Videos and Other Media:
Health Issues

Africa, Africas (c2001). Director Annamaria Gallone

Fantacocà: presents the cultural phenomenon of skin bleaching in Cameroon and the challenge it is now posing on notions of black pride and identity.

From the other side of the river: documents the effects of war on a community of Ethiopian women and children who were forcibly relocated into refugee camps.

Laafi bala: demonstrates the causes of wide-spread unemployment and poverty in Burkina Faso, where few institutional resources and government support available, and the debilitating effects this is having on women and youth.

Africa: Challenges in the 21st Century (c2004)

Explores Africa's history and to what degree its colonial legacy continues to impact the continent. Examines the causes, effects and possible solutions to major problems, such as hunger and diseases like HIV/AIDS, and controversial international trade policies that continue to contribute to Africa's underdevelopment.

Africa: Challenges in the 21st Century (c2004)

Explores Africa's history and to what degree its colonial legacy continues to impact the continent. Examines the causes, effects and possible solutions to major problems, such as hunger and diseases like HIV/AIDS, and controversial international trade policies that continue to contribute to Africa's underdevelopment.

Business of hunger (1985)

In many Third World countries, cash crops are exported while the poor go hungry. This phenomenon, one of the major causes of world hunger, is examined in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the USA. The film also proposes a more just distribution of the earth's resources, offering a vision of a world where all have enough to eat.

High-tech Harvest (2003). Director: Richard Vaughan

Worldwide food production must increase to keep up with a growing global population. This fact is felt especially keenly in Africa, a continent where four out of five people are farmers, yet the continent still suffers from famine. It is no wonder that genetically modified crops are viewed far more positively on the African continent than in the West. Arguments in support of biotechnology are contrasted with the concerns of those who think it is too soon to speculate on the long-term effects of GMOs on Africa's environment and its people.

It's My Life (c2001). Director: Brian Tilley

Zackie Achmat is an AIDS activist who refuses to take anti-retrovirals until they are available in public hospitals and clinics. He leads the court battle against the multi- national drug companies and takes on the South African government for it's confusing policies around HIV/AIDS. As a leader in the campaign for affordable treatment, Zackie's provocative position is not one all his friends and colleagues support.

A message from African healers (1985)

This is a timely presentation of some of the main features of this enduring African therapeutic system.

Silent Killer: The Unfinished Campaign Against Hunger (c2005). Producers: Hana Jindrova and John de Graff

Shows the face and causes of hunger around the world. Focuses on Kenya, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil. Highlights the "fome zero" project in Brazil that is taking massive steps to alleviate the hunger conditions there.

Sonamoni (golden pearl) (1985)

Rohima and Gafur are now proud parents and concerned about the high rate of infant mortality due to diarrheal diseases. After Korim (the villain) cuts off their access to the community tubewell, they are forced to draw water from a nearby river. As a result of using river water, their baby gets diarrhea, but fortunately they are well acquainted with oral rehydration therapy.

State of Denial (c2003). Director: Elaine Epstein

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.