5. Crafts and Crafts People (DVD 8384)
Adesuwa, aged 10, and Akugbe, aged 11, are going to have new party dresses made. They choose a tie-dyed fabric, and we learn how it is made. We also learn how the famous bronzes were cast. Today's chief bronze caster narrates the dance drama that explains how the bronze casters became the most important craft guild in Benin.
Director: Ben Onwukwe, Deborah Isaacs Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Nigeria, Benin, agriculture, urban life, family, history, economy, crafts

Buchi Emecheta with Susheila Nasta (Videocassette : 27 min. )  [1988]
V.CASS. VHS 8731
Abstract: Nigerian author Buchi Emecheta discusses such topics as her experiences as a young mother, the position of black women in society, incest, the role of women in Nigeria, and living in Britain.
Director: Fenella Greenfield Distributor:ICA Video
Keywords: Nigeria, Great Britain, Buchi Emecheta, literature, women, migrants, incest

Chinua Achebe (Videocassette : 28 min. )  [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 1516
Abstract: Bill Moyers interviews Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe who 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.
Director: Gail Pellet Distributor:PBS Video
Keywords: Nigeria, Achebe, literature, folktales

Desired Number (The) (Videocassette : 28 min. )  [1995]
V.CASS. VHS 8047
Abstract: Investigates the condition of women in Nigeria, where a woman's status and value are tied to her ability to bear children of the desired number.
Director: Ngozi Onwurah Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Nigeria, women, children, social conditions

Drilling Fields (The) (Videocassette : 24 min. )  [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 5034
Abstract: Looks at the land rights dispute in the Niger Delta area between the Nigerian government, the indigenous Ogoni people and the Shell Oil Company (Part of the Cutting Edge series).
Director: Glenn Ellis Distributor:Catma Films
Keywords: Nigeria, Ogoni, human rights, pollution, environment, politics and government, history

Efe: Gelede Ceremonies among the Western Yoruba (Videocassette : 27 min. )  [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 1850
Abstract: Documents several aspects of annual Gelede ceremonies including preparations, sacrificial ceremony, Efe night performance, and afternoon Gelede masked dances. Producer: Henry John Drewal.
Director: NA Distributor:University of Wisconsin, Department of Art History
Keywords: Nigeria, Yoruba, Gelede, Efe, masking, ritual, performance

Eze Nwata: The Small King (Videocassette : 30 min. )  [1982]
V. CASS. VHS 6657
Abstract: Eze Nwata, a young Igbo man from Nigeria, relates his experiences of falling ill and being healed by Ezi Mmiri, a water priestess.
Director: Georg Jell Distributor:Ogbuide Corporation
Keywords: Nigeria, Igbo, healers, religion

Fathers (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 87 min. )  [2000]
V. CASS VHS 7169
Abstract: Each of these three films offers a critical look at the relationships between fathers and their children in contemporary Africa. In The Father, the patriarch in question is ultimately the military dictatorship which terrorized Ethiopia in the '70s and '80s. Surrender shows the traditional face of paternal tyranny, a father controlling his son's life. A Barber's Wisdom shows a modern father who compromises his children in his relentless pursuit of money.
Director: Ermias Woldeermlak, Celine Gilbert, Amak Igwe Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria, fatherhood, patriarchy, family, short films

Fela: musique au poing = Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: Music is the Weapon (DVD : 53 min. )  [2004]
DVD 5064
Abstract: Filmed in 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria, the documentary mixes footage of Fela Anikulapo Kuti performing at his Shrine nightclub. Interviews with the controversial musician, glimpses of life at his not-so-palatial Kalakuta Republic compound, and scenes of Lagos street life.
Director: Stéphane Tchal-Gaddjieff Distributor:Geffen Records, Santa Monica, CA
Keywords: Nigeria, Lagos, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, afro-beat, biography, music performance, popular culture, politics

Femi Kuti live at the Shrine (DVD : 87 min. )  [2004]
DVD 5042
Abstract: A live performance by Femi Kuti and his ensemble at the Afrika Shrine in the Kuti family's hometown of Lagos, Nigeria, where every Sunday Femi plays to a packed house of revelers. For decades, Nigerian icon Fela Kuti revolutionized afro-beat, a unique blend of driving funk and traditional African music that carried his message of liberation and dignity in the face of corruption. After Fela's death in 1997, his son Femi Kuti took over the afro-beat throne, and in 2000, Femi opened the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos. A community center during the day and venue for ecstatic concerts at night, the Shrine is Femi's home. Raphaël Frydman's documentary features private moments with the exceedingly charismatic Femi, interviews with his family, and plenty of live footage that captures the vibrant music and what it means to the community. Can't Buy Me, Femi intones while the horns propel the music forward, dancers undulate, and the crowd finds release from the troubled state of the country in the joyous celebration. Great news from a place where, against all odds, music and community matter more than sales figures and target demographics: the songs included in the movie were selected democratically by Femi's fans. Contains on DVD and one CD.
Director: Raphaël Frydman Distributor:Palm Pictures, New York
Keywords: Nigeria, Lagos, popular culture, musical performance, afro-beat, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, feature film

Guinea Worm: The End of the Road (Videocassette : 29 min. )  [1992]
V.CASS. VHS 8727
Abstract: Guinea worm is a water-borne parasite which lodges in the lower extremities of the human body, matures, and then burrows out through the skin. Once prevalent throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas, 100 million people in India, Pakistan, and western Africa are still at high risk of suffering this disease. The film visits Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana, three of the nations with the greatest incidence of guinea worm, and examines steps being taken to fight this affliction. From the strategic planning level, involving the World Health Organization, Global 2000 and such well known individuals as former President Jimmy Carter, to governments' involvement in implementing workable plans for their countries, and finally to the actual field doctors and villagers who are the 'last battleground,' this film is a case study of a major health initiative at work in the Third World. Narrated by Frank Baker, with commentary by Donald Hopkins, Jimmy Carter, Dan Bloomington, and O. O. Kale.
Director: Sharon K. Baker Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, guinea worm, medicine, public health

In Their Own Voices (DVD : 16 min. )  [2004]
DVD 3719
Abstract: Interwoven stories of four Africans in Philadelphia who find in the African continent the inspiration for their art. Features a Liberian drum maker, a Sierra Leonean singer, a Nigerian visual artist and a Guinean artisan.
Director: Filmon Mebrahtu Distributor:Reel Voices
Keywords: United States, diaspora, African immigrants, art, music

Issakaba (DVD : 97 min. )  [2000]
DVD 8368
Abstract: This fictionalized feature provides a thoughtful, if romanticized, account of the rise of vigilantism in southeastern Nigeria in the late 1990s. Based on the notorious Bakassi Boys, the Issakaba wield machetes and powerful magic to defend a village against armed robbers. Starring Sam Dede. First in a four part series.
Director: Lancelot Odua Imasuen Distributor:KAS-VID International Ltd
Keywords: Nigeria, crime, vigilantes, supernatural, feature film

Juju Music! (Videocassette : 51 min. )  [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 2937
Abstract: Features the urban popular Yoruba music of Nigeria known as juju, which incorporates traditional song forms, rhythms and instruments with Western musical influences and instrumentation. Includes an all-night juju concert held in Lagos. Includes performances by King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey.
Director: Jacques Holender Distributor:Rhapsody Films
Keywords: Nigeria, music, popular culture

Ken Saro-Wiwa: An African Martyr (Videocassette : 23 min. )  [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3900
Abstract: 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 fromdecades 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.
Director: Mark Johnson Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Nigeria, Ogoni, politics, environment, prisoners, industry, human rights

Konkombe: Nigerian Music (Videocassette : 50 min. )  [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 2940
Abstract: 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. Produced by Jeremy Marre. Ethnomusicology Collection.
Director: NA Distributor:Shanachie Records
Keywords: Nigeria, music, popular culture, afro-beat

Kwagh-Hir, Traditional Theatre of the Tiv People of Nigeria (Motion Picture : 32 min. )  [1976]
MP-16MM 41
Abstract: The puppets of the Kwagh-Hir storytelling masquerade remind the Tiv people of their dependence on the world of the spirits. In the past, the Kwagh-Hir was used by the elders to express the power of the spirits at secret night meetings. Ten years ago the masks and puppets were brought out into village squares and built up into a spectacular storytelling entertainment. Made by Francis Speed and Peggy Harper.
Director: NA Distributor:University of Ife
Keywords: Nigeria, Tiv, theater, folklore, masking

Lagos/Koolhaas (Videocassette : 55 min. )  [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 7984
Abstract: A film that follows Rem Koolhaas during his research with the Harvard Design School Project on the City over a period of two years. He and his students wander through the chaotic streets of Lagos in Nigeria, talking with people and recognizing the problems of urban life.
Director: Bregtje M. Van der Haak Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Nigeria, urban life

Last Child (The): The Global Race to End Polio (DVD : 56 min. )  [2004]
DVD 4337
Abstract: The polio eradication campaign is the largest non-military, global enterprise ever. It involves dozens of organizations, scores of governments, thousands of health workers and millions of volunteers. The Last Child tells the behind-the-scenes story of the global campaign to eradicate polio, the dreaded childhood disease that continues to cripple and kill. From the frontlines in Nigeria, India, Haiti and elsewhere, this film follws the victories and challenges of trying to wipe out a disease worldwide for only the second time in history.
Director: Scott Thigpen Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Nigeria, India, Haiti, polio, public health

Liberia: an Uncivil War (DVD : 102 min. )  [2005]
DVD 4954
Abstract: Liberia: An Uncivil War provides an in-depth case study of one of the many brutal civil wars which have sprung up like wild fires across Africa. It is an exciting example of war-time journalism - white knuckles reporting with bullets ricocheting just feet from the camera placed in a historical context stretching back nearly two hundred years. Liberia can uniquely claim to be made in America and has always looked to the U.S. in its times of crisis. Reporter Jonathan Stack is besieged in the Liberian capital of Monrovia where President Charles Taylor says he will not leave until peacekeepers are in place. He is remarkably equable for a man who has just been indicted on 17 counts of crimes against humanity by the United Nations. James Barbazon is 'embedded' with the LURD (Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy) who have pledged to pillage the country until President Taylor leaves. He introduces us to General Cobra, Col. Black Diamond and soldiers, slightly more than children, who eat their victim's hearts in the belief it will make them stronger. With the rebels at the bridges leading to Monrovia, the Nigerians are at last persuaded to send 750 peacekeepers and the U.N. follows soon with 14,000. But what remains in the viewers' mind is President Bush's empty promises of help during the darkest days of Liberia's civil war.
Director: Jonathan Stack Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Liberia, child soldiers, civil war, journalism, peacekeepers, United Nations

Living in bondage (DVD : 163 min. )  [1992]
DVD 9686
Abstract: Lagos businessman Andy Okeke sees his friends getting rich and he is upset that he has no success himself. He is torn between his village ways and the modernity of city life. In an attempt to get ahead, he becomes involved in the occult with tragic results. This movie marked the beginning of the video movie industry in Nigeria.
Director: Chris Obi Rapu Distributor:Nigerian Movies
Keywords: Nigeria, filmmaking, urban life, occult, modernity, feature film

Malaria in an Industrial Society (Videocassette : 57 min. )  [1987]
CWLONG: WY 153 VCN 1987
Abstract: Reviews a case of malaria in a 43 year-old male recently returned from Nigeria. Discusses malaria's global epidemiology, causative parasites, histopathology, and pharmaceutical therapy.
Director: John Roberts Distributor:Hospital Satellite Network
Keywords: Nigeria, United States, malaria, health, epidemiology, medicine

Mami Wata: Der Geist der Weissen Frau (Videocassette : 59 min. )  [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 3642
Abstract: Mami Wata is a water deity worshiped in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. In collaboration with the Institute fur den Wissenschaftlichen Film, Gottengen. Color VHS, English narration and subtitles.
Director: NA Distributor:Institut fur den Wissenschaftlichen Film
Keywords: Togo, Mami Wata, religion, ritual

Mammy Water: In Search of the Water Spirits in Nigeria (Videocassette : 59 min. )  [1989]
V. CASS. VHS 1554
Abstract: The film features Mammy Water rituals and interviews with devotees and their leaders. Mammy Water is a water deity worshiped in Nigeria.
Director: Sabine Jell-Bahlseh Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Nigeria, Mami Wata, religion, ritual

Monday's Girls (Videocassette : 49 min. )  [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 2585
Abstract: A grandmother named Monday Moses in Ogoloma, Nigeria is responsible for taking the young girls of the village through the rites of passage into womanhood so that they will be ready for marriage. Producer: Lloyd Gardner.
Director: Ngozi Omwurah Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Nigeria, initiation, marriage, women

Nigeria's Oil War (DVD : 24 min. )  [2006]
DVD 8737
Abstract: The Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force is a well organized crime gang that has become a key player in the world's most strategically important industry -- oil. The vast Niger Delta holds an estimated three percent of the world's oil, and to the U.S., it's a vital alternative to the oilfields of the Middle East - worth $30 billion per year. The Force wants a share of this oil revenue for the people of the Niger Delta. As their leader, Al Haji Asari Dokubo, admitted in the film, the gang has brazenly stolen oil straight out of pipelines owned by some of the world's biggest multinationals. Called 'bunkering,' the practice is costing Western oil companies hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue each year. If gangs like the Force are threatened, they can disrupt Nigeria's oil supply with ease. This could lead to economic repercussions around the world. Not that the government of Nigeria seems overly concerned about cleaning up the industry, or using its massive oil wealth to help the people - some believe that they are the biggest gang of all. 'People have now gotten to the point where they don't believe anything that the government stands for,' Nigerian human rights lawyer Ledum Mittee says. 'Instead of the oil becoming a blessing, it now becomes a curse.'
Director: Mary Ann Jolley Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Nigeria, Niger River Delta, petroleum industry, insurgency, politics, government, economy

Obo Koso (Videocassette : 28 min. )  [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 6605
Abstract: Excerpts from the famous Yoruba folklore drama about a wicked man who tries to overthrow the king. Intricate dance steps, brilliantly colored costumes, and Yoruba instruments and singing.
Director: Duro Ladipo Distributor:Creative Arts Television
Keywords: Nigeria, Yoruba, dance, performance, theater, folklore

Osuofia in London (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 105 min. )  [2003]
VCD 91
Abstract: Nigeria's greatest comedic actor Nkem Owoh stars as Osuofia, a hunter too lazy (or inept) to kill a deer, even as all five of his daughters support him. Deep in debt and relentlessly hassled by angry creditors, Osuofia has no choice but to leave town. His life is changed forever when fate leads him to London to collect an inheritance. Before he can cash in, a clash of cultures leads to decidedly hilarious results. Story continues with Osuofia in London 2.
Director: Kingsley Eloho Ogoro (Sir K) Distributor:Ulzee Nigeria Ltd
Keywords: Nigeria, immigration and emigration, comedy, feature film

Pierre Fatumbi Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos = Messenger between Two Worlds (Videocassette : 90 min. )  [1998]
V.CASS. VHS 8354
Abstract: Retracing the adventurous life of photographer Pierre Verger, part of a French generation of ethnographers, this documentary reveals the reciprocal cultural influences between Brazil and the region of Benin and Nigeria in Africa.
Director: Lula Buarque de Hollanda Distributor:Latin American Video Archives
Keywords: Brazil, Benin, Nigeria, Pierre Verger, photography, diaspora

Red Hot + Riot : Encounters with AIDS in Africa (DVD : 58 min. )  [2003]
DVD 5021
Abstract: This film focuses on and documents the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the lives of the people of Nigeria and South Africa. Using the music of Fela Kuti, the documentary reveals the magnitude of the AIDS problem, the personal tragedies, as entire households are wiped out by the disease, and what needs to be done to stem the flow of this epidemic. Included in this DVD are interviews with Yeni Kuti (Fela's daughter ), with Femi Kuti (Fela's son) and with Paul Heck, co-producer of the album as well as behind-the-scene footage.
Director: Maria Lovett Distributor:Red Hot Organization, New York
Keywords: Nigeria, South Africa, afro-beat, HIV/AIDS, popular culture, music, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti

Right to Choose (The) (Videocassette : 24 min. )  [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8928
Abstract: Part 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. Some Islamic leaders in northern Nigeria also advocate child-marriage. They believe women's role is to comfort men, and see nothing wrong with marrying girls as young as seven, often in polygamous marriages. 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.
Director: Charlotte Metcalf Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Ethiopia, Nigeria, women, children, marriage, human rights, land, education

Swampdwellers (The) (Videocassette : 53 min. )  [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 7144
Abstract: In the swampland of Western Nigeria, the devout farmers make offering in kind to their gods so that they might protect the fields and bring good harvests. The priests who intercede demand their share of the sacrifices. The young men who go to the towns no longer respect the priests and question their authority over the people of the village. A play by Wole Soyinka.
Director: Norman Florence Distributor:Phoenix Films
Keywords: Nigeria, religion, ritual, theater

Things Fall Apart (Videocassette : 589 min. )  [1987]
V. CASS. VHS 4009 PT. 1-10
Abstract: Based on the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. This is the Nigerian television serial version in 13 episodes. Presented by Nigerian Television Authority. Producer: Adiela Onyedibia. (13 videocassettes)
Director: David Orere Distributor:National Black Programming Consortium
Keywords: Nigeria, social life, literature, media, Chinua Achebe, feature film

This Is Nollywood (DVD : 56 min. )  [2007]
DVD 9589
Abstract: This Is Nollywood tells the story of the Nigerian film industry -- a revolution enabling Africans with few resources to tell African stories to African audiences. Despite all odds, Nigerian directors produce between 500 and 1,000 movies a year. The disks sell wildly all over the continent. Nollywood actors have become stars from Ghana to Zambia. This Is Nollywood shows how the egalitarian promise of digital technology has found realization in one of the world's largest and poorest cities. And it shows the universal theme of people striving to fulfill their dreams.
Director: Franco Sacchi Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Nigeria, Nollywood, film, popular culture, business, media

Thunderbolt (Videocassette : 105 min. )  [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 7174
Abstract: This feature film focuses on Yinka from the Yoruba tribe and Ngozi, an Igbo, who meet in the National Youth Service Corps in Nigeria. A retelling and adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello story in an African setting, the seeds of jealousy are planted when a friend of Yinka suggests that Ngozi is having a secret affair because 'Igbo are untrustworthy.' The film then becomes distinctly West African as the supernatural comes to the fore; curses and ritual cleansing take the place of psychological explanations. An old man warns Ngozi, who is accused of having AIDS, that her death is imminent and will strike her like a thunderbolt.
Director: Tunde Kelani Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Nigeria, Igbo, Yoruba, HIV/AIDS, medicine, religion, feature film

Tides of the Delta: the Saga of Ozidi (Motion Picture : 32 min. )  [1969]
MP-16MM 78
Abstract: A seven day story told in words, mime, and dance about the Ijo hero Ozidi. The performance is a celebration of the hero's honor held at two villages on the river Forchados in Nigeria.
Director: NA Distributor:Colour Film Services
Keywords: Nigeria, Ijo, performance

Traditional Specialist (A): Ifa Divination Diagnosis (Videocassette : 11 min. )  [1981]
V. CASS. VHS 1539
Abstract: Interview with a practitioner of Ifa divination diagnosis, traditional folk medicine in Nigeria. Producer: Philip Singer.
Director: NA Distributor:Singer-Sharrette
Keywords: Nigeria, Yoruba, medicine, divination

Tubali (Videocassette : 45 min. )  [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 2656
Abstract: A film of Hausa architecture by Sabine Jell-Bahlsen. Builders, architects, and a museum curator talk about the history, building technology, social and religious aspects of Hausa architecture.
Director: NA Distributor:Ogbuide Corp.
Keywords: Nigeria, Hausa, architecture, aesthetics, technology

Wole Soyinka (Videocassette : 61 min. )  [1989]
V.CASS. VHS 7959
Abstract: The 1986 Nobel Prize winner for literature, Nigerian author and political activist Wole Soyinka lectures on creative traditions and the climates of terror in which they are born. He talks about the growth of African cultural self-awareness and the birth of a new literary fraternity. The lecture is the eighth Herbert Reed Lecture at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Introduction by Lionel Ngakane.
Director: NA Distributor:ICA Video
Keywords: Nigeria, Wole Soyinka, art, literature, violence

Yoruba Performance (Videocassette : 50 min. )  [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 1296
Abstract: West African rituals and dances photographed on location. Producer: Henry John Drewal.
Director: NA Distributor:NA
Keywords: Nigeria, Yoruba, ritual, performance

Yoruba Ritual (Videocassette : 30 min. )  [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 1771
Abstract: Depicts rites and ceremonies of the Yoruba African people. Companion video to book by Margaret Thompson Drewal.
Director: NA Distributor:NA
Keywords: Nigeria, Yoruba, ritual, performance