most difficult task is addressing the emotional trauma and fostering reconciliation between the Hutu and Tutsi. This film follows the first steps in one of the world's boldest experiments in reconciliation: the Gacaca Tribunals. These are a form of citizen-based justice based on ancient traditions of judgement, aimed at unifying this scarred nation. VHS 7357

Gardiens de la mâemoire = Keepers of memory. 2004. (52 min.). Through eyewitness accounts and gripping footage, acclaimed director Eric Kabera takes a heartfelt look at the 1994 Rwandan genocide, its survivors, the memorials created in the victims' honor, and those who keep the memories alive. DVD 2548

Général Idi Amin Dada autoportrait. 1974. (90 min.). A terrifying comedy. Along with the surreal pomposities of the notorious ruler, there's the cold-blooded reality of expulsions, disappearamces and executions. VHS 3840

Ghosts of Rwanda. 2004. (115 min.). Chronicles the Rwandan genocide of 1993, one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. Includes interviews with key government officials, diplomats, and eyewitnesses accounts. DVD 824

God sleeps in Rwanda. 2004. (28 min.). Five women struggle to rebuild their lives and redefine women's roles in a country torn apart by war. DVD 2331

Gorillas in the mist the story of Dian Fossey. 1988. (129 min.). Based on the true story of young anthropologist Dian Fossey who travels to the African mountains to study the rare gorillas. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5746, VHS 1301

Gulu the struggle for peace. 1999. (36 minutes). This is the story of a community caught between two fighting forces in a civil conflict that has been raging for 13 years and shows little signs of being resolved. The Acholi community in the northern district of Gulu and Kitgum has managed to find ways of surviving the on-going war by actively addressing the trauma of violence with peace-building initiatives that are able to function in the midst of the conflict. No time is lost waiting for the end of the fighting to start reconstructing people's lives. VHS 4827

Imbalu ritual of manhood of the Bagisu of Uganda. 1988. (69 min.). This video follows two adolescent Bagisu men as they prepare for the ritual of "imbalu", or circumcision. Done in the tradition of their ancestors, imbalu signals the passage from childhood into manhood. VHS 2849

In Rwanda we say-- the family that does not speak dies. 2004. (54 min.). "An astonishing testament to the liberating power of speech, IN RWANDA WE SAY... THE FAMILY THAT DOES NOT SPEAK DIES is an important, intimate and fascinating examination of how, and whether, people can overcome fear, hatred and deep emotional scars after genocide, to forge a common future. Over the past several years award-winning filmmaker Anne Aghion has traveled to rural Rwanda to chart the progress and impact of the ethnic reconciliation programs there. This film continues her quest to learn how the human spirit survives a trauma like the 1994 attempt to wipe out the Tutsi minority, which claimed 800,000 lives in 100 days. IN RWANDA WE SAY... returns two years later, as close to 16,000 of these suspects, still untried, are released across the country. Having confessed to their crimes, and having served the maximum sentence the Gacaca tribunals would eventually impose, perpetrators of appalling crimes are sent home to plow fields and
fetch water alongside the people they victimized." --from www.frif.com. VHS 7595

In the tall grass inside the citizen-based justice system Gacaca. 2006. (57 min.). Focuses on the Hutu and Tutsi as they struggle through Rwanda's unique reconciliation process: Gacaca, a network of grassroots community courts. Shows the challenges faced by post-genocide countries as they transition from violence to peace. DVD 2550

In the wake of war. 2004. (24 min.). Thousands of refugees from Burundi are returning to their homeland convinced that the bitter civil war may be coming to an end. Using traditional mediation systems and peacemakers Burundi is introducing innovative peace and reconciliation projects. The aim is to start a grass roots movement to bring a lasting peace to Burundi and its long-suffering citizens. This program examines the future for Burundi, for power sharing and for a rapprochement between warring factions. DVD 1697

Invisible children. 2006. (55 min.). In Uganda's long-lasting civil war, many children have been abducted to be trained as child soldiers. This film documents the children's life and general social conditions in Uganda in 2003. DVD 2558

The Italian Ethiopian war Africa in world affairs. 1978. (26 min.). Series uses original newsreels, soundtracks and rare archival footage to document the years between World War I and World War II. This segment discusses Mussolini and his campaign to acquire Ethiopia as a colony for Italy. Also presents the attitude of Americans toward Mussolini and the racial strife which erupted between American blacks and Italian Americans as a result of Italy's brutal aggression against Ethiopia. Shows how the war paved the way for World War II. VHS 631

Left behind. 2002. (34 min.). Documentary showing Putzel's experiences of working at the Nyumbani Children's Home, an orphanage for HIV-positive children in Kenya. Explores the lives of the children; why the virus spreads in the poverty-ridden slum; and the struggle for survival of homeless children who lost their parents to AIDS. VHS 7539

Maragoli. A documentary in which the villagers of the Maragoli region in Kenya describe their reaction to "development" by explaining their aspirations, why they have so many children and why they fear the destruction of their traditional ways. Portrays the interlocking problem of high fertility rates, land scarcity, lack of education and employment and migration. MPD 20

Masai women. 1974. (52 min.). An ethnographic view of Masai culture and society, focusing on the preparation of young Masai girls for marriage and life in their society. Probes, through a candid interview with an older woman, the feelings of the Masai women about polygamy and their inability to own property. VHS 2953

No place to hide United Nations peacekeeping: a personal view by Sir Brian Urquhart. 1996. (50 min.). This program presents the history of the UN's successful and sometimes controversial peacekeeping efforts by analyzing the most recent operations in Bosnia and Somalia, and addressing the question of the future of such operations. The program features rare archival footage and examines current operations and crises through the voices of the peacekeepers, diplomats, and journalists involved in them. VHS 4429

On our watch. 2007. (60 min.). "The world invoked its vow 'Never Again!' after the genocide in Rwanda and atrocities in Srebrenica. Then came Darfur. Over the past four years at least 200,000 people have been killed, 2.5 million driven from their homes, and mass rapes have once more been used as a weapon of war in a brutal campaign by Janjaweed militias and the Sudanese government against civilians in Darfur. FRONTLINE asks why the international community and the United Nations have once again failed to stop the slaughter"--Container. DVD 4328

Only through dialogue the Somali way to peace. 2001. (28 minutes). About how Somalis in Somaliland overcame the legacy of a civil war through dialogue and negotiation based upon a firmly established tradition of peacemaking within their culture. It challenges the stereotypes of Somalis as victims and purveyors of war. Instead, it reveals and analyses the internal forces that push conflicting communities into talking with each other in their search for peace. Through a blend of modern and traditional institutions of peacemaking and governance, people in Somaliland were able to move beyond conflict to peace. VHS 3392

The orphan generation a video about community-based care and support for children orphaned by AIDS. 1992. (ca. 50 min.). Part 1 describes what happens to some of the 20,000 Ugandan children orphaned by AIDS in a single year: some of them struggle on alone, others are brought to an orphanage and still others end up on the street. However, with the help of the local and international community an alternative can be provided: to leave them under the care of relatives, or at least of the local community so that they may continue to receive care, support, guidance and above all, love, and may not end up destitute when they grow up. Part 2 shows the alternative at work in one Ugandan village: women's groups, with the support of UCOBAC (Uganda Community-Based Association for Child Welfare) have set up day care centres to look after the children's needs, local artisans teach them a trade, a hospital looks after their medical needs through a mobile clinic and local and international aid organizations pay their school fees. Aid is also provided to the surviving relatives so that the financial burden of looking after the orphans does not become unbearable for them. VHS 7497

Our friends at the bank. 1997. (85 min.). Filmed over a period of 14 months, documents the negotiations between the World Bank and Uganda in an attempt to understand and describe the relationship and its implications for Uganda. Describes the activities of James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, and Yoweri Museveni, leader of Uganda. Explores the conflicts the Bank faces in regard to which economic and financing philosophy to adopt in Africa. VHS 5611

Pandemic facing aids. 2003. (113 min.). "Directed by award-winning filmmaker Rory Kennedy ("American Hollow," "A Boy's Life"), this theatrical version of the HBO series takes us from Uganda to India, Brazil, Thailand, and Russia to reveal five remarkable stories of people who have been touched by AIDS. From James, a seven-year-old Ugandan orphan who is taking care of his little sister Jessica, to Lek, a former sex worker in Thailand, these stories are both heartbreaking and uplifting. Ultimately, Pandemic is a film about hope, not defeat."--Publisher's website. DVD 754

Peace by peace women on the frontlines. 2003. (86 min.). "Profiles women in Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi and the United States who are building the foundations for sustainable peace." VHS 7639

Portrait of an African artist Elimo Njau the antelope-man. 1993. (21 min.). Conversation with East African artist Elimo Njau on the state of contemporary African art; a tour of the Paa ya Paa Gallery in Nairobi and the sculpture, painting, and ceramics which illustrate his thesis that Africans, though materially poor, are spiritually rich. VHS 5540

Reconciliation radio Democracy or disruption. 1997. (ca. 21 min.). Reconciliation radio: Neighboring Rwanda is Burundi, where animosities between Hutus and Tutsis have already resulted in thousands of deaths. In Burundi, as in Rwanda, hate radio has been used to incite ethnic violence. But in Burundi, radio is also being utilized as a means of building understanding and promoting reconciliation. At Studio Ijambo, Hutu and Tutsi journalists work together to provide balanced news, features, and even soap operas. This episode spotlights journalists who risk their lives for reconciliation in Burundi. Democracy or disruption: Kenya's President Daniel arap Moi has described her as "a madwoman" and a "threat to the order and security of the country." Her friends and supporters have urged her to stay away from Kenya or to stay underground. Founder of the Green Belt movement which organizes rural women to plant and raise trees, Professor Wangari Maathai is a globally recognized environmental leader and an outspoken op
ponent of the entrenched power structures in Kenya. VHS 7933

The right to choose. 2000. (24 min.). Part 8 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Nibret is eleven -- and they're marrying her off to a man she's never met. Forced marriage isn't unusual in northern Ethiopia -- it helps to cement ties between families and establish land rights. This program reports on the dissonant voices arguing for change in local cultures -- and calls for reproductive health care and primary education for women and looks at widespread discrimination and violence against women. VHS 7171

Rwanda do scars ever fade? 2005. (ca. 70 min.). Travel to war-ravaged Rwanda to hear from the survivors of the brutal genocide which saw 800,000 of the Tutsi minority slaughtered in a little over three months in 1994 and to see what is being done to help their nation recover. DVD 2332

Shake hands with the devil the journey of Roméo Dallaire. 2005. (91 min.). The film captures (Ret'd) Lt. General Roméo Dallaire's return to Rwanda to relive his memories of the 1994 genocide while he was the commander of a U.N. peacekeeping force. It also portrays the West's view of Rwanda and how the international community and media abandoned the Rwandan people in their time of greatest need. DVD 2252

Shooting Dogs. 2005. (112 min.). A powerful re-telling of the actual events of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. At first, life is relatively calm at Rwanda's Ecole Technique Officielle, a European-run secondary school where UN peacekeepers provide protection for students and refugees alike, in a country scarred by historically warring factions. And a wise if world-weary Catholic priest is an apt spiritual guide for an idealistic young teacher. But when Hutu militia launch a bloody attack on the school, the two men must search their faith and decide whether to face death amongst the refugees or flee for safety. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4497

Sidet forced exile. 1991. (60 min.). Presents the stories of three Ethiopian women who each sought refuge in the Sudan. Tells how they have managed to survive displacement and create lives for themselves in exile. VHS 5603

Six billion and beyond. 1999. (56 min.). Explores the issues of reproductive health, population, and environment in six nations: Mexico, Kenya, India, China, Italy and the United States. VHS 6835

Soldier child kidnapped innocence. 1998. (55 min.). Documents attempts to rehabilitate Ugandan children forced to fight in Joseph Kony's Lord's Liberation Army. DVD 2152

Stolen childhoods. 2003. (86 min.). "Stolen Childhood is a feature length documentary on child labor. The story is told in the words of laboring children, their parents, and the people working daily to help them. Children share their experiences of exploitation and their hopes for a better life and future ... Filmed in seven countries: Brazil, India, the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Kenya and Nepal, stolen childhoods examines the cost of child labor to the global community, probes the causes of this complex phenomenon and recommends actions that can be taken to eliminate this gross human rights violation in our lifetime"--Container. DVD 5028

Surviving in Africa. 1994. (55 min.). Paleoanthropologist Don Johanson sets out to disprove that early man's larger brain and reliance on technology are the by-products of the ability to hunt. He embarks on a journey across the Serengeti savanna of East Africa to attempt to reconstruct early man's survival behaviors. He finds food not by hunting but by scavenging off the leftovers of lions and leopards. VHS 2472

Taking root the vision of Wangari Maathai. 2008. (80 min.). Taking Root tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights, and defend democracy--a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration. DVD 5048

Through my eyes a film about Rwandan youth. 2004. (44 min.). Film follows the youth of Rwanda in 2004, who use the arts to help move the country forward ten years after the genocide. DVD 1971

To live with herds. 1971. (69 min.). A classic documentary on the Jie of pre-Amin Uganda that looks at life in a traditional Jie homestead during a harsh dry season. Film demonstrates the effects of nation building on the seminomadic pastoral Jie as government policy seem to attack rather than support the values and economic base of Jie society. VHS 4903

The triumph of evil. 1999. (60 min.). Eight hundred thousand Tutsis were slaughtered by the Hutu majority in Rwanda. As the U.N.'s Genocide Convention -- created to make sure genocide would never happen again -- marks its 50th anniversary, Frontline examines the role of Britain, France, the U.S. and the U.N. as they ignored the warnings and evidence of impending massacre. VHS 5668

Uganda and Liberia. 1997. (52 min.). Filmed in various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, this series profiles a wide variety of formal efforts to resolve contemporary conflicts without resorting to violence. VHS 7939

Une republique devenue folle Rwanda 1894-1994. 1996. (ca. 60 min.). Interviews, still photographs and film footage show the history of colonial rule in Rwanda and the ethnic tension that developed into civil war and massacres in 1994. VHS 4090

Valentina's nightmare. 1999. (60 min.). Four days after the slaughter of her village, Valentina, a thirteen-year-old Tutsi girl, lay hidden among the corpses of her family and neighbors, her machete wounds festering with infection. Miraculously, she would survive to tell her story. Program looks back at the origins and the horrors of the 1994 massacre of 800,000 Tutsis by the Hutu majority in Rwanda and examines the country's struggle for justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of the bloody genocide. VHS 6420

Volcanoes of the Kenya Rift. 1988. (29 min.). Studies several volcanoes along the Kenya Rift Valley of East Africa and suggests how and why they coincide with a rift valley system. Examines geologic, geophysical, and geochemical evidence to show how the area evolved. VHS 3408

The Wajir story. 1998. (35 minutes). This is the story of a peace-building initiative which started with a group of women in Wajir, north-eastern Kenya, spread quickly to all sections of the community, and reached up into government. It is told through the voices of those who took part in it, who mobilised their community to halt escalating violence and who are still struggling to achieve peace and stability. VHS 4064

War dance. 2006. (107 min.). A depiction of the transformative and uplifting potential of music and dance in the lives of children. Dominic, Rose, and Nancy are three children of the Acholi tribe, living in the war zone displacement camp in Patongo, Uganda. As war refugees, their families have been decimated, their homes lost, and they have been burdened with vivid memories of violence. However, the children are at least able to attend a camp school that offers them inspiration, as they participate in music, song and performance. When they are invited to compete in an annual music and dance festival in their nation's capitol, an opportunity for which all 20,000 Ugandan schools compete, they are given the chance to regain hope and success in their lives. DVD 4888

Welcome to womanhood. 1998. (14 min.). In a follow-up to the 1996 documentary "The Cutting Edge," BBC-TV correspondent, Donu Kogbara returns to the Kapchorwe region of Uganda to look at the success and failure of the REACH project in northern Uganda which tried to replace the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation with ceremonies for the exchange of cattle and gifts to welcome young girls into the adult community. VHS 5374

The world bank the great experiment. 1997. (104 min.). Film offers a glimpse both of the inner workings of the World Bank and its efforts to bring economic stability to Africa by presenting a case study of proposed development projects in Uganda over a twelve-month period. Includes footage of closed-door meetings and private conversations between officials. VHS 4569

Young wives' tales. 1998. (15 min.). This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. Segment looks at an 11 year old Ethiopian girl being married to a man she has never met before. What are her chances of surviving the experience? Recent statistics show that early marriage is on the increase in many parts of the world, increasing the risk from pregnancy and childbirth for girls whose bodies are not fully developed. VHS 5514

Northern Africa
Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia

Click here to view the Area Studies: Egypt Filmography

All about Darfur. 2005. (82 min.). "Up until now the perilous situation in Sudan has been seen only from outside the country. All About Darfur offers an opportunity to hear it explained by eloquent, diverse, even contradictory voices from within Sudan. The director talks to ordinary Sudanese in outdoor tea shops, markets, refugee camps and living rooms about how deeply rooted prejudices could suddenly burst into a wild fire of ethnic violence."--www.newsreel.org. DVD 2006

Beyond borders-- Arab feminists talk about their lives-- East and West. 2000. (50 min.). In the Arab world, women are fighting a two-front war against repressive internal constraints and intrusive Western interference. In this program, a feminist delegation composed of author Nawal Saadawi and other renowned activists from the Middle East and North Africa gathers at the UN, on college campuses, and in church basements to speak out about deterioration of women's rights in the Arab states in an effort to heighten awareness of the Arab feminist struggle for equality--and the effects of U.S. foreign policy on their efforts. VHS 7155

Blood and sand war in the Sahara. 1982. (59 min.). The film provides the first Western coverage of the war in the Western Sahara. Morocco is trying to maintain its occupation despite the opposition of local people (although many of them have fled to refugee camps in Algeria) and the disruption of the Moroccan economy. The United States has supported Morocco diplomatically and with arms sales during the Carter and Reagan administrations despite human rights concerns and the support for the Western Sahara inhabitants by many other countries. VHS 1729

Darfur diaries message from home. 2005. (ca. 55 min.). An inside look into the current tragedy befalling the Darfur region. This film seeks to provide space for the victims of atrocities to speak and to engage with the world. Amnesty International will use the film to educate its members. DVD 2499

Darfur now six stories, one hope. 2007. (98 min.). Follows the story of six people who are determined to end the sufferings in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur. The six - an American activist, an international prosecutor, a Sudanese rebel, a sheikh, a leader of the World Food Program and an internationally known actor - demonstrate the power of how one individual can create extraordinary changes. DVD 4325

Frantz Fanon black skin, white mask. 1995. (52 min.). Explores one the of most influential theorists of the anti-colonial movement, as it follows Fanon from his birth in 1925 on the French island of Martinique through his medical training in France, then to Algeria where he joined the liberation struggle. DVD 1980, HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 4060

Free trade slaves. 1999. (58 min.). Film discusses free trade zones and the accompanying human problems that have arisen with human rights, exploitation of workers and environmental degradation. Filmed on location in Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Mexico and Morocco. VHS 6945

The Islamic state. 1994. (30 min). Islamic movements throughout the Muslim world are demanding an Islamic state. What is an Islamic state? What is its relationship to the people, and how democratic can it be? In this program, Dr. Hassan Turabi, widely regarded as the architect of the Sudanese Islamic state, describes the ideal Islamic state and its ideology; he also discusses the issues of human rights, women's rights, and the position of minorities in the Sudan. VHS 6144

Le Joli Mai = The lovely month of May. 1963. (180 min.). Cinema verite - In May 1962 Chris Marker went out on the streets of Paris, France, with a film crew. The result is a film consisting of a series of interviews with ordinary people (young lovers, welfare mothers, apprentice stockbrokers) speaking about their lives and feelings in the year the Algerian War came to an end. VHS 4353

A journey to Darfur. 2007. (24 min.). "In April 2006 veteran journalist Nick Clooney was asked by his son, George, to accompany him to the troubled region of Darfur. The goal was to shine a light on the modern day genocide occurring in this remote and desolate region of Africa. They went unannounced; without press, without escort and without security, just Nick, George and cameraman, Mike Herron, a personal friend. This documentary is an account of their journey, the stories of unimaginable violence that have befallen the Darfurians and the courage of the aid workers who struggle to provide relief to two hundred thousand refugees. The documentary also provides background on the crises and the efforts of individuals and groups to stand up and say, "Not on our watch!". DVD 4835

The last crusade. 1993. (50 min.). As many nations both West and East, from Algeria to Malaysia, face an Islamic revival, this program looks at the revolutionary and reforming spirit of Muslims. Locations visited include Jerusalem, Cairo, Kadvna and Teheran. VHS 4286

Lost boys of Sudan. 2003. (87 min.). The journey of two teenage Sudanese boys, orphaned by their war torn country, who traveled to America looking for a safer environment and learning to cope with the unfamiliar complexities of contemporary American society. DVD 1131

Lost illusions. 1990. (52 min.). The program discusses the French Communist Party and anti-Stalinism, the Algerian War, and the cause of Third World Revolution as expressed by Genet, Fanon and Sartre. VHS 3423

The man who could be king. 2004. (46 min.). "A Sudanese refuge living in Canada disovers that he's become the King of his tribe in the South of Sudan, setting him on a journey in which he is torn between his new duties and getting his refugee family to Canada." --taken from the plot outline on imdb.com. DVD 4688

North Africa/Southwest Asia the challenge of Islam. 1995. (58 min.). Jerusalem, sacred space under seige, investigates the conflicts and tensions which result from the variety of religious affiliations in Jerusalem. Istanbul, fundamental change, explores the gaps between rich and poor, secular and fundamentalist Muslim in Istanbul Turkey. Egypt, population overload, examines the rapid population growth of Egypt and its agriculture, particularly along the Nile River Valley. Oman, looking beyond oil, investigates the oil-rich nation of Oman as it seeks to diversify its economic base beyond a dependence upon oil. VHS 3767-3768

The Nuer. 1971. (75 min.). Presents the most important relationships and events in the lives of the Nuer, Nilotic people in Sudan and on the Ethiopian border. Demonstrates the vital significance of cattle and their central importance in all Nuer thought and behavior. DVD 1028

One day in September. 1999. (91 min.). This is the shocking and incredibly true story of the brutal massacre of 11 Israeli athletes by a team of extreme Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. From terrorist training in Libya to the terrorists sneaking into the Olympic Village to the tension-filled negotiations to the shocking conclusion at a German airport. Told with actual video shot during the crisis. DVD 450

Paul Bowles the complete outsider. 1993. (57 min.). Filmed in Tangier, Morocco where Bowles has lived for the last forty years. Bowles speaks about his writing and music, his marriage to Jane Bowles, his ties to Moroccan culture, his use of drugs, and his writer and musician friends, including W.H. Auden, Tennessee Williams and Gertrude Stein. Includes interviews with Allen Ginsberg and Ned Rorem. VHS 3468

Sex and social dance. 1993. (57 min.). This program examines the male and female roles in dancing in three different societies: USA, Morocco, and Cook Islands of Polynesia. Includes archival film footage. VHS 2293

Sudan the harsher face of Islam. 199-? (40 min.). This documentary shows how the Islamic government of Sudan is oppressing the Christian and tribal people, resulting in a civil war, starvation, torture and killings. VHS 622

Southern Africa
Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

21 up South Africa Mandela's children. 2007. (70 min.). In South Africa a group of children, first filmed in 1992 at the age of 7, are now 21. Rich and poor, black, white and mixed race, these fascinating and revealing portraits offer unique insights into the social and political upheavals that have occurred throughout South Africa since the crumbling of apartheid. From township slums to apartheid-era mansions to the bushveldt, these children, now young adults, have experienced a multitude of change. See them age from 7 to 21 and learn that AIDS has claimed the lives of three of these children. DVD 1929

After the hunger and drought. 1987. (52 min.). A series of interviews with Zimbabwe's literary figures about the role of the writer in society, freedom of expression, and the place of tradition in modern literature. The issues these intellectuals confront are crucial to any developing society grappling with the challenge of nation-building. VHS 564

Amandla! a revolution in four part harmony. 2002. (103 min.). Tells the story of black South African freedom music and the central role it played against apartheid. Specifically considers the music that sustained and galvanized blacks for more than 40 years. Focuses on the struggle's spiritual dimension named for the Xhosa word for "power". An uplifting story of human courage, resolve and triumph. DVD 1326

Angano-Angano Tales from Madagascar. 1989. (64 min.). Storytellers narrate the ancient tales of Madagascar including the creation myth, the origin of rice cultivation, the reason for animal sacrifice, and others. In brief interviews at the end, the narrators discuss the role of tales in transmitting cultural inheritance to children. Tales end with: "Tales - tales - nothing but a tale. It's not me telling lies, but the people of long ago -- and that's how they heard it." VHS 1400

Between confession and prosecution truth and reconciliation. 1997. (26 min.). Former policeman Wouter Mentz has applied for amnesty from the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission for his role in 21 murders, including that of Brian Nyalung, a turned ANC operative (askari) who worked at the notorious dirty tricks base, Vlaakplaas. Can the truth heal his wounds and those of his victims? We witness his testimony before the Commission, and his struggle to find a new life in the new South Africa. VHS 7937

Between Joyce and remembrance. 2004. South Africa. (68 min.). This video tells the story of one family, the Mtimkulu family, stretching back over two decades. Through the unfolding of personal narratives, this film raises far reaching questions about the nature of truth, forgiveness and reconciliation. It illustrates the ripple effect of an injustice, the disappearance and murder of Siphiwo Mtimkulu, twenty years ago to show how fragile the 'miracle' of South Africa's transition really is. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2243

Bound to strike back. 1987. (30 min.). Shows a South Africa torn by civil war. Follows the security forces and police as they attempt to repress the Black freedom movement, and the organizations, such as the African National Congress and the United Democratic Front, which speak for the movement. VHS 560

Cleansing the past Rivers of fear, bridges of trust. 1997. (26 min.). Years of civil war has scarred and isolated those who fought each other in Mozambique. A former soldier in the rebel FRELIMO army seeks to rejoin the community he left behind. His family is dead and the people of his village remember him only as a killer. The village puts him through a rite of exorcism, and he is able to resume his life as a fisherman. VHS 7938

Come back, Africa. 1960. (83 min.). Documentary-style film focuses on one family that leaves Zululand because of famine and goes to Johannesburg to work in the gold mines. Reflects the barbaric reality of apartheid society in South Africa. VHS 2357

The cost of living. 2000. (24 min.). Part 14 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. This program examines why AIDS drugs are unaffordable in developing countries, using as examples Thailand and South Africa, two countries who have applied to use compulsory licenses and parallel importing -- practices agreed under World Trade Organization guidelines -- to make their own generic versions of anti-retroviral drugs to halt the AIDS epidemic in their countries. It also asks why anti-retroviral drugs still aren't included in the WTO's essential drugs lists. VHS 7174

Darwin's nightmare. 2004. (107 min.). Documentary film that exposes the poverty and misery of the people living on the shores on Lake Victoria in Tanzania who are dependent upon fishing the Nile perch from the lake for their meager earnings. The fish are exported by air to Europe to be sold cheaply and the planes that arrive to transport the fish at first seem to arrive empty, but turn out to carry weapons to Africa and fish away. DVD 2136

The debt of dictators. 2005. (46 min.). "Exposes the irresponsible lending to brutal dictators by multinational financial institutions. Revealing the widespread impoverishment resulting from these debts, the film transports viewers to Argentina, South Africa, and the Philippines, where essential services have been sacrificed in order to repay these illegitimate loans. In each of the cases, the government pays more in servicing the foreign debts than it does on all essential social services combined... Makes a compelling case for the forgiveness of foreign loans accrued by some of history's worst dictators, debts that exacerbate the suffering of the victims of both the dictators and the institutions that profited from their rule" -- Container. DVD 3608

Developing countries. 1994. (60 min.). This program discusses how developing nations have been helped or hurt by the rapid growth in trade and labor mobility in the post-World War II period. Describes steps that can be taken to integrate developing countries into the global economy. One case compares development policies in South Korea and Sri Lanka ; the other looks at the policies of aid vs. trade in Tanzania. VHS 2870

The discarded people. 1981. (30 min.). Graphically illustrates the resettlement of black Ciskei Bantustan South Africans under the apartheid policy. Depicts the huts and tents used for housing, the spread of cholera and typhoid, and malnutrition, all of which result from the relocation. VIC 297

Facing the truth. 1999. (60 min. each). The years 1960 through 1994 were a time of terror in South Africa. With the destruction of the yoke of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has had to come to terms with its oppressive past: recrimination and punishment, or forgiveness? Program describes the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to investigate human rights violations, to heal the country, and to help South Africa in its process of re-invention. Apartheid victims tell their stories firsthand and there are additional interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former officers of state security, counterterrorist, and journalists combined with footage of some of the most dramatic confrontations that occurred during the TRC. VHS 6194, DVD 5977

A force more powerful a century of nonviolent conflict. 2000. (174 min.). This six-part series tells one of the 20th century's most important and least-known stories-- how nonviolent power overcame oppression and authoritarian rule. In South Africa in 1907, Mohandas Gandhi led Indian immigrants in a nonviolent fight for rights denied them by white rulers. The power that Gandhi pioneered has been used by underdogs on every continent and in every decade of the 20th century, to fight for their rights and freedom. VHS 6466 pt.1-6

Good neighbours the Africa Centre and the local community. 2000. (30 min.). Summary: Research project done in Kwa-Zulu Natal under the auspices of Wellcome Trust, in the Hlabisa district, on the AIDS epidemic. VHS 7884

The 'Grootboom' community, November 2000. 2001. (4 min., 15 sec.). Portrays the Wallacedene "township" and includes interviews with its residents. The 1996 "post-apartheid" constitution of South Africa enumerates a variety of specific rights, among them a guarantee of access to housing and a right to shelter for children. Yet many millions of South Africans continued to live in shantytowns or worse, even after passage of the new Constitution. Focuses on a lawsuit by Irene Grootboom, a resident of a shantytown known as Wallacedene. VHS 7885

Human Rights Education in Tanzania. 1995. (ca. 15 min.). Looks at how women are treated in Tanzanian society. Women's human rights issues such as inheritance rights, child custody, rape, domestic abuse and sexual harassment are discussed. Women are shown being counseled and finding help in multi-disciplinary crisis centers. Spokeswomen outline TAMWA's efforts to end violence against women. VHS 4926

The hunt for witches. 1997. (26 min.). Today, people are still being killed in South Africa on suspicion of being witches. This segment looks at efforts aimed at stemming witchcraft-related violence. VHS 7943

In darkest Hollywood cinema and apartheid. 1993. (108 min.). Turns the lens on filmmakers and the South African society they so often misrepresented. Films generally supported the ethos of racial domination that led to apartheid and it was only after Africans insisted on being heard that they began to be portrayed on-screen as more than mere adjuncts of whites. Includes newsreel footage of violence in South Africa and interviews with producers, directors, screenwriters, authors and actors who expound upon films they have been instrumental in producing which explored the conditions of black South Africans. VHS 3002

It needs political decisions. 1990. (57 min.). This segment examines the power of politics in protecting the environment. Three nations in varying stages of economic development (Zimbabwe, Thailand, and Sweden) offer three different strategies for conserving the environmental future. VHS 1006

A jihad for love. 2007. (81 min.). First feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality. The film travels a wide geographic arc, presenting lives from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France. Always filming in secret and as a Muslim, Parvez makes the film from within the faith, depicting Islam with the same respect that the film's characters show for it. DVD 5640

Kumekucha From sunup. 1987. (28 min.). Documents the daily life of Tanzanian women as they seek to take their place in their society, as it is influenced through education and the impact of Western civilization. VHS 456

Kuxa kanema la naissance de cinema = Kuxa kanema: the birth of cinema. 2003. (52 min.). Discusses the history of Mozambique's National Institute of Cinema's weekly newsreel entitled Kuxa kanema. Shows the relationship between the films and President Samora Machel and FRELIMO (Mozambique Liberation Front). The original filmmakers discuss their work as a testimonial to the country, its struggles and wars. VHS 7750

Laager. 1958. (58 min.). Traces the history of the Afrikaners from the arrival of the Dutch in 1652 to their present-day political control of South Africa. Explores the structure of the Apartheid System: the complete legal separation of whites and nonwhites, the defensive posture of the Afrikaner Nationalist Party, and both internal and external opposition. VHS 1381

Land of plenty, land of want. 1999. (57 min.). A fundamental dilemma faces farmers throughout the world: how do they feed Earth's growing population without endangering the environment. In Zimbabwe, affected by climate change and the vestiges of colonial rule, small scale farmers on marginal lands struggle to survive a drought. In central France remote mountain villages suffer the loss of farmers fleeing to places like Brittany where intensive agriculture has polluted the water and affected the local fisheries. In China an industrial boom is rapidly displacing agricultural land, forcing framers to work the soil more intensively, threatening environmental damage. In Iowa, farmers use high technology to dramatically increased yields, while in Pennsylvania, no-till farming preserves some of the richest topsoil in the world. VHS 6181

Learning about livelihoods insights from southern Africa. South Africa. (106 min.). Videocassette summary: Drawn from Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, these films reflect the impacts of retrenchment, flood risk, recurrent drought, HIV/AIDS, violence and political instability on individual households and their communities.

Long night's journey into day. 2000. (95 min.). For over forty years, South Africa was governed by the most notorious form of racial domination since Nazi Germany. When it finally collapsed, those who had enforced apartheid's rule wanted amnesty for their crimes. Their victims wanted justice. As a compromise, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed. As it investigated the crimes of apartheid, the Commission brought together victims and perpetrators to relive South Africa's brutal history. By revealing the past instead of burying it, the TRC hoped to pave the way to a peaceful future. VHS 6468

The long walk of Nelson Mandela. 1999. (120 min.). This film biography of Mandela tells the story of his life through interviews with intimates, from his most trusted associates to his jailers on Robben Island, the prison where he was held for 27 years. This film offers an insider's account of his extraordinary will to lead and of the great risk and personal sacrifice he endured to achieve democracy and equality for the people of his nation. VHS 5807

Maids and madams apartheid begins in the home. 1986. (52 min.). Examines the plight of black female domestics in South Africa. Interviews black maids and the white "madams" who employ them, showing the maids performing their daily tasks. Describes the lifestyle of the black maids and their families. Discusses race relations in South Africa as shown by the relationship between the black maids and the white families for whom they work. Comments upon the status of South African women of both races. VHS 428

Malawi Nation going hungry. 2005. (26 min.). Documents economic and social conditions in Malawi, where 3 million of a 12 million population live in abject poverty. During the 1990s, non-governmental organizations such as the World Food Program distributed seeds and farm tools to the poor, and the government allowed them to live and farm on public land. The program's subsidies supported the farmers during poor growing seasons. The World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund have forced the Malawi government to stop the subsidies, starving millions. AIDS is so pervasive in Malawi that many widows prefer starvation for themselves and their families to seeking a new mate. Due to AIDS and food shortages, there are more than one million orphans in Malawi. DVD 4428

Mandela. 1994. (57 min.). This program explores the two different paths of Nelson and Winnie Mandela. "With Nelson praying for peace and Winnie encouraging young radicals ... what are the prospects for peace after the election in South Africa?"-- Slipcase. VHS 3107

Moving on the hunger for land in Zimbabwe. 1983. (52 min.). Documents the history of the independence movement in Zimbabwe through art prints, vintage documents and photographs, posters, and archival film footage. Shows the continuing disparity between Black farmers, who barely make a living on their inferior land, and affluent whites, who employ modern agricultural techniques on their lush acres. Focuses on the personal stories of two farming families--one white, the other black-- portraying their lives, work, histories and goals. Shows the continuing need for land reform in Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980 and the need to reconcile the differences between its black and white population. VIC 344

Mozambique riding out the storm. 1989. (31 min.). The guerrilla warfare and South African interference are disrupting Mozambique's efforts to develop into a modern, literate society. Murder and violence are common. Zena Bacar illustrates the effects on the people of Mozambique: two of her uncles have been murdered and the home and possessions of a cousin were burned to the ground. VHS 2109

My mother built this house. 2001. (30 min.). There are four million homeless people in South Africa who live in shacks in slums or squatter settlements. Government programs are building houses for these homeless, but it is a slow process. This program looks at the difference the South African Homeless People's Federation is making. The federation members, most of whom are women, save up money to add to their government grants, allowing them to build larger houses, helping women and their families live in a home of their own. DVD 1867

N!ai the story of a K!ung woman. (59 min.). A compilation of footage of the !Kung people of Namibia from 1951 through 1978. Focuses on the changes in the life of these people from a hunting, gathering economy to the settled life of a South African homeland, through the reflections of one woman, N!ai.

Namibia Africa's last colony. 1984. (49 min.). Nora Chase of the Namibian Council of Churches describes how occupying countries have enriched themselves off her country's vast mineral resources, while the indigenous people have been condemned to poverty. VHS 563

On the brink. 2003. (57 min.). This film "explores a growing national security threat throughout the world: how environmental pressures can lead to violence, terrorism and regional conflict. Travel to areas where environmental degradation and unsustainable development practices have had negative impacts on the quality of life for millions of people"--Container. Journeys to Bangladesh, South Africa, Peru, Haiti, Mexican/U.S. border. VHS 7415

The perfect famine. 2002. (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. In Malawi bad weather, poor governance and profiteering have combined to create famine. This segment looks at the causes of, and solutions to this famine. Although many have thought foreign aid would lift the world's poor out of poverty, there is now a growing consensus that the policies of poor countries and ineffectual bureaucracies can be major obstacles to sustainable development. VHS 7198

Price of aid. 2004. (ca. 56 min.). This video discusses U.S. donations of food for famine relief in foreign countries, through a case-study in Zambia, and the complex relationships between international aid, international media, American business and politics, and the impact on local agriculture, public health and international trade relations. VHS 7752

Prime time South Africa a selection of post-Apartheid television programs aired by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. 1997. (110 min.). Dramas, comedies, game shows and commercials were chosen to demonstrate the variety of ways South African media is now portraying its new, post-apartheid society. Includes episodes from 5 series: Soul City deals with AIDS in a clinic in a South African township. Local Voter is a game show presenting voter education. The Rhythm and Rights series explores political issues from women's rights to unemployment through a fictional community radio station. Generations is a primetime drama set in a Black-owned advertising agency while Going Up is a situation comedy set in a multiracial law firm. VHS 5950

Pulling together community policing in the new South Africa. 2000. (28 minutes). Discusses community efforts to build a new relationship between former adversaries in post-apartheid South Africa. It explores the role of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) in Daveytown, a township community in Benoni, South Africa. VHS 6736

Rhythm of resistance the Black music of South Africa. 1988. (47 min.). Takes you across the forbidden boundaries of apartheid to experience the authentic joy and sorrow of Black South African music. Features music that has been ignored, suppressed of ghettoized, some filmed clandestinely. VHS 3264

South Africa Angola: making the peace song. 1997. (25 min.). Under the baobab tree: For generations the ancient baobab tree stood at the heart of the Makuleke community, bringing shelter, nourishment, and a place of meeting. Yet, since 1969, when the Makuleke were forcibly relocated by the South African government, their land has been part of the Kruger National Park. Tthe Makuleke people seek restitution for the land they lost while the National Parks Board seeks to preserve the country's land and national resources. Making the peace song: Throughout the civil war in Angola there have been UNITA musicians and government musicians. For someone on one side to hum a song from the music of the other was sometimes seen as a sign of disloyalty. Today, there is new hope for peace in Angola, and popular musicians on both sides have come together to sing a song for peace. VHS 7936

Sowing seeds of hunger. 2002. (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. This segment looks at the AIDS epidemic in Zambia and other sub-Saharan African nations which has crippled the agricultural community, forcing children to undertake the responsibilities of farming. VHS 7204

State of denial. 2003. South Africa. (83 min.). South Africa is the country with the highest number of HIV+ people in the world. This video puts a human face on the millions affected by introducing six South Africans involved with the AIDS epidemic. It shows how they must fight not only the disease but the greed of the drug cartels and the incomprehensible inactivity of their own government to get treatment. VHS 7457

T-shirt travels the story of secondhand clothes & third world debt. 2001. (57 min.). What happens to all those old clothes you bring to the Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries? This comprehensive program is about Third World debt and secondhand clothes. The filmmaker travelled to Zambia and was amazed to find almost everyone wearing Calvin Klein, MTV and James Dean t-shirts! Huge bales of American secondhand clothing are sold to African importers, putting the African manufacturers out of business. VHS 7374

A. T. Toure & the flame of peace Water, water everywhere. 1997. (26 min.). A. T. Toure and the Peace Flame: Mali's General A. T. Touré, one of only two military rulers in sub-Saharan Africa to have voluntarily turned his nation over to democratic governance. General Touré shares his views on the future of his country and the role he hopes to play in bringing about a real democracy in Mali. Water Water Everywhere: The small nation of Lesotho, surrounded on all sides by South Africa, has but one major resource - water. The Lesotho Highlands Dam project seeks to tap this wealth, providing water for thirsty Johannesburg, and money and development for poverty-stricken Lesotho. VHS 7935

These hands. 1992. (46 min.). In a tribute to women at the bottom of the international economic order, M'Mbugu-Schelling documents (without narration or plot) a typical day in the lives of women at work in a desolate Tanzania rock quarry crushing rocks into gravel used for making concrete for urban building projects. VHS 4336

Thirsty planet. 2004. (27 min.). In a dramatic reversal of policy since apartheid, South Africa has become a model of water fulfillment. Despite being one of the driest regions on Earth, India's Rajasthan is an oasis due to the revival of a system of ancient rain basins. This program looks at these encouraging examples to show how sustainable solutions to long-term water management can be achieved, while a visit to Sertão in Brazil illustrates the appalling alternative -- two very different futures. DVD 1840

Thokoza video dialogues for peace. 1997. (25 min.). Examination of attempts to resolve conflict between members of the African National Congress and the Inkatha freedom party in the township of Thokoza in South Africa. VHS 7931

The tree of our forefathers. 1994. (50 min.). Film follows a refugee family who has spent 10 years living in a refugee camp in Malawi as they make the return journey to their homeland in the Tete Province of Mozambique where they at last can pay proper respects to their dead under the village tree. VHS 3684

The tribal mind. 1994. (52 min.). South Africa isn't the only society where racial and tribal identity have profoundly marked the way people live together; it's just one striking example. Against a background of violence, some South Africans are rising above old tribal reflexes as they struggle towards democracy. South Africa may provide a model for the world where the tribal politics of narrow self-interest continue to be destructive. VHS 3452

Two Trevors go to Washington. 2000. (34 min.). An incisive and entertaining account of the April 16, 2000 International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings and protests in Washington, D.C. as experienced through the eyes of two opposing South Africans, both veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle, who differ strongly on economic issues. On the inside is South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, the champion of South Africa's conservative economic policy introduced in 1996. On the streets: Johannesburg activist Trevor Ngwane who joined the protestors in the streets to call for immediate debt forgiveness and the closure of the international financial institutions. DVD 3190

U.S. economic sanctions against South Africa. 1991. (156 min.). Presents the pros and cons of lifting the economic sanctions against South Africa. Will the limited progress made toward ending apartheid continue if sanctions are lifted? Who is hurt by the sanctions? Do they encourage or inhibit the growing violence that threatens to develop into a civil war? VHS 2315

Up in smoke. 2002. (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. This segment looks at the country of Malawi in Southern African where tobacco is the major export crop, responsible for 70% of all export earnings. But dependence on tobacco crops and manipulation by the tobacco industry has stunted the economy of Malawi, and despite the diminished returns from tobacco growing, the government has increased the land under cultivation. VHS 7205

Water first—reaching the millennium development goals. 2008. (45 min.). "Through the inspiring story of Charles Banda - a local fireman turned waterman who has drilled more than 800 wells in his impoverished country of Malawi - Water First conveys the critical role of clean water in addressing all other major global issues from hunger and poverty to women's equality, HIV/AIDS and environmental sustainability. These issues are articulated in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)...Water First shows the vital importance of clean water in meeting all these humanitarian goals." - Container. DVD 902

Whose agenda is it anyway? 2004. (23 min.). To fulfill the Millennium Development goals, many poor countries are now implementing Poverty Reduction Strategy Programs (PRSPs). But in Malawi, PRSPs are viewed by many as merely a new version of old World Bank policies, with decisions ultimately made in Washington, rather than by the country's own citizens. This report investigates the PRSP process and its effectiveness in Malawi with interviews with citizens in rural communities, government officials, civil society campaigners, World Bank economists and critics of World Bank policies. DVD 1693

Witness to apartheid. 1986. (56 min.). Documentary about the victims of police terrorism in South Africa. In interviews both children and adults talk about their suffering during the current unrest. Includes testimonies from subjects as diverse as an obscure white business executive, a young Black social worker and Bishop Desmond Tutu who relate their firsthand experiences with state terrorism. Uses original film footage to illustrate protests and violence in South Africa. VHS 4162

The world according to Sesame Street. 2006. (99 min.). "Explores the behind-the-scenes drama, challenges, and rewarding outcome of producing local versions of the world's most watched children's television program. The film follows dedicated Sesame producers around the globe as they team with local producers to bring to life the shows in Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa" -- Container. DVD 254

West Africa
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leon

All different, all equal. 2000. (24 min.). Part 11 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Looks at progress in achieving greater equality for women -- five years after the Beijing Conference on Women where government delegations pledged themselves to tackle increasing violence against women. Examines gains in women's rights globally with visits to Northern Ireland, Nigeria, Fiji, New Zealand, Brazil and other nations focusing on crimes against women and achievements by women towards equality. VHS 7173

Allah Tantou A la grace de Dieu = God's will. 1991. (62 min.). Through home movies, old newsreels, letters and fictional reconstruction of imprisonment, this film examines the life of Marof Achkar, the filmmaker's father, a diplomat under the Sekou Toure regime, who later disappeared into the Guinean gulag. The film re-evaluates the turbulent decade of African independence and discusses its relevance to the new political order on the continent. VHS 4261

Asylum. 2002. (20 min.). Baaba Andoh, a young Ghanian woman, tells her story directly to the camera: how she went to see her father, whom she had never met, to ask his blessing on her impending marriage. His reaction was to arrange a marriage for her to an elderly man and to tell her she would be "circumcised." Baaba flees and when her father pusues her and offers a reward for her return to him, she has no choice but to leave her home with false papers and try to become a refugee in the United States. Her moving retelling of her story is alternated with a collage of still images and video of life in Ghana. VHS 7281

Battle of the Titans problems of the global economy. 1993. (54 min.). This documentary highlights the migration of jobs from developed countries to developing nations like Egypt, Nigeria, and Indonesia where labor is plentiful and cheap. The West has to face the dilemma of accepting massive influx of poor immigrants in search of a better life or move its industries to Third World countries to provide employment to an ever growing population. Trade barriers only exacerbate economic problems in the Third World and may lead to the creation of radical governments hostile to the West. VHS 6661

Between war and peace. 2004. (23 min.). Commencing in the late 1980's over half of the population of Liberia fled their homes in terror during a long and bloody civil war. After 14 years of anarchy, the international community has arrived in force in an attempt to stabilize the country. Many see this as Liberia's last chance. This program reports on Liberia's attempts to find a way of engaging the combatants (many of them children) in rebuilding their country -- to sustain the peace. DVD 3768

The Caldecott video library. 1992. (46 min.). A story, a story: Anansi the Spider Man climbs up to the sky to buy stories from Nyame, the Sky God. --The village of round and square houses: A young girl from the West African village of Tos tells how the men came to live ins quare houses and the women in round ones. -- Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears: A tall tale sets off a comic chain of mishaps through the jungle grapevine in this traditional African story. -- Mufaro's beautiful daughters: Mufaro's daughters are tested unknowingly to reveal which one is worthy enough to marry the king. VHS 2394

Caravans of gold Kings and cities. 1984. (114 min.). Caravans of gold: Traces the trade routes which stretched from Africa to Asia and southern Europe long before the arrival of the white man in Africa. The coming of the Portuguese in 1498 marked the beginning of the collapse of these trading networks and the demise of the great civilisations which they supported. Kings and cities: Explores the structure of medieval African kingdoms and visit Kano in northern Nigeria, where a king still holds court in a 15th century palace. VHS 589 pt.1

Chinua Achebe. 1988. (28 min.). Discusses the West's often inaccurate portrayal of Africa and how it is the African storyteller's obligation to be the collective memory of the African people. Chinua Achebe is president of the town council in his village in Nigeria, and a storyteller. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," sold over 3 million copies in over 30 languages. Achebe serves as the collective memory of his society, chronicling the transition of African nations such as Nigeria from colonialism to democracy. He discusses his observations and criticisms of both African and Western politics and culture. VHS 1468

Cry Freetown. 1999. (28 min.). Award-winning cameraman Sorious Samura returns to Sierra Leone to expose the horror of his country's civil war. In January 1999, the rebel forces attacked Freetown, the capital, killing thousands of civilians. VHS 6929

Dance at court. 1993. (57 min.). This program examines court dances in several different societies: England, Japan, Ghana, Java, France, and Russia. Imperial families nurtured court dance as an art form during peacetime. VHS 2294

Dark passages. 1990. (60 min.). On-location scenes in Gambia and Senegal and a mixture of interviews, facsimiles of slave narratives, and dramatizations show the impact of the African slave trade. The program also discusses the attempts of some Afro-Americans to return to their roots in West Africa and Islam and to create a memorial in Africa to those who were carried into slavery in the African diaspora. VHS 3515

De bende van Rouch = Rouch's gang. 1993. (70 min.). Follows the film crew of "Madame l'Eau" and provides a glimpse behind the scenes as director Jean Rouch and his four friends from Niger make their film. This outsider's view of "Madame l'Eau" provides insight into how Rouch approaches his films. In most of his films, Jean Rouch has used his four African friends; Damouré Zika, Lam Ibrahim Dia and Tallou Mouzourane as actors and Moussa Hamidou as sound man. Rouch has been their friend for more than forty years and this complex bond of friendship serves as the theme for this documentary. Also shows scenes from: Jaguar; Cocorico, Monsieur Poulet. VHS 5559

The diamond life. 2000. (7 min.). The Revolutionary United Front's (RUF) attack on Freetown in January of 1999 was the culmination of a decade-long and bloody struggle between the RUF and the government of Sierra Leone. The rebel forces, bolstered by the former Sierra Leonean Army, which had turned on the government, swept into the city, killing, mutilating, and raping thousands in the continuing war over the control of the country's rich diamond fields. RUF units burned houses with civilians inside, shot and raped people at random, killing an estimated 6,000 people in the span of three weeks. Since 1990, half the country's population of five million has been displaced. Today, Sierra Leone produces more refugees than any other country in Africa. The country is full of war victims, whose amputated limbs serve as living testimony to the brutality of the rebels. VHS 7572

Diamonds of war Africa's blood diamonds. 2007. (56 min.). In the diamond-rich West African nation of Sierra Leone, rebels used the precious gems to bankroll a violent ten-year insurrection, leaving a terrorized population and a ravaged landscape in its wake. DVD 2555

Femmes aux yeux ouverts = Women with open eyes. 1994. (52 min.). Profiles contemporary African women in four West African countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Benin. We meet a woman active in the movement against female genital mutilation, a health care worker educating women about sexually transmitted diseases, and businesswomen who describe how they have set up an association to share expertise and provide mutual assistance. VHS 3649

Frontline World stories from a small planet January 16, 2003. 2003. (ca. 60 min.). North Korea, view on life in North Korea today, as seen from the de-militarized zone, interviews with refugees, and an escorted tour of the country itself. Nigeria, documentary on the collapse of the Miss World beauty pageant, the violence that followed, and an investigation of the conflict. Iceland, a view of life on the volcanic island and the Iceland Airwaves Festival, along with some of the country's pop music. VHS 7383

Governments caring for people. 1997. (29 min.). This program explores how governments can provide services for their people, even when resources are scarce. The challenges facing post-Soviet Russia and its pensioners are examined, as well as the ways that countries such as Chile have successfully provided for their growing population of senior citizens. Unemployment programs in Senegal are discussed. The campaign of street people in India who successfully lobbied government to provide them with proper housing is examined. DVD 1827

La gran final = The great match. 2006. (88 min.). Three soccer fans, living in the farthest-flung corners of the planets: Mongolia, Niger and Brazil, determined to watch the TV broadcast of the 2002 World Cup final. DVD 3051

Gunrunners. 2002. (57 min.). The first segment, Gunrunners, investigates illegal arms trafficking that brings weapons into Sierra Leone and the effects of the resulting injuries and devastation on the civilian population. The second segment, Living with terror, examines life in Sri Lanka amid continuing acts of terrorism. The third segment, The last place, looks at Bhutan, the last country on Earth to bring in television. VHS 7669

Healers of Ghana. 1993. (58 min.). Explores the traditional medical practices of the Bono people of central Ghana and how their healers are accommodating the conflict between the arrival of Western medicine and their religious beliefs. Traditionally, Bono tribal priests undergo a painful spiritual possession, during which deities reveal to them the causes of illnesses, which plants to use to treat them, who is perpetrating witchcraft, and which villagers might be endangering society through improper behavior. VHS 5968

The imam & the pastor. 2006. (40 min.). Documentary about the efforts of Imam Ashafa and Pastor James to peacefully resolve conflicts and to promote tolerance between Nigeria's Christians and Muslims. DVD 4156

In Danku the soup is sweeter. 1992. (31 min.). Describes the social conditions of rural women in northern Ghana; also illustrated is the recent phenomena of women establishing small businesses with the aid of international development agencies. VHS 3991

Iron ladies of Liberia. 2007. (77 min.). After fourteen years of civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated President, following a hotly contested election in which she won 59% of the vote. She is the first elected female head of state in Africa. Since taking office, she has appointed other women to leadership positions in all areas of government, including the Police Chief and the ministers of Justice, Commerce, Finance and Gender. Can the first female Liberian president, backed by other powerful women, bring sustainable democracy and peace to such a devastated country? DVD 5453

J'y crois = I believe in it. 2003. (55 min.). Since the 1990s, Mali has been trying to transfer political and economic power to democratically elected political bodies in decentralized communities. Looks at the reforms from the perspective of all the Malians involved as the government seeks to convince the people about the rationale for, and the fairness of, these policies, and attempts to increase the people's participation. VHS 7749

Ken Saro-Wiwa an African martyr. 1996. (23 min.). "Ken Saro-Wiwa, the celebrated Ogoni writer and political activist, was hanged in November 1995 by the Nigerian military dictatorship. Saro-Wiwa had been campaigning for the rights of Nigeria's Ogoni people, who have suffered from decades of resource exploitation by foreign oil companies and oppression by the Nigerian military government. This program tells Saro-Wiwa's story through his own words and those of his wife and features the only in-depth interview he gave before his death."--Container. VHS 4022

Konkombe = Nigerian music. 1980. (ca. 50 min.). A kaleidoscope of Nigerian pop music. Includes performances, interviews, and recording sessions with Sunny Ade, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, I.K. Dairo, Sonny Okusun, Lijadu Sisters, and others. VHS 3261

Liberia a fragile peace. 2005. (60 min.). "Chronicles the period from the departure of [dictator] Charles Taylor to the election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first African woman head of state, and presents the difficulties of rehabilitating a nation destroyed by war"--Container. DVD 2050

Liberia America's stepchild. 2002. (approx. 90 min.). From Haitian slave revolts and the American Colonization Society to the 1997 election of Charles Taylor to the presidency and his corrupt administration, this program looks at events leading up the founding of Liberia and its history up through the twentieth century. VHS 7446

Liberia an uncivil war. 2004. (103 min.). "In Liberia, the summer of 2003 was pure insanity: two armies are in the final battle of a decade-long civil war, holding the capital under siege while thousands die from mortar shells launched from afar. As the soldiers, mostly teenagers, fight a bloody urban battle, the nation prays that American forces show up to put an end to the violence. Liberia, a country founded by freed American slaves, has a long intertwined history with America. While the rebel army, the LURD, attempts to overthrow the Liberian government, President Charles Taylor and his army maintain a strong grip on the city." DVD 2051

Lines in the dust. 2001. (27 min.). In a small village in northern Ghana, a group of men and women discuss their daily chores with the help of a chart they've drawn in the dust. This village is part of a program called Reflect, which aims to reach the 900 million illiterate adults across the world. Reflect uses participants' own knowledge and experience as starting points for learning. Lines in the dust looks at this program in Ghana and India, and how it not only teaches people to read, write, and work with numbers, the participants are also changing ideas about men's and women's separate workloads, standing up for their rights, earning more money for their families, and becoming self-assured. VHS 7192

Listening to the silence African cross rhythms. 1996. (ca. 33 min.). "Taking off from the peace of nature, the singing cicadas, and the simple routines of the workday, this program explores a kaleidoscope of musical examples from Ghana: children's games and their musical bands; traditional drums; sensual dances; trance dances; animated funeral music, and other examples from the Ewe, Ashanti, Ga, and Frafra peoples of Ghana."-- from container. VHS 7455

Living memory six sketches of Mali today. 2003. (53 min.). A documentary about Mali's ancient culture and the place of that culture in the modern country. The six sections are ritual arts, culture on display, style, architecture, contemporary artists and music. VHS 7754

Lord of the dance. 1993. (58 min.). "What cultural beliefs have shaped the great traditions of sacred and secular dance?" This program explores the views of various religions toward the human body and thus toward religion and it examines dances of Christian sects in Seville, Spain, and the Yoruba religion in Nigeria. VHS 2292

Les Maitres fous. 1954. (29 min.). This film documents the Haouka cult, a religious movement which was widespread in Ghana from the 1920's to the 1950's. Shows devotees living and working in Accra and participating in a primitive tribal ceremony. VHS 6829

Mammy Water in search of the water spirits in Nigeria. 1989. (59 min.). The film features Mammy Water rituals and interviews with Igbo and Ijaw devotees and their leaders. Mammy Water is a water deity worshiped in Nigeria. VHS 3574

Missing out. 2001. (27 min.). Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, and less than a third of the population has access to any health care. Malnutrition remains the main cause of maternal and infant mortality, and over half of all pregnant women suffer from iron deficiency anemia. In Tanzania, malaria is blamed for the increase in anemia. UNICEF believes that the solution is providing micromultinutrient pills which contain iron folate and other vitamins. This program follows two traditional birth attendants as they try to persuade women to take iron folate supplements and visit hospitals. It also looks at what could happen when donors pull out of distribution programs. VHS 7190

The money lenders the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. 1983. (90 min.). This program looks at the two world bank systems originally set up after World War II for governments that needed short or long term loans, and at the economic and environmental problems the two systems are experiencing today. Travels to Bolivia, Ghana, Brazil, Thailand, the Philippine Islands, and Mexico to show how the money has been used and the consequences of those loans. VHS 1578

Muslims. 2003. (120 min.). Looks at what it means to be a Muslim in the 21st century. Filmed in Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria and the United States, this program explores the influence of culture and politics on religion, looks at the political forces at work among Muslims around the world, emphasizes Islam's kinship with Christianity and Judaism, and examines the diverse interpretations of Islam among the Muslim people. DVD 1637

Naked spaces living is round. 1985. (135 min.). Explores the rhythm and ritual life in the rural environment of six West African countries: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, and Senegal. VHS 6810

Nigeria a squandering of riches. 1984. (52 min.). Documentary exploring the situation in Nigeria prior to the military coup of December 1983. Nigerian singer and journalist Onyeka Onwenu travels across the country to talk to bankers, industrialists, street traders and farmers to capture the mood of the people in those weeks of rising dissatisfaction with the economy and with governmental corruption. VHS 1518

Nigerian art kindred spirits. 1991. (60 min.). Where does the vitality of Nigerian art come from, tradition or modernism? Who are the artists and what are they telling us? What is the role of art in Nigerian culture? This program answers these and other questions through interviews with Nigerian artists, and provides historical background on Nigerian art. VHS 1428

No vacancy global responses to the human population explosion. 2005. (92 min.). An examination of strategies to deal with human overpopulation in the U.S., Europe, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran and Mexico. DVD 5565

Operation fine girl rape used as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone. 1991. (46 min.). Documentary about the use of sexual violence against women as a weapon in the Sierra Leone civil war. VHS 7571

Paradise lies at the feet of the mother. 1993. (ca. 50 min.). One of the most common accusations leveled against Islam is that it treats women badly. This program explores women, the Muslim family, the pressure to change, and the forces which hold change back as it looks at the role of women in Islam and in Muslim societies in the Middle East, Asia and Nigeria. VHS 4284

La petite vendeuse de soleil = The little girl who sold the sun. 1999. (44 min.). Parable uses the struggles of a young crippled girl in Dakar trying to earn her living in the market place selling newspapers to mirror Africa's role in the international marketplace. VHS 5944

Prince among slaves. 2007. (60 min.). In 1788, a slave ship sailed from the Gambia River with hundreds of men, women and children bound in chains. Eight months later, a handful of survivors were sold in Natchez, Mississippi. One of them made an astonishing claim: he was a prince of an African kingdom larger and more developed than the newly formed United States. The true story of an African prince who endured the humiliation of slavery without losing his dignity or hope of freedom. DVD 4049

The return the N'Deup healing ceremony. 2001. (30 min.). In Senegal and throughout West Africa, illnesses are believed to be caused by supernatural external aggression. The diagnosis is made by a traditional healer, a shaman, whose job is to locate and then placate the spirits, the rab, that are responsible for the illness. The N'Deup healing ceremony shown in this video enlists the local community under the direction of the healer. Drumming, dancing, herbal cures, as well as ritual bloodletting are employed in a dramatic effort to soothe and appease the agitated spirit. The goal of this complex and colorful ceremony is a return to the inner harmony the patient had earlier enjoyed. VHS 7734

Rights of passage four stories of survival. 1994. (27 min.). "Filmed with sensitivity in Nicaragua, India, Jamaica and Burkina Faso, it allows the adolescent girls to speak for themselves. Aleyda in Nicaragua is addicted to glue sniffing and is slipping into a life of prostitution; Tarranum in India has been pulled out of school and is waiting to be married off; in Jamaica, Natalyn is fourteen years old and seven months pregnant, and Adjara in Burkina Faso faces the prospect of female genital mutilation"--Container. VHS 3912

Rouch in reverse. 1995. (51 min.). French ethnologist/filmmaker Jean Rouch discusses his work with Manthia Diawara. Diawara also interviews some of Rouch's African subjects about Rouch's work in an attempt to view African anthropology from within the culture rather than from a cross-cultural perspective. VHS 3937

Sur les traces du renard pâle recherches en pays Dogon, 1931-1983. 1983. (48 min.). Recounts ethnological research in the Dogon region of Mali, under the direction of Marcel Griaule. VHS 3177

A. T. Toure & the flame of peace/Water, water everywhere. 1997. (26 min.). A. T. Toure and the Peace Flame: Mali's General A. T. Touré, one of only two military rulers in sub-Saharan Africa to have voluntarily turned his nation over to democratic governance. General Touré shares his views on the future of his country and the role he hopes to play in bringing about a real democracy in Mali. Water Water Everywhere: The small nation of Lesotho, surrounded on all sides by South Africa, has but one major resource - water. The Lesotho Highlands Dam project seeks to tap this wealth, providing water for thirsty Johannesburg, and money and development for poverty-stricken Lesotho. VHS 7935

Taafe fanga Pouvoir de pagne = Skirt power. 1997. (95 min.). Film is structured around the core Dogon belief that cosmogeny, myth, history and the present interpenetrate or repeat themselves continually to bring primal forces back into proper balance. A griot in present day Mali tells a story about women in an 18th century village. Fed up with male arrogance, they capture the powerful "Albarga" mask and terrorize the men into assuming traditional women's roles. The results convince everyone that women's roles should be respected as complementary, yet equal, to those of men if society as a whole is to advance. VHS 6097

This is Nollywood. 2007. (56 min.). Examines the burgeoning motion picture industry in Nigeria, and follows the shoot of an action adventure movie whose cast and crew explain the movie-making process in Nigeria. DVD 3672

Thomas Sankara. 1991. (26 min.). Film celebrates the life and rule of Thomas Sankara. In the former Upper Volta (renamed Burkina Faso in 1984), Captain Thomas Sankara was the leader of a group of men who, in August 1983, overthrew the government of Maj. Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo. Sankara, who had been Ouedraogo's prime minister, became president of the National Revolutionary Council (NRC) and also served as chief of the army and head of state. On October 15, 1987, troops loyal to Blaise Compaoré murdered Sankara at his office. Compaoré, Sanakara's former chief adviser, became president of Burkina Faso. VHS 6406

Tools of exploitation. 1986. (60 min.). Africa is a continent rich in natural resources but poor in its standard of living. This program contrasts the impact of the West on Africa and the impact of Africa on the development of the West, looking at the manner in which Africa's human and natural resources have been exploited before, during, and after the colonial period. VHS 1267

The trade trap. 2002. (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. This segment looks at the struggles by Ghanaian farmers to get a foothold in the international market. The film follows Austustine Adongo, chief executive of the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters, as he visits farmers and business owners across his country, exploring both sides of the globalization issue along the way. VHS 7196

Tutu and Franklin a journey towards peace. 2000. (117 min.). Documentary on the first encounter between Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient John Hope Franklin as they explore the former slave port on Goree Island, Senegal. VHS 6873, VHS 6874

Udju azul di Yonta = The blue eyes of Yonta. 1992. (90 min.). Udju Azul di Yonta offers a portrait of the disillusionment of the revolutionary generation in Guinea-Bissau and the vibrant, if unintended society that developed after independence in 1973. It tells the story of three people so in love with their dreams that they miss the real opportunities which life offers. VHS 4338

Woubi chéri. 1998. (62 min.). "Woubi Chéri is the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality"--California Newsreel Web site. VHS 5940

You Africa, Youssou N'Dour and Super Etoile the African tour. 1994. (43 min.). Documentary of the 1994 tour of nine West African nations by legendary Senegalese performing artist, Youssou N'Dour, and his band and back-up dancers, Super Etoile. Youssou discusses the serious political and spiritual purposes behind his music interspersed with concert footage and views of the local areas. VHS 433

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Area Studies: Africa Filmography Titles Available as of May 15, 2009

Area Studies: Africa Filmography
Titles Available as of May 15, 2009