Videos and Other Media:
History

Africa before the Europeans, 100-1500 Barton (1985)

Describes the civilizations and empires of Africa before the arrival of the Europeans. Tells how the Bantu people left their homeland in the Cameroons and displaced the people in the south

African art, women, history : the Luba people of central Africa (1998)

In Africa, as elsewhere, memory sustains the identity of a people. This documentary is about Luba art and the relationship between women, art and history

Africa, part 1, different but equal (1984)

For centuries Africa was ravished by the slave trade, which has distorted our view of its people. Basil Davidson shows that Africa gave rise to some of the world's greatest civilizations

Africa, part 3, caravans of gold (1984)

Basil Davidson traces the roots of the medieval gold trade - which reached from Africa to India, China and Italy - and examines its influence on the African continent

Africa, part 4, kings and cities (1984)

To explore the ways in which the African kingdoms functioned, Basil Davidson visits Kana in Nigeria, where a king still holds court in his 15th century palace.

Africa, part 5, the bible and the gun (1984)

The slave trade decimated the African population and tore the fabric of their society. Then new kinds of interlopers came...

Africa, part 6, this magnificent African cake (1984)

The 1880's saw the beginning of a 30-year "scramble for Africa" which dramatically changed the face of the continent.

Africa, part 7, the rise of nationalism (1984)

Here the struggles for African independence -- in Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, the Belgian Congo -- are all charted.

Africa, part 8, the legacy (1984)

Basil Davidson looks at Africa in the aftermath of colonial rule, as the continent seeks ways to come to terms with its diverse inheritance.

Ancient Africa (c1998). Producer: Andrew Schlessinger

Join archaeologist Arizona Smith and a young detective-in-training as they unlock the clues of the Great Zimbabwe ruins and trace the history of the Swahili-speaking peoples of East Africa.

The ancient Africans (1970)

On location photography, maps, and art objects are used to study the ruins of Kush and Axum, life today in the ancient Sudanic kingdoms and Benin and the intriguing stone walls of Zimbabwe.

Artist Unknown (1998). Director: David Lan

In this documentary, Lennie James, a young British man of African descent, journeys to the war-shattered central African kingdom of Benin to discover the origins of a carved mask purchased in London. He uncovers a tale of early African civilization, the looting of treasures and suppression of traditions by colonial powers, and the amazing persistence of an African artistic vision within a colonial culture. His mission becomes a quest to better understand the essence of Africa itself.

Atlantico Negro (2001). Director: Renato Barbieri

"The waters of the Atlantic brought the slaves from Africa to Brazil, their bodies in chains but their souls still tied to mother Africa. This Brazilian-made film takes us to both shores, to how spiritual life, dance and song came with the captive people and took root in the new soil. Among the many traditions were the language and gods of Yoruba and Jejes from the Republic of Benin. When a group of freed slaves returned to Africa to rediscover their roots they were looked upon as outsiders. They became tradespeople and brought Portuguese culture to Africa. Today, when Brazilians revisit Africa, they share the culture that the descendants of slaves have kept alive in Brazil"óContainer

Battlefield: The battle for North Africa (1996)

In 1942, Erwin Rommel, Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, was charged with the impossible - to use an ill-equipped, badly trained, thoroughly demoralized army to wipe out Allied strongholds in Northern Africa. Pitted against Rommel were General Bernard Montgomery of the British Royal Air Force and Dwight Eisenhower, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Force...

Biko: breaking the silence (1987)

The story of Steve Biko was filmed extensively on the set and employs scenes from Cry Freedom to supplement interviews with Biko's colleagues and archival footage. It explorers Biko's intellectual development, why he became such a galvanizing figure, the circumstances of his murder and his impact on the development of the freedom movement in the decade since his death.

Black and white in color (1976)

Deep in the interior of West Africa late in 1914, life is serene, though boring, for the memebers of a nearby German garrison...What starts as a broad, obvious, rather pious comedy peopled by musical-comedy types turns much more complex as it goes along.

Black sugar: slavery from the African perspective (1993)

In a narrative style, an African old man tells his grandson how his fellow men and women were seized, uprooted from native soils, and sold to the United States.

Corridors of freedom (1987)

In 1981, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawai, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Angola and Zimbabwe formed the Southern African Development Coordination Conference...

The Cry of Reason (1988)

The Cry of Reason chronicles Naude's spiritual and political journey from trusted Afrikaner pastor to stounch supporter of the freedom movement.

Cry, the Beloved Country (1995). Director: Darrell James Roodt

A black minister and white land owner are united by a tragedy, with the potential for further hatred or healing.

From Iron Ore to Iron Hoe: Smelting Iron in Africa (2005). Producer: Christopher Roy

Describes the process of the smelting of iron in a clay furnace in the village of Dablo, in northern Burkina Faso, Africa. Discusses the history of smelting iron in West Africa as well as the tools used in the process.

Generations of resistance (1980)

This film traces the tradition of black resistance to white rule which has been passed on from old to young despite the determination of the South African government to suppress it.

Gorèe: door of no return (1992)

This documentary covers the arrival of the first Europeans in Africa, the origins of slavery in the Americas, the development of Gor ee Island as the center of the expanding slave trade, and the wealthy merchant women who controlled the slave trade on the island.

The Hand that Stirred the Pot: African Foods in America (2003). Producer: Emily Aronson

Part of a series on the cultural and economic history of foods, looking at how Christopher Columbus and the Spanish conquistadores changed what people ate. This program looks at the major influence African slaves exerted on western cooking and culture. Over 10 million slaves from many different tribes with different diets, were transported from Africa to the Americas, bringing with them their knowledge of how to grow and cook their traditional foods. They played a significant role in the formation of American cuisine, particularly in the Caribbean territories and the Southern States.

Hotel Rwanda (2004). Director: Terry George

The true story of a five-star-hotel manager who used his wits and words to save more than 1,200 lives during the 1994 Rwandan conflict.

Journey to Africa: Revisiting the Slave Pens of Ghana (2001).

"Before reaching the plantations, before even reaching the ships that would sail them into bondage, future slaves were forced to endure unspeakable treatment at European coastal outposts in Africa. This ABC News program joins several African-Americans in a profound journey of discovery as they travel to what was once known as the Gold Coast to see for themselves the infamous dungeons. Their tour takes them to Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, places that still resonate with inhumanity."óContainer

Mau Mau (1955)

This film presents an account of the havoc wrought by the Mau Mau terrorist organization in Kenya, and of the efforts made to stamp out the movement.

Moving on: hunger for land in Zimbabwe (1982)

For more than a decade black Zimbabweans fought a bitter guerilla war to take back control of their land. Now that war has been won, Moving On asks how the African majority's hunger for land can be satisfied.

North Africa and the global war (1989)

Tracks American soliders, sailors, and airmen to some of the war's most diverse and distant theaters.

Nowhere in Africa (2001). Director: Caroline Link

Critically acclaimed, this is the award winning true tale of a Jewish family who flee the Nazi regime in 1938 and learns to cope with their new life, and each other, on a remote farm in Kenya.

Out of Africa (1986)

The true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband, runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and the mysterious white hunter.

Roots (1985)

An adaptation of Alex Haley's Roots, in which he traces his family's history from the mid-18th century when one of his ancestors was captured and sold into slavery. Follows the struggle for freedom that began with the boy's abduction to America and continued throughout the generations that followed. (6 videocassettes)

Son of Africa (1996)

This BBC production employs a dramatic reconstruction, archival material and interviews with scholars such as Stuart Hall and Ian Duffield to provide the social and economic context of the 18th century slave trade. Equiano's narrative begins in the West African village where he was kidnapped into slavery in 1756. He vividly recalls the pestilence and horror of the Middle Passage.

A Son of Africa: The Slave Narrative of Olaudah Equiano (2004). Director: Alrick Riley

Originally released in 1996, the docudrama is based on the book, The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vaasa the African, which was the first widely read slave autobiography. When it was published in 1789, it fueled a growing anti-slavery movement in the U.S. and England. This production employs dramatic reconstruction, archival material and interviews with scholars. Equiano's narrative begins in the West African village where he was kidnapped into slavery in 1756. He was shipped to a Virginia plantation and then later sold again to a British naval officer. Here he learned to read and write, became a skilled trader, eventually bought his freedom and married into English society where he became a leading abolitionist.

Spear of the nation (1986)

Thames Television provides the first overview of the African National Congress' goals, history and philosophy by going behind the scenes to get a true, unbiased picture of the ANC. In unusually candid interviews, some shot secretly in South Africa, President Oliver Tambo, Albertina Sisulu and other ANC veterans talk of the problems of the early days and speak with openess about the future.

They come in peace : a new democratic South Africa (1994)

This video begins when South African President F. W. deKlerk released Nelson Mandela from Robin Island Prison after twenty-seven years of confinement. The video describes why Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned and why deKlerk released him. It then gives background information on both deKlerk and Mandela, and describes the social, political and economic conditions that existed under apartheid.

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Die Voortrekkers (1955)

Told from the Afrikaner point of view, this film is a re-creation of the historical events surrounding the emigration of the Dutch settlers into Zululand and their victory over Africans at the infamous battle of Blood River in 1838. Silent film with English and Dutch subtitles.

Wind of Change: The End of Colonialism in Africa (c2002). Director: Peter Du Cane

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.

The World at War: The Definitive History of the Second World War (c2001). Producers: David Elstein, et al.

An historical collection in words and film of World War II, including the region of northern Africa.

Zulu (c2003). Director: Cy Endfield

Original motion picture released in 1963. Zulu is set in Africa in 1879 only hours after the battle of Isandhlwana. A small group of British soldiers stood their ground at a farm house against an onslaught of wave after wave of Zulus.