African Studies Media Catalog
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AIDS in Africa (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1990]
V.CASS. VHS 5118
Abstract: Describes the war on AIDS in Africa, where the disease cuts across the entire population, affecting men and women of reproductive age and their children, striking a continent already wracked by underdevelopment, civil strife and corruption.
Director: Roger Pyke Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, economic conditions, politics
Africa in the 21st Century (Videocassette : 147 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS. VHS 7506, 7507, 7508
Abstract: A series of three videos presenting aspects of contemporary life in different regions of Africa: Somalia: The Neglected Civil War, Mali and Senegal: the Power of Islam, Zimbabwe & South Africa.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library, Inc.
Keywords: Mali, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Zimbabwe
All About Darfur (Videocassette : 82 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9128
Abstract: 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.
Director: Taghreed Elsanhouri Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Darfur, civil war, ethnicity, race relations, humanitarian crisis, violence
All About Darfur (DVD : 82 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8064
Abstract: 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.
Director: Taghreed Elsanhouri Distributor:Taghreed Elsanhouri Productions
Keywords: Sudan, Darfur, genocide, civil war, ethnicity, politics, refugees, violence
Benjamin and His Brother (DVD : 87 min. ) [2002]
DVD7071
Abstract: Tells the story of Benjamin and William Deng, two young Sudanese men who left Sudan in the mass exodus of boy refugees in 1987. This group became known as the Lost Boys, and in 2001, the U.S. government began a project to resettle them from the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya to the United States. William went to Houston, Texas, and eventually was reunited with his grandmother and other relatives in Kansas City. Benjamin remained at the refugee camp and is waiting to be allowed to emigrate.
Director: Arthur Howes Distributor:Documentary Educational Resources
Keywords: Kenya, Sudan, Kakuma refugee camp, orphans, immigrants, civil war
Between War and Peace (DVD : 23 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8909
Abstract: Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, was relatively calm until 1980 when William Tolbert was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe after food price riots. By the late 1980s, arbitrary rule and economic collapse culminated in civil war when dissidents of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front overran much of the countryside and executed Doe. Over half of the population fled their homes in terror during its 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. With more than 59,000 fighters (some of them children) demobilized in the last three months and another 15,000 waiting to follow, this Life program reports on Liberia's attempts to find a way of engaging the former fighters in rebuilding their country - to sustain the peace.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:Bull Frog films
Keywords: Liberia, conflict management, civil war, government, history, politics, development. children
Black Man's Land Trilogy (DVD : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three-part series of films consisting of White Man's Country (part 1), Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3); all of the films combine period photographs and contemporary location footage with the testimony of African and European witnesses. The trilogy covers the violence of colonial rule, white settlement and African resistance in the story of Kenya, as the British tried to make it a 'white man's country' like South Africa or New Zealand. Land was allocated, settlers welcomed, and the 'jewel of the British empire' was born. But it was African land that was taken, African labor that was used to develop it, and African taxes that kept the colonial regime solvent. How did Africans confront this process? White Man's Country tells this story. Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Kenyatta offers a biographical account of Jomo Kenyatta, the man who became Kenya's national leader and who eventually led the movement to establish an independent government.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Facets Multimedia
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, land, history, politics
Blood Diamond (DVD : 143 min. ) [2007]
DVD 7358
Abstract: Danny Archer is an ex-mercenary turned smuggler. Solomon Vandy is a local Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join together for two dangerous missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son. The son was conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed across the alternately beautiful and ravaged countryside.
Director: Edward Zwick Distributor:Warner Home Video
Keywords: Sierra Leone, smugglers, history, civil war, drama, feature film
Children of War (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9178
Abstract: Thousands of children have been kidnapped and used as soldiers by the Ugandan rebel army, the Lord's Resistance Army. The children, many of whom are tortured, live a life of terror: girls as young as 12 are used as sex slaves, while the boys are forced to sometimes even kill family members. Once they have completed this terrible task, they are considered tough enough to be used in raids by the rebel army. This film follows two such children who escaped from their captors: Judith who for six years lived as a sex slave for a rebel commander, and Dennis who was caught when he tried to escape the first time and consequently forced to kill his friend. John Rheinstein, a therapist from 'Save the Children Denmark', attempts to create a new life for those children who have run away from the rebel army. The rehabilitation program includes having the children draw and reenact their traumatic experiences. Judith's parents are found and she is reunited with her family who thought that she had been killed. Three months after his return to the rehabilitation camp, Dennis is still battling with his traumas; his family has failed to retrieve him. Despite all attempts by groups like 'Save the Children' to stop the violence, it is a sad fact that very few children come out of the bush alive in this 'forgotten war'.
Director: Henrik Grunnet, Keld Kluwer Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Uganda, children, child soldiers, civil war, rehabilitation, sexual abuse, trauma, violence
Cry Freetown, Return to Freetown (Videocassette : 134 min. ) [2005]
VHS 7205
Abstract: In Cry Freetown, Sierra Leonean filmmaker, Sorious Samura documents the civil war in Freetown, Sierra Leone. In Return to Freetown, filmmaker Sorious Samura returns to Sierra Leone and talks with three of the children who were abducted and forced to become soldiers in the civil war. Thousands were taken from their families by a ruthless rebel leader and turned into killers.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News Tv
Keywords: Sierra Leone, economy, civil war, youth
Daratt (also known as Dry Season and Saison sèche (DVD : 96min min. ) [2006]
DVD 8778
Abstract: The government of Chad granted amnesty to war criminals in 2006, following forty years of civil strife. Atim, age 16, is given a revolver by his grandfather so that he may find and kill the man who killed his father. Atim quickly locates Nassara, now married and living as a baker in a nearby village. Pretending to be looking for work, Atim is hired as an apprentice baker. Despite his disgust, Atim gradually recognizes the father figure he has always needed. Nassara sees the teenager as a potential son and one day proposes adoption.
Director: Mahamet-Saleh Haroun Distributor:ArtMattan Productions
Keywords: Chad, family, war, reconciliation, feature film
Daresalam (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 7168
Abstract: This feature film focuses on two young men caught up in the civil war in Chad. It begins in the 1970s with the story of Koni and Djimi as the central government invades their village and insists on buying the farmer's millet at below market price and then browbeats the villagers into paying taxes to help fight the war. When they resist the government burns the village and massacres the inhabitants. Djimi, wounded, remains behind with the hard-liners, while Koni joins a faction which supports compromise with the government.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Daresalam (DVD : 105 min. ) [2000]
DVD7329
Abstract: Daresalam is the first African feature film to focus on the civil wars convulsing the continent from Sierra Leone to Somalia. It provides compelling insights into how ordinary people around the world get swept up in extraordinary events. Its timeless story of two childhood friends turned into political foes personalizes the terrible costs of internecine strife.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:Kino International & California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, friendship, history, politics, feature film
Diamond Life (The) (Videocassette : 7 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8973
Abstract: 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. The Diamond Life provides a disturbing glimpse into the greed and violence that fuels the Sierra Leone region's brutal diamond war.
Director: Stephen Marshall, Josh Shore Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, violence, politics, history, refugees
Ezra (DVD : 105 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9460
Abstract: Tells the story of Ezra, a young boy kidnapped and forced to become a soldier with a rebel faction in the Sierra Leone civil war. Ten years later, he is before a truth and reconciliation commission and made to revisit and understand his crimes so as to begin the process of psychological healing.
Director: Carlos Arango de Montis Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sierra Leone, wara, children, reconciliation, psychology
From the Ashes (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 1 (PAL format)
Abstract: Shows how people in a small Mozambican village are working towards reconciliation following the civil war. Part one of the series Landscape of Memory. See also I Have Seen=Nda Mona,'The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Mozambique, civil war, reconciliation, history, politics
Gacaca: Living Together Again in Rwanda? (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8154
Abstract: 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 judgment, aimed at unifying this scarred nation.
Director: Anne Aghion Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films.
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, civil war, genocide, truth commissions, law, history
Going Home (Videocassette : 31 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 8931
Abstract: Mohammed is 10 years old, but for most of 1997 he was forced to act as a young fighter with rebel forces in the forests of Sierra Leone. His duties included carrying heavy equipment, acting as a personal servant to other soldiers, and torturing and disciplining any of the other child soldiers who stepped out of line. Eventually he escaped to Guinea, where he is one of thousands lining up to register at the Gueckedou refugee camp. In 1997 Guinea was host to an estimated 430,000 refugees: 190,000 Sierra Leoneans, and 240,000 Liberians who had escaped the eight-year civil wars there. This film evaluates the success of the Guinean government and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in protecting the rights pledged this huge African refugee population under the OAU Convention.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Guinea (Conakry), Liberia, Sierra Leone, civil war, violence, youth, refugees, UN
Great Wonder (A): Lost Children of Sudan (DVD : 61 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7676
Abstract: More than 2 million Sudanese have died in the longest uninterrupted civil war in the world, now in its 20th year. Another 5 million civilians have fled their homes to escape the fighting. A Great Wonder traces the extraordinary journey of three young Sudanese orphans, a fraction of the 17,000 so-called 'Lost Boys' of Sudan, who have spent the majority of their lives either in flight from war or in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. Having navigated the hazards of warfare, disease and starvation, their arrival and resettlement in Seattle, Washington is not your average immigration story. Over the course of 18 months, these youths have recorded their own experiences through their own eyes and in their own words using digital video cameras. The resulting diaries serve as a personal thread throughout the film, incorporating first-hand accounts of their experiences in war with their radically different lives as immigrants in America. A story of survival in its most elemental form, A Great Wonder explores the concepts of loss, faith, community and freedom as it bears witness to the spirit that drives these young people to rebuild their lives.
Director: Kim Shelton Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Sudan, refugees, immigrants, children, war, resettlement
Heroi (O) = The Hero (Videocassette : 97 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9129
Abstract: Tells the story of Angola, a nation torn apart by 40 years of uninterrupted war, and now trying to piece itself back together, and its capital city, Luanda, a city, like so many in the Third World, trying to absorb the millions of people displaced by civil strife and global economic change. Follows the interlocking stories of five central characters: Vitório, an ex-soldier who lost his leg in the last months of the civil war and now struggles to find work; Manu, a bright ten year-old orphan who lost his father during the war but still dreams of his return; Judite, a prostitute with whom Vitório begins a relationship, who lost her own son during the war; Joana, Manu's second-grade teacher, who takes an interest in Vitorio's story and the plight of other veterans; and Pedro, Joana's boyfriend and a cynical young member of the emerging bourgeoisie with ties to the political elite.
Director: Zézé Gamboa Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Angola, Luanda, class, economy, gender, post-colonialism, war, feature film
Hokonui Todd: A Living Legend in Zimbabwe (DVD : 50 min. ) [1992]
DVD 9912
Abstract: When Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980 after a bloody civil war, very few whites survived the fray with any honor. One man had the vision and moral strength to support the black's claim to self determination. Garfield Todd, a New Zealander, has lived and worked there with his wife for more than fifty years. Starting as a missionary farmer, Todd came to respect the local people he lived among. He became active in government, eventually becoming the last Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia before Ian Smith. An outspoken and unpopular opponent of Ian Smith's racist government, Todd weathered fifteen years of bloody civil war, including prolonged house arrest. The Todds refused to leave Hokonui Ranch, although their lives were in constant jeopardy. Old photographs and film footage gives a vivid picture of the era.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zimbabwe, Southern Rhodesia, race, history, civil war, resistance
Hotel Rwanda (DVD : 122 min. ) [2004]
DVD 4192
Abstract: The deeply moving true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a five-star-hotel manager who used his wits and words to save more than 1,200 lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Director: Terry George Distributor:Metro Goldwyn Mayer Home Entertainment
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, genocide, civil war, feature film
Hunting My Husband's Killer: A Rwandan Story (DVD : 51 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7966
Abstract: Lesley Bilinda, the Scottish widow of a Rwandan black pastor, returns ten years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide to search for his murderers only to find the truth elusive and forgiveness impossible. Lesley met Charles when she was working as a nurse in Rwanda, but their life together was shattered as genocide swept the country. In a hundred days of violence, about one million were killed. At the height of the genocide, Charles was abducted and never seen again. Ten years later, in a new atmosphere of openness, some of the killers are coming forward to confess their crimes. Lesley meets the manager of the guesthouse where Charles was last seen, Paster Kabeira. He is believed to have colluded with Hutu rebels and was seen handing Charles over to armed militants. He is now in prison, but he refuses to admit he did anything wrong. The meeting leaves her frustrated and upset, but she refuses to give up. She visits the Murambi Genocide Memorial site to confront for herself the scale of the genocide. Its full horror brings her to her knees. She travels on to Gahini, the village where she and Charles lived. A local man agrees to speak about the killings. As they talk, it becomes clear to her that he was one of the men who murdered her best friend, Anatolie. She feels disgust but also pity for him. She also uncovers some unexpected and unpalatable truths about her husband's 'secret life' which test her Christian faith to its limits.
Director: Jay Knox Distributor:NA
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, civil war, genocide, monuments
In Rwanda We Say: The Family that Does Not Speak Dies (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8766
Abstract: Two years after the Gacaca tribunals, close to 16,000 genocide suspects, still untried, were released across the country. Having confessed to their crimes and having served the maximum sentence the Gacaca tribunals would eventually impose, perpetrators of genocidal violence are sent home to plow fields and fetch water alongside the people they victimized. In Rwanda We Say focuses on the release of one suspect, tracking the effect of his return on a tiny hillside hamlet. While the government's message of a 'united Rwandan family' permeates the language of the community, the imposed co-existence brings forth varying emotions, from numb acceptance to repressed rage.
Director: Anne Aghion Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, civil war, genocide, law
In the Wake of War (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8988
Abstract: Philippe Mvuyekure has spent the last five years living in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Now, he's on his way home. He's among thousands of refugees convinced that the bitter, 10-year civil war that decimated his homeland of Burundi may be coming to an end. The civil war here between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army uprooted over a million people and killed more than 300,000. But the benefits of a peace process are finally beginning to emerge. 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.
Director: James Heer Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Tanzania, Burundi, Hutu, Tutsi, war, refugees, conflict resolution, politics
Invisible Children (DVD : 55 min. ) [2006]
DVD 5486
Abstract: 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. What started out as a film-making adventure in Africa, transformed into much more, when the three young Americans original travels took a divine turn, and they found themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. They discovered children being kidnapped nightly from their homes and subsequently forced to fight as child soldiers. Children as young as eight are methodically kidnapped from their homes by a rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The abducted children are then desensitized to the horror of brutal violence and killing, as they themselves are turned into vicious fighters. Some escape and hide in constant fear for their lives. Most remain captive, and grow to maturity with no education other than life in the bush and fighting in a guerilla war. Of the many ramifications that a 20 -year-long war can cause, the film highlights what the community refers to as 'night commuters.' We watch thousands of children commute out of fear, from their villages to nearby towns each night in order to avoid the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) abductions. They sleep in public places, vulnerable, and without supervision.
Director: Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole Distributor:Invisible Children
Keywords: Uganda, children, civil war, child soldiers
Iron Ladies of Liberia (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 77 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9754
Abstract: 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?
Director: Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Liberia, Sirleaf, politics, government, women, gender, war
Justice Pursued (DVD : 50 min. ) [1997]
DVD 9220
Abstract: Rwanda, Argentina, East Germany and Bosnia have been the locus for the most heinous acts of the last 20 years. In this program, Gerald Gahima, Rwanda's Minister of Justice, has the unenviable job of tracking down hundreds of Rwandans accused of perpertrating hideous atrocities against their neighbors during that country's recent civil war. We follow Gahima to Israel where, in an emotional meeting with a former Nazi-hunter, Gahima receives advice on how to proceed. The torture and murder of thousands of young Argentines by the Pinochet regime are detailed by a survivor. In East Germany, newly discovered Stasi training tapes paint a brutal portrait of political repression behind the Berlin Wall, while in Bosnia, efforts to track down the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing are ongoing.
Director: Jane Dibblin, Paul Mitchell, Michael Stewart Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, political persecution, human rights, war crimes, law, genocide
Kafi's Story (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7170
Abstract: This film captures Nuba life just at the moment before it was engulfed in the Sudanese civil war in 1989. The Nubian native Kafi narrates his journey to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, from his village Torogi in the Nuba Mountains.Torogi is in the middle of Sudan's encroaching civil war, between the Muslim North and the Christian South. Torogi itself is neither Muslim nor Christian and is trying to remain neutral. See also Nuba Conversations for a return ten years later. Inquiries about the film can be directed to Amy Hardie Amy Hardie at a.hardie@eca.ac.uk
Director: Arthur Howes, Amy Hardie Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, history
Liberia: A Fragile Peace (DVD : 60 min. ) [2006]
DVD 6382
Abstract: Liberia: A Fragile Peace is a perfect follow-up to Liberia: An Uncivil War, picking up the Liberian saga in October 2003, with the departure of the despotic Charles Taylor, the arrival of interim President Gyude Bryant and the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force. More than a historical record, however, this film is an ideal case study in how difficult it is to rebuild a society once it has lapsed into anarchy, a condition afflicting more and more nations around the world. The success or failure of the Liberian experience could have long-lasting impact on peace-keeping missions in the future.
Director: Steven W. Ross Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Charles Taylor, civil war, government, history
Liberia: America's Stepchild (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7693
Abstract: Documentary follows the parallel stories of the relationship between the United States and the African republic of Liberia. Founded as a home for freed Blacks and former slaves, the American Colonization Society also gave support to the bond between the two countries. The 1997 election of Charles Taylor to the presidency and his corrupt administration is also explored as well as the reasons for the turmoil that has destroyed Liberia since 1980. Educator's resources at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/liberia/index.html
Director: Nancee Oku Bright Distributor:PBS Home Video
Keywords: Liberia, United States, history, Charles Taylor, politics, civil war
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 with Refugees (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9025
Abstract: Sorious Samura returns to Africa for one month to report on the refugee crisis in Darfur. Over 2 million people are forced into neighboring Chad, because of the brutal attacks from the militia, while thousands more have been killed. Samura chronicles the experiences of the refugees and how they must cope with an environment which does not guarantee security, food or shelter. See also Living with Hunger, Living with Illegals and Living with AIDS.
Director: Simon Atkins, Sorius Samura Distributor:Insight News Television, Limited (London)
Keywords: Sudan, Chad, Darfur, civil war, refugee crisis, humanitarian crisis, journalism, militia
Lost Boys of Sudan (DVD : 170 min. ) [2003]
DVD 4505
Abstract: Follows two Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America. Orphaned as young boys in one of Africa's cruelest civil wars, Peter Dut and Santino Chuor survived lion attacks and militia gunfire to reach a refugee camp in Kenya along with thousands of other children. From there, remarkably, they were chosen to come to America. Safe at last from physical danger and hunger, a world away from home, they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation of contemporary American suburbia. Disc one includes an 87-minute version of this film, disc two has a 55-minute version of the film, special features and five additional video segments.
Director: Megan Mylan Distributor:Lost Boys of Sudan
Keywords: Sudan, United States, civil war, refugees
Lumumba (Videocassette : 115 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6818
Abstract: Dramatizes the life of Congolese revolutionary, Patrice Lumumba, who led his country to independence from Belgium in 1960. He served for less than a year as the first elected prime minister, until he was brutally assassinated.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:Zeitgeist Films
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Lumumba: La mort du prophète (Videocassette : 69 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2990
Abstract: 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. Producer: Raoul Peck.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Mali & Senegal: The Power of Islam (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7507
Abstract: Islam has influenced West Africa since the 11th century, but only in the last 100 years has the religion grown so rapidly in Senegal and Mali. One prominent sect, the Mouride movement, has millions of followers and wealth accumulated from peanut cultivation. As a force of conservative Islam, its economic and political power must be watched by the West. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see Somalia: The Neglected Civil Warand Zimbabwe & South Africa: Still Far From Coexistence.
Director: Hiroyuki Shima Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Mali, Senegal, Islam, Mouride movement, religion
Man Who Could Be King, The (DVD : 46 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8936
Abstract: This is the extraordinary story of a man torn between his obligation as a tribal leader and his duty to his family. Adongo Akway Cham is an Anyuak tribesman from Southern Sudan who escaped the civil war to live peacefully in Canada. No sooner had he settled in Canada when his father, the tribe's king, died, and Cham was chosen over all his brothers to be the successor. The camera follows Cham for three years as he struggles with his kingly duties and attempts to settle his family in Canada. His wife is in an Ethiopian refugee camp, burdened with caring for his eight children. She is waiting for Cham to release her from the camp and obtain entry to the safe haven that Canada represents. Cham is in conflict. 'From the beginning I have tried to say no. I don't want to take the responsibility, but who will go and take it if not me?'
Director: Edith Champagne and Nancy IngDuclos Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Anyuak, emigration, government, refugees
Mau Mau (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9266
Abstract: In October 1952 the British government declared a State of Emergency in Kenya in order to defeat Mau Mau. In the war that followed, fewer than 40 of 40,000 white settlers were killed while more than 15,000 Africans lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more were arrested and subjected to a humiliating and often brutal process of 'rehabilitation.' Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Reveals the secret society known as Mau Mau to have been an attempt by the white minority to discredit the rising tide of black nationalism. Using newsreel and previously inaccessible archive footage, and drawing on interviews with participants on both sides, this film examines the myth and reality of Africa's first modern guerrilla war. This film is part 2 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, Mau Mau, history, colonialism, politics, settlers, nationalism, violence, war
Na cidade vazia = Hollow city (Videocassette : 88 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9143
Abstract: N'dala is an orphan from the Angolan province of Bie, a flashpoint in the rebellion that incited Angola's brutal civil war. In 1991, N'dala is airlifted by missionaries to the port city of Luanda, Angola's capital. He slips away from the nuns at the airport, choosing the solitude of the streets of the old city, but he is not prepared for living by his wits. His wandering leads N'dala to the beach where he takes shelter in an old fisherman's shack, but he is haunted by nightmares of the assault that left his family dead, and he soon disappears into the shanty-town neighborhoods of the city. N'dala meets Zé, an older boy who shares the epic story of a young warrior. Zé and his friends, who drift amongst the Luanda homeless, fascinate N'dala and he is tragically pulled into their existence of survival. Each step N'dala takes into the dark streets of the city leads him farther from his home.
Director: Maria Joao Ganga Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Angola, Luanda, children, civil war, homelessness, orphans, trauma, feature film
New South Africa: A Personal Journey, The (DVD : 58 min. ) [1995]
DVD 8148
Abstract: The white expatriate playwright Tug Yourgrau (The Song of Jacob Zulu) returns to South Africa after the election of Nelson Mandela to learn about the changes there. He finds a people exhilarated to have been spared a horrifying civil war but still grappling with how to bring about reconciliation. Everywhere he looks he sees that the enormous gulf between white and black still exists, not just in standards of living, but also in their understanding of one another. Yet there are also signs of change. His old school which was totally white, now has a mixed student body and teaches Zulu in addition to Afrikaans. He rejoices in the new diversity in the press, which reflects voices ranging from the hard Right nostalgic for apartheid to the revolutionary Left impatient for change. It is not easy to overcome so many years of inequity. Crime, pollution and shanty towns are still in evidence. But here and there real progress is in evidence. Ndaba Ntsele, who once would have been a manual laborer, now owns a successful construction company and drives a BMW sedan. Here is a fascinating, first hand report on a country undergoing immense social change as the whole world watches.
Director: Tug Yourgrau and Joel Olicker Distributor:Flimakers Library
Keywords: South Africa, race, apartheid, history
Nuba Conversations (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7171
Abstract: Ten years after filming Kafi's Story, British filmmaker Arthur Howes re-entered the Sudan clandestinely to find out what had happened to the Nuba of Torogi. Everywhere he encountered the jihad or holy war. The fundamentalist Sudanese regime is pursuing its policy of forced assimilation through a systematic disruption of the Nuba people, by killing their cattle and burning their villages. While Nuban women hide in caves 60,000 Nuba children have been abducted to camps where they are forcibly converted to Islam. Howes estimates that 40% of the Sudanese Army is now composed of Nuba men. See also Kafi's Story.
Director: Arthur Howes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, jihad, civil war, Islam, politics, history
Nuit de la veritae, La (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [2004]
VHS9300
Abstract: Set in an unnamed African country in the immediate aftermath of a lengthy, bloody civil war, this taut tale takes place on a 'day of reconciliation' where the president, the leader of the opposition and their spouses meet to celebrate the end of hostilities. But after atrocities on both sides and lingering ethnic tensions, can there really be peace? From the beginning, the tension between members of the two sides is palpable and as the film continues, the atmosphere of menace grows as the leaders struggle to cement a lasting peace but old wounds remain fresh.
Director: Fanta Régina Nacro Distributor:NA
Keywords: civil war, ethnic tensions, feature film
On the Frontlines: Child Soldiers in DRC (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9139
Abstract: This film features footage of the military training of children in several camps in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as testimony from demobilized child soldiers recounting their horrifying memories. Militia groups the Democratic Republic of Congo use children, both boys and girls, as soldiers. The majority of these children are between the ages of eight and sixteen and are often supported in their endeavors by their parents and the community at large. They are led by a sense of patriotism and promises of prosperity and a better life. On the Frontlines features footage of several militia camps, as well as testimony from demobilized child soldiers recounting their horrifying memories of life in the militias.
Director: Bukeni Beck Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, civil war, children, violence
On the Rumba River (DVD : 86 min. ) [2007]
DVD 8519
Abstract: Documentary about the history and continuing popularity of Congolese Rumba with legendary Congolese musician Wendo Kolosoy, affectionately known as 'Papa Wendo,' and members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki players. This is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades, and emphasizes the importance of music in this war-torn society. On the Rumba River introduces us to this legendary musician, along with veteran members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki Players -- including Antoine Moundanda (thumb piano), Joseph Munange (saxophone), Mukubuele Nzoku (guitar), and Alphonse Biolo Batilangandi (trumpet) -- who recount their own musical experiences and attest to their personal and professional respect for Wendo. The film also treats us to musical performances by the group, in rehearsals, impromptu jam sessions, and lively public performances. The film's exploration of the history and continuing popularity of Congolese rumba is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted this African nation for decades, from the repressive regime (1965-1997) of Mobutu Sese Seko, an ongoing civil war, and a fragile contemporary peace. Extended views of Kinshasa slums and the rusted hulks of sunken boats along the Congo River reveal the physical devastation and grinding poverty of the Congo, and Wendo, in a reflective moment, laments the sad state of his country brought about by greedy politicians and fratricidal warfare.
Director: Jacques Sarasin Distributor:First Run Icarus Films
Keywords: Congo, Kinshasa, Congolese rumba, music, popular culture, performance, history, politics
Operation Fine Girl: Rape used as a Weapon of War in Sierra Leone (Videocassette : 46 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9207
Abstract: Operation Fine Girl documents the brutal use of rape as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone. The story is told through the eyes the survivors - women and girls, as well as the child soldiers and perpetrators.
Director: Lilibet Foster Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, sexual violence, rape, women, children
Rain in a Dry Land (DVD : 82 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7257
Abstract: Tale of two remarkable families, Somali Bantus who are refugees from the 1991 civil war in Somalia and find new homes in urban America. Emmy award-winning filmmaker Anne Makepeace captures the poetry, the humor, and the astonishing resilience of these new Americans as they show us our world through new eyes.
Director: Anne Makepeace Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Somalia, refugees, immigration, civil war
Refugee All Stars (The): Living Like a Refugee (CD-ROM ) [2005]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: The Refugee All Stars album Living Like a Refugee is the realization of a lifelong dream for this inspiring band of Sierra Leonean musicians who lived for nearly a decade in refugee camps in West Africa. A brutal civil war (1991-2002) forced them from their homes in Sierra Leone. Many of their family and friends were murdered in the violence, leaving them with physical and emotional scars that may never heal. Despite the unimaginable horrors of civil war, they were saved through their music. Through music, The Refugee All Stars have found refuge, purpose and a source of power by giving a voice to the experiences of so many struggling to survive. Each song on Living Like a Refugee is an original composition written during their years in exile in the refugee camps. The powerful lyrics speak to the suffering and injustice they have seen but also reverberate with hopeful optimistic rhythms. The Refugee All Stars are the subject of a soon-to-be released documentary film that chronicles the band over three years, from refugee camps in Guinea back to war-ravaged Sierra Leone. The Refugee All Stars film reveals unique and inspiring personal stories of survival and rebirth through the universal language of music. As violent conflicts multiply around the globe the worldwide refugee crisis deepens. The story of The Refugee All Stars puts a human face, gives names and real experience to the innocent survivors of war whose brutal realities are often dismissed by mainstream media soundbites. Their music is available on CD 16583.
Director: NA Distributor:cdbaby.com
Keywords: Sierra Leone, popular music, refugees
Returning Dreams (DVD : 23 min. ) [2005]
DVD 7910
Abstract: Fourteen-year old Jemoh fled from Liberia when she was 11 and has been living in a refugee camp in Sierra Leone for the last three years. Now she is about to join one of the first and biggest UNHCR convoys to return to Liberia for three years. This Life program follows Jemoh's long journey home and the mixed picture she finds when she gets there. Jemoh's just one of the millions of children caught up in the world's conflicts. Some are forced to fight and kill; others are used as slaves and 'wives.' Those that survive are left brutalized and traumatized. How, the program asks, do you rehabilitate children who have gone through these kinds of experiences? To mark the 15th anniversary of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, Life returns to Sierra Leone and Liberia, to assess the fate of children caught up in their recent civil war.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:NA
Keywords: Sierra Leone, Liberia, refugees, children's rights, civil war, youth
Right to be Nuba (The) (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 3881
Abstract: Film maker/anthropologist Hugo D'aybaury presents the struggles felt by the Nuba people, caught in the middle of Sudan's civil war between the northern Islamic Khartoum and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army rebel forces. Writer, director, co-producer: Hugo D'aybaury.
Director: Hugo D'aybaury Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, religion, human rights
Rostov-Luanda (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4628
Abstract: Mauritanian director Sissako spent a year in Rostov on the Don and there became friends with a young man from Angola. This film chronicles the director's search for a friend of the past. In this personal retrospective, Sissako encounters present-day Angola and traces the great lines of Africa's recent history.
Director: Abderrahmane Sissako Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Angola, Mauritania, history, civil war, politics, social life
Rwanda: History of a Genocide (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 6298
Abstract: This film shows, with compeling historical footage and first-hand accounts, that the genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994 had its seeds in the early colonization of the country.
Director: Robert Genoud Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Congo, Belgium, Rwanda, Tutsi, Hutu, genocide, civil war, history
Shake Hands with the Devil: the Journey of Roméo Dallaire (DVD : 91 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5120
Abstract: While many Americans were distracted by the OJ Simpson case, over 800,000 men, women and children were massacred in the small African country of Rwanda. The victims were mainly Tutsis, murdered by their Hutu neighbors. Canadian General Roméo Dallaire was charged with an impossible task: to head the UN peacekeeping mission with a handful of soldiers ordered not to use force to protect Rwandans from the mass slaughter. Based on Dallaire's best-selling book, Peter Raymont's documentary follows the General's return to the region 10 years later, as he comes to grips with the events that have haunted him --his struggles with top UN officials, expedient Belgian policy-makers and Clinton administration officials who ignored his pleas for reinforcements. The experience led to Dallaire's own life tragedy as he dealt with the psychological fallout of witnessing a genocide he was powerless to stop. Special features include: a reading by Roméo Dallaire of an excerpt of his book Shake hands with the Devil (6 min.); an interview with director Peter Raymont (8 min.); optional audio commentary by Peter Raymont or Geoff Pevere; a 56 min. classroom version of the film; photo gallery; reading list.
Director: Peter Raymont Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, civil war, ethnic violence, genocide, post-traumatic syndrome, United Nations
Slavery and the Making of America. Volume 3: Seeds of Destruction (DVD : 60 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5288 PT. 3
Abstract: The series' third program looks at the period from 1800 through the start of the Civil War, during which slavery saw an enormous expansion and entered its final decades. As the nation expanded west, the question of slavery became the overriding political issue of the time. These years saw an increasingly militant abolitionist movement and a widening rift between the North --which had largely outlawed slavery but continued to reap the vast economic benefits of the system -- and the South, now home to millions of enslaved black men, women and children. This is the period of slavery most commonly depicted in history books and captured by dramas. Leading Southerners such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had been convinced slavery was nearing its end. But the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican War brought vast new territories into the United States, and the battle between those for and against slavery intensified. By 1860, every attempt at striking an agreement --the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, a draconian federal fugitive slave law-- had failed, splitting apart the Union. Men and women featured in the series' third episode are: Harriet Jacobs, Solomon Northup, Louis and Matilda Hughes. This volume is part of the Slavery and the making of America series.
Director: Ghana Gazit Distributor:Ambrose Video Publishing
Keywords: America, Africa, overview, history, slavery, abolitionism, emancipation
Slavery and the Making of America. Volume 4: The Challenge of Freedom (DVD : 60 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5288 PT. 4
Abstract: The series' fourth program follows the life of Robert Smalls as it takes viewers through the Civil War, the Reconstruction and beyond. A South Carolina slave who rode a stolen Confederate ship to freedom, Smalls became a sailor in the Union Navy, bought the mansion in which he had been enslaved, and went on to a long, successful career in politics. The program follows the transformation of the Civil War from a conflict intended to restore the Union to a conflict over slavery. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves under the control of the Confederate government. The Reconstruction period that followed offered much promise to the newly freed slaves, but by the 1876 Presidential election the North had tired of dealing with civil rights and decided to leave the issue of the treatment of the freed slaves to the Southern states, where many former Confederate leaders had taken the helm of government. With Smalls' story as a framework, this final installment looks at the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and militant opposition to black rights, the end of the Reconstruction and its replacement with a whole new kind of legalized oppression. This volume is part of the Slavery and the Making of America series.
Director: Leslie Farrell Distributor:Ambrose Video Publishing
Keywords: America, Africa, overview, history, slavery, emancipation, civil war
Somalia: the Neglected Civil War (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7506
Abstract: Independent since 1960, Somalia has seen virtually constant political upheaval. Some eighty percent of the nation is under the power of guerillas and local warlords. Recently, Somalia has become a target in the post-Afghanistan 'war against terrorism'. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Zimbabwe & South Africa: Still Far from Coexistence and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Seijun Hata Distributor:Filmakers Library, Inc.
Keywords: Somalia, civil war, guerillas, politics
Sorious Samura Collection (The): Cry Freetown, Exodus, Return to Freetown. (DVD : 134 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8476
Abstract: Compilation DVD of three films about Sierra Leone by Sierra Leonean filmmaker Sorious Samura. In Cry Freetown, Samura documents the civil war in Freetown, Sierra Leone. In Exodus, he follows the story of one migrant, Osas, whose absolute determination to achieve his mission reveals that he is willing to sacrifice everything to get out of Africa. In Return to Freetown, Samura returns to Sierra Leone and talks with three of the children who were abducted and forced to become soldiers in the civil war. Thousands were taken from their families by a ruthless rebel leader and turned into killers.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News Television
Keywords: Sierra Leone, immigration, war, children, violence, family
Sudan: Black Kingdoms (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 5791
Abstract: A major gateway to sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan has seen the rise and fall of many powerful kingdoms and refined cultures-- and the key to understanding these ancient civilizations lies in the multitude of archaeological treasures that dot the landscape and that are still buried beneath the sands. This program follows the trail of the young French naturalist and pioneer Frédéric Cailliaud, whose account of his journey to Merowe in 1820 first sparked interest in Sudan. Excavations and artifacts provide insights into the way of life, beliefs, and accomplishments of the peoples who inhabited the region from Neolithic times onward.
Director: Alain Jomier Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Sudan, history, archeaology
Sudan: Slipping Back in Time (Videocassette : 44 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS VHS 7547
Abstract: Describes the suffering and cruelty of the civil war in Sudan, focusing on how Dinka woman and children are being abducted by militiamen in the south and sold as slaves to their Arabic enemies in northern Sudan.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Dinka, war, gender, slavery
Talk Mogadishu: Media under Fire (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8929
Abstract: Documents the operation of the independent, non-partisan radio and television station, HornAfrik, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The station's very popular talk shows allow marginalized groups, such as human rights advocates and women's groups, to speak out and be heard. HornAfrik operates in a dangerous and volatile climate, and is sometimes attacked by warlords angered by a show's content. The station requires armed guards 24 hours a day, and reporters are often harassed and their cameras confiscated by militias. Despite the perils, the founders of HornAfrik continue their broadcasts, demonstrating a possible role for the media in times of conflict.
Director: Judy Jackson Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Somalia, Mogadishu, radio, television, independent media, civil war, politics
Tree of Our Forefathers, The (DVD : 53 min. ) [1994]
DVD 9405
Abstract: 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. During the 15-year civil war in Mozambique, one and a half million people fled to seek refuge in neighboring countries. There was no time for ceremonial leave-taking, no time to pay the proper respects to the dead. But in 1993, with the war finally over, the refugees began to return home. Licinio Azevedo's moving documentary is the story of one family's long journey back to seek the forefathers' atonement under the village tree. The film follows Alexandre Ferrao and his extended family as they toil home across a land emptied of people and littered with the twisted scrapmetal of warfare. At night, around the camp fire, the family recounts their experiences of the years in exile and their fears for what they might find when they finally reach home.
Director: Licinio Azevedo Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Mozambique, refugees, emigration, immigration, funeral rites, ceremonies, civil war
Witness to Truth (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9147
Abstract: WITNESS was invited by the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to produce the first video accompaniment to an official TRC report. Witness to Truth summarizes the key findings and recommendations of the TRC's report -- highlighting the key causes and consequences of the war, raising public awareness of the TRC's efforts at peace-building and encouraging civil society in Sierra Leone and beyond, in order to hold the government accountable for implementing the binding recommendations that will be issued by the TRC.
Director: Gillian Caldwell Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, TRC, civil society, politics, war
Yesterday in Rwanda (DVD : 14 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8259
Abstract: Yesterday in Rwanda is a haunting film that focuses on one survivor of the genocide and her experience of trauma, displacement and hope. Claire Wihogora emigrated to Canada in 1998, four years after her father, brother and countless other family and friends were killed. The film portrays Claire carrying on with her life today in Toronto, while inevitably haunted by terrible memories of Rwanda. On film she recounts how she and her sister hid in the brush while all around her people were massacred. Nothing can help her forget the hundred days when 800,000 members of the Hutu and Tutsi tribes were slaughtered. Yet she finds comfort in telling her story in schools 'to share it to make sure it never happens again.' Also, she has founded Women in Rwanda, which links female genocide survivors now living in North America in a support system. The film achieves a fascinating interplay of past and present, as images from Claire's everyday life in Toronto (grey tones) are differentiated from the images of Kigali rendered in color.
Director: Davina Pardo Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Rwanda, Kigali, history, civil war, genocide, emigration, NGO
Zimbabwe and South Africa: Still Far From Coexistence (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7507
Abstract: Zimbabwe still reels from the after effects of independence. Former colonials are blamed for failing to work out compensation and land reallocation, and violence against whites is on the increase. South Africa emerged from the evils of apartheid more than a decade ago, and today faces an expanding gap between the rich and poor, increasing interracial conflict, a rising crime rate, and an AIDS epidemic that is decimating the mostly black population. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Somalia: the Neglected Civil War and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Kazuta Hioki Distributor:NA
Keywords: Zimbabwe, South Africa, colonialism, apartheid, HIV/AIDS, land, politics
Page(s): 1
AIDS in Africa (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1990]
V.CASS. VHS 5118
Abstract: Describes the war on AIDS in Africa, where the disease cuts across the entire population, affecting men and women of reproductive age and their children, striking a continent already wracked by underdevelopment, civil strife and corruption.
Director: Roger Pyke Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, economic conditions, politics
Africa in the 21st Century (Videocassette : 147 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS. VHS 7506, 7507, 7508
Abstract: A series of three videos presenting aspects of contemporary life in different regions of Africa: Somalia: The Neglected Civil War, Mali and Senegal: the Power of Islam, Zimbabwe & South Africa.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library, Inc.
Keywords: Mali, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Zimbabwe
All About Darfur (Videocassette : 82 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9128
Abstract: 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.
Director: Taghreed Elsanhouri Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Darfur, civil war, ethnicity, race relations, humanitarian crisis, violence
All About Darfur (DVD : 82 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8064
Abstract: 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.
Director: Taghreed Elsanhouri Distributor:Taghreed Elsanhouri Productions
Keywords: Sudan, Darfur, genocide, civil war, ethnicity, politics, refugees, violence
Benjamin and His Brother (DVD : 87 min. ) [2002]
DVD7071
Abstract: Tells the story of Benjamin and William Deng, two young Sudanese men who left Sudan in the mass exodus of boy refugees in 1987. This group became known as the Lost Boys, and in 2001, the U.S. government began a project to resettle them from the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya to the United States. William went to Houston, Texas, and eventually was reunited with his grandmother and other relatives in Kansas City. Benjamin remained at the refugee camp and is waiting to be allowed to emigrate.
Director: Arthur Howes Distributor:Documentary Educational Resources
Keywords: Kenya, Sudan, Kakuma refugee camp, orphans, immigrants, civil war
Between War and Peace (DVD : 23 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8909
Abstract: Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, was relatively calm until 1980 when William Tolbert was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe after food price riots. By the late 1980s, arbitrary rule and economic collapse culminated in civil war when dissidents of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front overran much of the countryside and executed Doe. Over half of the population fled their homes in terror during its 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. With more than 59,000 fighters (some of them children) demobilized in the last three months and another 15,000 waiting to follow, this Life program reports on Liberia's attempts to find a way of engaging the former fighters in rebuilding their country - to sustain the peace.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:Bull Frog films
Keywords: Liberia, conflict management, civil war, government, history, politics, development. children
Black Man's Land Trilogy (DVD : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three-part series of films consisting of White Man's Country (part 1), Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3); all of the films combine period photographs and contemporary location footage with the testimony of African and European witnesses. The trilogy covers the violence of colonial rule, white settlement and African resistance in the story of Kenya, as the British tried to make it a 'white man's country' like South Africa or New Zealand. Land was allocated, settlers welcomed, and the 'jewel of the British empire' was born. But it was African land that was taken, African labor that was used to develop it, and African taxes that kept the colonial regime solvent. How did Africans confront this process? White Man's Country tells this story. Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Kenyatta offers a biographical account of Jomo Kenyatta, the man who became Kenya's national leader and who eventually led the movement to establish an independent government.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Facets Multimedia
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, land, history, politics
Blood Diamond (DVD : 143 min. ) [2007]
DVD 7358
Abstract: Danny Archer is an ex-mercenary turned smuggler. Solomon Vandy is a local Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join together for two dangerous missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son. The son was conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed across the alternately beautiful and ravaged countryside.
Director: Edward Zwick Distributor:Warner Home Video
Keywords: Sierra Leone, smugglers, history, civil war, drama, feature film
Children of War (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9178
Abstract: Thousands of children have been kidnapped and used as soldiers by the Ugandan rebel army, the Lord's Resistance Army. The children, many of whom are tortured, live a life of terror: girls as young as 12 are used as sex slaves, while the boys are forced to sometimes even kill family members. Once they have completed this terrible task, they are considered tough enough to be used in raids by the rebel army. This film follows two such children who escaped from their captors: Judith who for six years lived as a sex slave for a rebel commander, and Dennis who was caught when he tried to escape the first time and consequently forced to kill his friend. John Rheinstein, a therapist from 'Save the Children Denmark', attempts to create a new life for those children who have run away from the rebel army. The rehabilitation program includes having the children draw and reenact their traumatic experiences. Judith's parents are found and she is reunited with her family who thought that she had been killed. Three months after his return to the rehabilitation camp, Dennis is still battling with his traumas; his family has failed to retrieve him. Despite all attempts by groups like 'Save the Children' to stop the violence, it is a sad fact that very few children come out of the bush alive in this 'forgotten war'.
Director: Henrik Grunnet, Keld Kluwer Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Uganda, children, child soldiers, civil war, rehabilitation, sexual abuse, trauma, violence
Cry Freetown, Return to Freetown (Videocassette : 134 min. ) [2005]
VHS 7205
Abstract: In Cry Freetown, Sierra Leonean filmmaker, Sorious Samura documents the civil war in Freetown, Sierra Leone. In Return to Freetown, filmmaker Sorious Samura returns to Sierra Leone and talks with three of the children who were abducted and forced to become soldiers in the civil war. Thousands were taken from their families by a ruthless rebel leader and turned into killers.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News Tv
Keywords: Sierra Leone, economy, civil war, youth
Daratt (also known as Dry Season and Saison sèche (DVD : 96min min. ) [2006]
DVD 8778
Abstract: The government of Chad granted amnesty to war criminals in 2006, following forty years of civil strife. Atim, age 16, is given a revolver by his grandfather so that he may find and kill the man who killed his father. Atim quickly locates Nassara, now married and living as a baker in a nearby village. Pretending to be looking for work, Atim is hired as an apprentice baker. Despite his disgust, Atim gradually recognizes the father figure he has always needed. Nassara sees the teenager as a potential son and one day proposes adoption.
Director: Mahamet-Saleh Haroun Distributor:ArtMattan Productions
Keywords: Chad, family, war, reconciliation, feature film
Daresalam (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 7168
Abstract: This feature film focuses on two young men caught up in the civil war in Chad. It begins in the 1970s with the story of Koni and Djimi as the central government invades their village and insists on buying the farmer's millet at below market price and then browbeats the villagers into paying taxes to help fight the war. When they resist the government burns the village and massacres the inhabitants. Djimi, wounded, remains behind with the hard-liners, while Koni joins a faction which supports compromise with the government.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Daresalam (DVD : 105 min. ) [2000]
DVD7329
Abstract: Daresalam is the first African feature film to focus on the civil wars convulsing the continent from Sierra Leone to Somalia. It provides compelling insights into how ordinary people around the world get swept up in extraordinary events. Its timeless story of two childhood friends turned into political foes personalizes the terrible costs of internecine strife.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:Kino International & California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, friendship, history, politics, feature film
Diamond Life (The) (Videocassette : 7 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8973
Abstract: 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. The Diamond Life provides a disturbing glimpse into the greed and violence that fuels the Sierra Leone region's brutal diamond war.
Director: Stephen Marshall, Josh Shore Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, violence, politics, history, refugees
Ezra (DVD : 105 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9460
Abstract: Tells the story of Ezra, a young boy kidnapped and forced to become a soldier with a rebel faction in the Sierra Leone civil war. Ten years later, he is before a truth and reconciliation commission and made to revisit and understand his crimes so as to begin the process of psychological healing.
Director: Carlos Arango de Montis Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sierra Leone, wara, children, reconciliation, psychology
From the Ashes (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 1 (PAL format)
Abstract: Shows how people in a small Mozambican village are working towards reconciliation following the civil war. Part one of the series Landscape of Memory. See also I Have Seen=Nda Mona,'The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Mozambique, civil war, reconciliation, history, politics
Gacaca: Living Together Again in Rwanda? (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8154
Abstract: 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 judgment, aimed at unifying this scarred nation.
Director: Anne Aghion Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films.
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, civil war, genocide, truth commissions, law, history
Going Home (Videocassette : 31 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 8931
Abstract: Mohammed is 10 years old, but for most of 1997 he was forced to act as a young fighter with rebel forces in the forests of Sierra Leone. His duties included carrying heavy equipment, acting as a personal servant to other soldiers, and torturing and disciplining any of the other child soldiers who stepped out of line. Eventually he escaped to Guinea, where he is one of thousands lining up to register at the Gueckedou refugee camp. In 1997 Guinea was host to an estimated 430,000 refugees: 190,000 Sierra Leoneans, and 240,000 Liberians who had escaped the eight-year civil wars there. This film evaluates the success of the Guinean government and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in protecting the rights pledged this huge African refugee population under the OAU Convention.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Guinea (Conakry), Liberia, Sierra Leone, civil war, violence, youth, refugees, UN
Great Wonder (A): Lost Children of Sudan (DVD : 61 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7676
Abstract: More than 2 million Sudanese have died in the longest uninterrupted civil war in the world, now in its 20th year. Another 5 million civilians have fled their homes to escape the fighting. A Great Wonder traces the extraordinary journey of three young Sudanese orphans, a fraction of the 17,000 so-called 'Lost Boys' of Sudan, who have spent the majority of their lives either in flight from war or in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. Having navigated the hazards of warfare, disease and starvation, their arrival and resettlement in Seattle, Washington is not your average immigration story. Over the course of 18 months, these youths have recorded their own experiences through their own eyes and in their own words using digital video cameras. The resulting diaries serve as a personal thread throughout the film, incorporating first-hand accounts of their experiences in war with their radically different lives as immigrants in America. A story of survival in its most elemental form, A Great Wonder explores the concepts of loss, faith, community and freedom as it bears witness to the spirit that drives these young people to rebuild their lives.
Director: Kim Shelton Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Sudan, refugees, immigrants, children, war, resettlement
Heroi (O) = The Hero (Videocassette : 97 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9129
Abstract: Tells the story of Angola, a nation torn apart by 40 years of uninterrupted war, and now trying to piece itself back together, and its capital city, Luanda, a city, like so many in the Third World, trying to absorb the millions of people displaced by civil strife and global economic change. Follows the interlocking stories of five central characters: Vitório, an ex-soldier who lost his leg in the last months of the civil war and now struggles to find work; Manu, a bright ten year-old orphan who lost his father during the war but still dreams of his return; Judite, a prostitute with whom Vitório begins a relationship, who lost her own son during the war; Joana, Manu's second-grade teacher, who takes an interest in Vitorio's story and the plight of other veterans; and Pedro, Joana's boyfriend and a cynical young member of the emerging bourgeoisie with ties to the political elite.
Director: Zézé Gamboa Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Angola, Luanda, class, economy, gender, post-colonialism, war, feature film
Hokonui Todd: A Living Legend in Zimbabwe (DVD : 50 min. ) [1992]
DVD 9912
Abstract: When Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980 after a bloody civil war, very few whites survived the fray with any honor. One man had the vision and moral strength to support the black's claim to self determination. Garfield Todd, a New Zealander, has lived and worked there with his wife for more than fifty years. Starting as a missionary farmer, Todd came to respect the local people he lived among. He became active in government, eventually becoming the last Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia before Ian Smith. An outspoken and unpopular opponent of Ian Smith's racist government, Todd weathered fifteen years of bloody civil war, including prolonged house arrest. The Todds refused to leave Hokonui Ranch, although their lives were in constant jeopardy. Old photographs and film footage gives a vivid picture of the era.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zimbabwe, Southern Rhodesia, race, history, civil war, resistance
Hotel Rwanda (DVD : 122 min. ) [2004]
DVD 4192
Abstract: The deeply moving true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a five-star-hotel manager who used his wits and words to save more than 1,200 lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Director: Terry George Distributor:Metro Goldwyn Mayer Home Entertainment
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, genocide, civil war, feature film
Hunting My Husband's Killer: A Rwandan Story (DVD : 51 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7966
Abstract: Lesley Bilinda, the Scottish widow of a Rwandan black pastor, returns ten years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide to search for his murderers only to find the truth elusive and forgiveness impossible. Lesley met Charles when she was working as a nurse in Rwanda, but their life together was shattered as genocide swept the country. In a hundred days of violence, about one million were killed. At the height of the genocide, Charles was abducted and never seen again. Ten years later, in a new atmosphere of openness, some of the killers are coming forward to confess their crimes. Lesley meets the manager of the guesthouse where Charles was last seen, Paster Kabeira. He is believed to have colluded with Hutu rebels and was seen handing Charles over to armed militants. He is now in prison, but he refuses to admit he did anything wrong. The meeting leaves her frustrated and upset, but she refuses to give up. She visits the Murambi Genocide Memorial site to confront for herself the scale of the genocide. Its full horror brings her to her knees. She travels on to Gahini, the village where she and Charles lived. A local man agrees to speak about the killings. As they talk, it becomes clear to her that he was one of the men who murdered her best friend, Anatolie. She feels disgust but also pity for him. She also uncovers some unexpected and unpalatable truths about her husband's 'secret life' which test her Christian faith to its limits.
Director: Jay Knox Distributor:NA
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, civil war, genocide, monuments
In Rwanda We Say: The Family that Does Not Speak Dies (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8766
Abstract: Two years after the Gacaca tribunals, close to 16,000 genocide suspects, still untried, were released across the country. Having confessed to their crimes and having served the maximum sentence the Gacaca tribunals would eventually impose, perpetrators of genocidal violence are sent home to plow fields and fetch water alongside the people they victimized. In Rwanda We Say focuses on the release of one suspect, tracking the effect of his return on a tiny hillside hamlet. While the government's message of a 'united Rwandan family' permeates the language of the community, the imposed co-existence brings forth varying emotions, from numb acceptance to repressed rage.
Director: Anne Aghion Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, civil war, genocide, law
In the Wake of War (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8988
Abstract: Philippe Mvuyekure has spent the last five years living in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Now, he's on his way home. He's among thousands of refugees convinced that the bitter, 10-year civil war that decimated his homeland of Burundi may be coming to an end. The civil war here between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army uprooted over a million people and killed more than 300,000. But the benefits of a peace process are finally beginning to emerge. 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.
Director: James Heer Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Tanzania, Burundi, Hutu, Tutsi, war, refugees, conflict resolution, politics
Invisible Children (DVD : 55 min. ) [2006]
DVD 5486
Abstract: 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. What started out as a film-making adventure in Africa, transformed into much more, when the three young Americans original travels took a divine turn, and they found themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. They discovered children being kidnapped nightly from their homes and subsequently forced to fight as child soldiers. Children as young as eight are methodically kidnapped from their homes by a rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The abducted children are then desensitized to the horror of brutal violence and killing, as they themselves are turned into vicious fighters. Some escape and hide in constant fear for their lives. Most remain captive, and grow to maturity with no education other than life in the bush and fighting in a guerilla war. Of the many ramifications that a 20 -year-long war can cause, the film highlights what the community refers to as 'night commuters.' We watch thousands of children commute out of fear, from their villages to nearby towns each night in order to avoid the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) abductions. They sleep in public places, vulnerable, and without supervision.
Director: Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole Distributor:Invisible Children
Keywords: Uganda, children, civil war, child soldiers
Iron Ladies of Liberia (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 77 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9754
Abstract: 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?
Director: Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Liberia, Sirleaf, politics, government, women, gender, war
Justice Pursued (DVD : 50 min. ) [1997]
DVD 9220
Abstract: Rwanda, Argentina, East Germany and Bosnia have been the locus for the most heinous acts of the last 20 years. In this program, Gerald Gahima, Rwanda's Minister of Justice, has the unenviable job of tracking down hundreds of Rwandans accused of perpertrating hideous atrocities against their neighbors during that country's recent civil war. We follow Gahima to Israel where, in an emotional meeting with a former Nazi-hunter, Gahima receives advice on how to proceed. The torture and murder of thousands of young Argentines by the Pinochet regime are detailed by a survivor. In East Germany, newly discovered Stasi training tapes paint a brutal portrait of political repression behind the Berlin Wall, while in Bosnia, efforts to track down the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing are ongoing.
Director: Jane Dibblin, Paul Mitchell, Michael Stewart Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, political persecution, human rights, war crimes, law, genocide
Kafi's Story (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7170
Abstract: This film captures Nuba life just at the moment before it was engulfed in the Sudanese civil war in 1989. The Nubian native Kafi narrates his journey to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, from his village Torogi in the Nuba Mountains.Torogi is in the middle of Sudan's encroaching civil war, between the Muslim North and the Christian South. Torogi itself is neither Muslim nor Christian and is trying to remain neutral. See also Nuba Conversations for a return ten years later. Inquiries about the film can be directed to Amy Hardie Amy Hardie at a.hardie@eca.ac.uk
Director: Arthur Howes, Amy Hardie Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, history
Liberia: A Fragile Peace (DVD : 60 min. ) [2006]
DVD 6382
Abstract: Liberia: A Fragile Peace is a perfect follow-up to Liberia: An Uncivil War, picking up the Liberian saga in October 2003, with the departure of the despotic Charles Taylor, the arrival of interim President Gyude Bryant and the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force. More than a historical record, however, this film is an ideal case study in how difficult it is to rebuild a society once it has lapsed into anarchy, a condition afflicting more and more nations around the world. The success or failure of the Liberian experience could have long-lasting impact on peace-keeping missions in the future.
Director: Steven W. Ross Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Charles Taylor, civil war, government, history
Liberia: America's Stepchild (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7693
Abstract: Documentary follows the parallel stories of the relationship between the United States and the African republic of Liberia. Founded as a home for freed Blacks and former slaves, the American Colonization Society also gave support to the bond between the two countries. The 1997 election of Charles Taylor to the presidency and his corrupt administration is also explored as well as the reasons for the turmoil that has destroyed Liberia since 1980. Educator's resources at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/liberia/index.html
Director: Nancee Oku Bright Distributor:PBS Home Video
Keywords: Liberia, United States, history, Charles Taylor, politics, civil war
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 with Refugees (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9025
Abstract: Sorious Samura returns to Africa for one month to report on the refugee crisis in Darfur. Over 2 million people are forced into neighboring Chad, because of the brutal attacks from the militia, while thousands more have been killed. Samura chronicles the experiences of the refugees and how they must cope with an environment which does not guarantee security, food or shelter. See also Living with Hunger, Living with Illegals and Living with AIDS.
Director: Simon Atkins, Sorius Samura Distributor:Insight News Television, Limited (London)
Keywords: Sudan, Chad, Darfur, civil war, refugee crisis, humanitarian crisis, journalism, militia
Lost Boys of Sudan (DVD : 170 min. ) [2003]
DVD 4505
Abstract: Follows two Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America. Orphaned as young boys in one of Africa's cruelest civil wars, Peter Dut and Santino Chuor survived lion attacks and militia gunfire to reach a refugee camp in Kenya along with thousands of other children. From there, remarkably, they were chosen to come to America. Safe at last from physical danger and hunger, a world away from home, they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation of contemporary American suburbia. Disc one includes an 87-minute version of this film, disc two has a 55-minute version of the film, special features and five additional video segments.
Director: Megan Mylan Distributor:Lost Boys of Sudan
Keywords: Sudan, United States, civil war, refugees
Lumumba (Videocassette : 115 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6818
Abstract: Dramatizes the life of Congolese revolutionary, Patrice Lumumba, who led his country to independence from Belgium in 1960. He served for less than a year as the first elected prime minister, until he was brutally assassinated.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:Zeitgeist Films
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Lumumba: La mort du prophète (Videocassette : 69 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2990
Abstract: 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. Producer: Raoul Peck.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Mali & Senegal: The Power of Islam (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7507
Abstract: Islam has influenced West Africa since the 11th century, but only in the last 100 years has the religion grown so rapidly in Senegal and Mali. One prominent sect, the Mouride movement, has millions of followers and wealth accumulated from peanut cultivation. As a force of conservative Islam, its economic and political power must be watched by the West. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see Somalia: The Neglected Civil Warand Zimbabwe & South Africa: Still Far From Coexistence.
Director: Hiroyuki Shima Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Mali, Senegal, Islam, Mouride movement, religion
Man Who Could Be King, The (DVD : 46 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8936
Abstract: This is the extraordinary story of a man torn between his obligation as a tribal leader and his duty to his family. Adongo Akway Cham is an Anyuak tribesman from Southern Sudan who escaped the civil war to live peacefully in Canada. No sooner had he settled in Canada when his father, the tribe's king, died, and Cham was chosen over all his brothers to be the successor. The camera follows Cham for three years as he struggles with his kingly duties and attempts to settle his family in Canada. His wife is in an Ethiopian refugee camp, burdened with caring for his eight children. She is waiting for Cham to release her from the camp and obtain entry to the safe haven that Canada represents. Cham is in conflict. 'From the beginning I have tried to say no. I don't want to take the responsibility, but who will go and take it if not me?'
Director: Edith Champagne and Nancy IngDuclos Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Anyuak, emigration, government, refugees
Mau Mau (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9266
Abstract: In October 1952 the British government declared a State of Emergency in Kenya in order to defeat Mau Mau. In the war that followed, fewer than 40 of 40,000 white settlers were killed while more than 15,000 Africans lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more were arrested and subjected to a humiliating and often brutal process of 'rehabilitation.' Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Reveals the secret society known as Mau Mau to have been an attempt by the white minority to discredit the rising tide of black nationalism. Using newsreel and previously inaccessible archive footage, and drawing on interviews with participants on both sides, this film examines the myth and reality of Africa's first modern guerrilla war. This film is part 2 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, Mau Mau, history, colonialism, politics, settlers, nationalism, violence, war
Na cidade vazia = Hollow city (Videocassette : 88 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9143
Abstract: N'dala is an orphan from the Angolan province of Bie, a flashpoint in the rebellion that incited Angola's brutal civil war. In 1991, N'dala is airlifted by missionaries to the port city of Luanda, Angola's capital. He slips away from the nuns at the airport, choosing the solitude of the streets of the old city, but he is not prepared for living by his wits. His wandering leads N'dala to the beach where he takes shelter in an old fisherman's shack, but he is haunted by nightmares of the assault that left his family dead, and he soon disappears into the shanty-town neighborhoods of the city. N'dala meets Zé, an older boy who shares the epic story of a young warrior. Zé and his friends, who drift amongst the Luanda homeless, fascinate N'dala and he is tragically pulled into their existence of survival. Each step N'dala takes into the dark streets of the city leads him farther from his home.
Director: Maria Joao Ganga Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Angola, Luanda, children, civil war, homelessness, orphans, trauma, feature film
New South Africa: A Personal Journey, The (DVD : 58 min. ) [1995]
DVD 8148
Abstract: The white expatriate playwright Tug Yourgrau (The Song of Jacob Zulu) returns to South Africa after the election of Nelson Mandela to learn about the changes there. He finds a people exhilarated to have been spared a horrifying civil war but still grappling with how to bring about reconciliation. Everywhere he looks he sees that the enormous gulf between white and black still exists, not just in standards of living, but also in their understanding of one another. Yet there are also signs of change. His old school which was totally white, now has a mixed student body and teaches Zulu in addition to Afrikaans. He rejoices in the new diversity in the press, which reflects voices ranging from the hard Right nostalgic for apartheid to the revolutionary Left impatient for change. It is not easy to overcome so many years of inequity. Crime, pollution and shanty towns are still in evidence. But here and there real progress is in evidence. Ndaba Ntsele, who once would have been a manual laborer, now owns a successful construction company and drives a BMW sedan. Here is a fascinating, first hand report on a country undergoing immense social change as the whole world watches.
Director: Tug Yourgrau and Joel Olicker Distributor:Flimakers Library
Keywords: South Africa, race, apartheid, history
Nuba Conversations (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7171
Abstract: Ten years after filming Kafi's Story, British filmmaker Arthur Howes re-entered the Sudan clandestinely to find out what had happened to the Nuba of Torogi. Everywhere he encountered the jihad or holy war. The fundamentalist Sudanese regime is pursuing its policy of forced assimilation through a systematic disruption of the Nuba people, by killing their cattle and burning their villages. While Nuban women hide in caves 60,000 Nuba children have been abducted to camps where they are forcibly converted to Islam. Howes estimates that 40% of the Sudanese Army is now composed of Nuba men. See also Kafi's Story.
Director: Arthur Howes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, jihad, civil war, Islam, politics, history
Nuit de la veritae, La (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [2004]
VHS9300
Abstract: Set in an unnamed African country in the immediate aftermath of a lengthy, bloody civil war, this taut tale takes place on a 'day of reconciliation' where the president, the leader of the opposition and their spouses meet to celebrate the end of hostilities. But after atrocities on both sides and lingering ethnic tensions, can there really be peace? From the beginning, the tension between members of the two sides is palpable and as the film continues, the atmosphere of menace grows as the leaders struggle to cement a lasting peace but old wounds remain fresh.
Director: Fanta Régina Nacro Distributor:NA
Keywords: civil war, ethnic tensions, feature film
On the Frontlines: Child Soldiers in DRC (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9139
Abstract: This film features footage of the military training of children in several camps in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as testimony from demobilized child soldiers recounting their horrifying memories. Militia groups the Democratic Republic of Congo use children, both boys and girls, as soldiers. The majority of these children are between the ages of eight and sixteen and are often supported in their endeavors by their parents and the community at large. They are led by a sense of patriotism and promises of prosperity and a better life. On the Frontlines features footage of several militia camps, as well as testimony from demobilized child soldiers recounting their horrifying memories of life in the militias.
Director: Bukeni Beck Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, civil war, children, violence
On the Rumba River (DVD : 86 min. ) [2007]
DVD 8519
Abstract: Documentary about the history and continuing popularity of Congolese Rumba with legendary Congolese musician Wendo Kolosoy, affectionately known as 'Papa Wendo,' and members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki players. This is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades, and emphasizes the importance of music in this war-torn society. On the Rumba River introduces us to this legendary musician, along with veteran members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki Players -- including Antoine Moundanda (thumb piano), Joseph Munange (saxophone), Mukubuele Nzoku (guitar), and Alphonse Biolo Batilangandi (trumpet) -- who recount their own musical experiences and attest to their personal and professional respect for Wendo. The film also treats us to musical performances by the group, in rehearsals, impromptu jam sessions, and lively public performances. The film's exploration of the history and continuing popularity of Congolese rumba is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted this African nation for decades, from the repressive regime (1965-1997) of Mobutu Sese Seko, an ongoing civil war, and a fragile contemporary peace. Extended views of Kinshasa slums and the rusted hulks of sunken boats along the Congo River reveal the physical devastation and grinding poverty of the Congo, and Wendo, in a reflective moment, laments the sad state of his country brought about by greedy politicians and fratricidal warfare.
Director: Jacques Sarasin Distributor:First Run Icarus Films
Keywords: Congo, Kinshasa, Congolese rumba, music, popular culture, performance, history, politics
Operation Fine Girl: Rape used as a Weapon of War in Sierra Leone (Videocassette : 46 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9207
Abstract: Operation Fine Girl documents the brutal use of rape as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone. The story is told through the eyes the survivors - women and girls, as well as the child soldiers and perpetrators.
Director: Lilibet Foster Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, sexual violence, rape, women, children
Rain in a Dry Land (DVD : 82 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7257
Abstract: Tale of two remarkable families, Somali Bantus who are refugees from the 1991 civil war in Somalia and find new homes in urban America. Emmy award-winning filmmaker Anne Makepeace captures the poetry, the humor, and the astonishing resilience of these new Americans as they show us our world through new eyes.
Director: Anne Makepeace Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Somalia, refugees, immigration, civil war
Refugee All Stars (The): Living Like a Refugee (CD-ROM ) [2005]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: The Refugee All Stars album Living Like a Refugee is the realization of a lifelong dream for this inspiring band of Sierra Leonean musicians who lived for nearly a decade in refugee camps in West Africa. A brutal civil war (1991-2002) forced them from their homes in Sierra Leone. Many of their family and friends were murdered in the violence, leaving them with physical and emotional scars that may never heal. Despite the unimaginable horrors of civil war, they were saved through their music. Through music, The Refugee All Stars have found refuge, purpose and a source of power by giving a voice to the experiences of so many struggling to survive. Each song on Living Like a Refugee is an original composition written during their years in exile in the refugee camps. The powerful lyrics speak to the suffering and injustice they have seen but also reverberate with hopeful optimistic rhythms. The Refugee All Stars are the subject of a soon-to-be released documentary film that chronicles the band over three years, from refugee camps in Guinea back to war-ravaged Sierra Leone. The Refugee All Stars film reveals unique and inspiring personal stories of survival and rebirth through the universal language of music. As violent conflicts multiply around the globe the worldwide refugee crisis deepens. The story of The Refugee All Stars puts a human face, gives names and real experience to the innocent survivors of war whose brutal realities are often dismissed by mainstream media soundbites. Their music is available on CD 16583.
Director: NA Distributor:cdbaby.com
Keywords: Sierra Leone, popular music, refugees
Returning Dreams (DVD : 23 min. ) [2005]
DVD 7910
Abstract: Fourteen-year old Jemoh fled from Liberia when she was 11 and has been living in a refugee camp in Sierra Leone for the last three years. Now she is about to join one of the first and biggest UNHCR convoys to return to Liberia for three years. This Life program follows Jemoh's long journey home and the mixed picture she finds when she gets there. Jemoh's just one of the millions of children caught up in the world's conflicts. Some are forced to fight and kill; others are used as slaves and 'wives.' Those that survive are left brutalized and traumatized. How, the program asks, do you rehabilitate children who have gone through these kinds of experiences? To mark the 15th anniversary of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, Life returns to Sierra Leone and Liberia, to assess the fate of children caught up in their recent civil war.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:NA
Keywords: Sierra Leone, Liberia, refugees, children's rights, civil war, youth
Right to be Nuba (The) (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 3881
Abstract: Film maker/anthropologist Hugo D'aybaury presents the struggles felt by the Nuba people, caught in the middle of Sudan's civil war between the northern Islamic Khartoum and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army rebel forces. Writer, director, co-producer: Hugo D'aybaury.
Director: Hugo D'aybaury Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, religion, human rights
Rostov-Luanda (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4628
Abstract: Mauritanian director Sissako spent a year in Rostov on the Don and there became friends with a young man from Angola. This film chronicles the director's search for a friend of the past. In this personal retrospective, Sissako encounters present-day Angola and traces the great lines of Africa's recent history.
Director: Abderrahmane Sissako Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Angola, Mauritania, history, civil war, politics, social life
Rwanda: History of a Genocide (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 6298
Abstract: This film shows, with compeling historical footage and first-hand accounts, that the genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994 had its seeds in the early colonization of the country.
Director: Robert Genoud Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Congo, Belgium, Rwanda, Tutsi, Hutu, genocide, civil war, history
Shake Hands with the Devil: the Journey of Roméo Dallaire (DVD : 91 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5120
Abstract: While many Americans were distracted by the OJ Simpson case, over 800,000 men, women and children were massacred in the small African country of Rwanda. The victims were mainly Tutsis, murdered by their Hutu neighbors. Canadian General Roméo Dallaire was charged with an impossible task: to head the UN peacekeeping mission with a handful of soldiers ordered not to use force to protect Rwandans from the mass slaughter. Based on Dallaire's best-selling book, Peter Raymont's documentary follows the General's return to the region 10 years later, as he comes to grips with the events that have haunted him --his struggles with top UN officials, expedient Belgian policy-makers and Clinton administration officials who ignored his pleas for reinforcements. The experience led to Dallaire's own life tragedy as he dealt with the psychological fallout of witnessing a genocide he was powerless to stop. Special features include: a reading by Roméo Dallaire of an excerpt of his book Shake hands with the Devil (6 min.); an interview with director Peter Raymont (8 min.); optional audio commentary by Peter Raymont or Geoff Pevere; a 56 min. classroom version of the film; photo gallery; reading list.
Director: Peter Raymont Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, civil war, ethnic violence, genocide, post-traumatic syndrome, United Nations
Slavery and the Making of America. Volume 3: Seeds of Destruction (DVD : 60 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5288 PT. 3
Abstract: The series' third program looks at the period from 1800 through the start of the Civil War, during which slavery saw an enormous expansion and entered its final decades. As the nation expanded west, the question of slavery became the overriding political issue of the time. These years saw an increasingly militant abolitionist movement and a widening rift between the North --which had largely outlawed slavery but continued to reap the vast economic benefits of the system -- and the South, now home to millions of enslaved black men, women and children. This is the period of slavery most commonly depicted in history books and captured by dramas. Leading Southerners such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had been convinced slavery was nearing its end. But the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican War brought vast new territories into the United States, and the battle between those for and against slavery intensified. By 1860, every attempt at striking an agreement --the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, a draconian federal fugitive slave law-- had failed, splitting apart the Union. Men and women featured in the series' third episode are: Harriet Jacobs, Solomon Northup, Louis and Matilda Hughes. This volume is part of the Slavery and the making of America series.
Director: Ghana Gazit Distributor:Ambrose Video Publishing
Keywords: America, Africa, overview, history, slavery, abolitionism, emancipation
Slavery and the Making of America. Volume 4: The Challenge of Freedom (DVD : 60 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5288 PT. 4
Abstract: The series' fourth program follows the life of Robert Smalls as it takes viewers through the Civil War, the Reconstruction and beyond. A South Carolina slave who rode a stolen Confederate ship to freedom, Smalls became a sailor in the Union Navy, bought the mansion in which he had been enslaved, and went on to a long, successful career in politics. The program follows the transformation of the Civil War from a conflict intended to restore the Union to a conflict over slavery. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves under the control of the Confederate government. The Reconstruction period that followed offered much promise to the newly freed slaves, but by the 1876 Presidential election the North had tired of dealing with civil rights and decided to leave the issue of the treatment of the freed slaves to the Southern states, where many former Confederate leaders had taken the helm of government. With Smalls' story as a framework, this final installment looks at the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and militant opposition to black rights, the end of the Reconstruction and its replacement with a whole new kind of legalized oppression. This volume is part of the Slavery and the Making of America series.
Director: Leslie Farrell Distributor:Ambrose Video Publishing
Keywords: America, Africa, overview, history, slavery, emancipation, civil war
Somalia: the Neglected Civil War (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7506
Abstract: Independent since 1960, Somalia has seen virtually constant political upheaval. Some eighty percent of the nation is under the power of guerillas and local warlords. Recently, Somalia has become a target in the post-Afghanistan 'war against terrorism'. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Zimbabwe & South Africa: Still Far from Coexistence and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Seijun Hata Distributor:Filmakers Library, Inc.
Keywords: Somalia, civil war, guerillas, politics
Sorious Samura Collection (The): Cry Freetown, Exodus, Return to Freetown. (DVD : 134 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8476
Abstract: Compilation DVD of three films about Sierra Leone by Sierra Leonean filmmaker Sorious Samura. In Cry Freetown, Samura documents the civil war in Freetown, Sierra Leone. In Exodus, he follows the story of one migrant, Osas, whose absolute determination to achieve his mission reveals that he is willing to sacrifice everything to get out of Africa. In Return to Freetown, Samura returns to Sierra Leone and talks with three of the children who were abducted and forced to become soldiers in the civil war. Thousands were taken from their families by a ruthless rebel leader and turned into killers.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News Television
Keywords: Sierra Leone, immigration, war, children, violence, family
Sudan: Black Kingdoms (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 5791
Abstract: A major gateway to sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan has seen the rise and fall of many powerful kingdoms and refined cultures-- and the key to understanding these ancient civilizations lies in the multitude of archaeological treasures that dot the landscape and that are still buried beneath the sands. This program follows the trail of the young French naturalist and pioneer Frédéric Cailliaud, whose account of his journey to Merowe in 1820 first sparked interest in Sudan. Excavations and artifacts provide insights into the way of life, beliefs, and accomplishments of the peoples who inhabited the region from Neolithic times onward.
Director: Alain Jomier Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Sudan, history, archeaology
Sudan: Slipping Back in Time (Videocassette : 44 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS VHS 7547
Abstract: Describes the suffering and cruelty of the civil war in Sudan, focusing on how Dinka woman and children are being abducted by militiamen in the south and sold as slaves to their Arabic enemies in northern Sudan.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Dinka, war, gender, slavery
Talk Mogadishu: Media under Fire (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8929
Abstract: Documents the operation of the independent, non-partisan radio and television station, HornAfrik, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The station's very popular talk shows allow marginalized groups, such as human rights advocates and women's groups, to speak out and be heard. HornAfrik operates in a dangerous and volatile climate, and is sometimes attacked by warlords angered by a show's content. The station requires armed guards 24 hours a day, and reporters are often harassed and their cameras confiscated by militias. Despite the perils, the founders of HornAfrik continue their broadcasts, demonstrating a possible role for the media in times of conflict.
Director: Judy Jackson Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Somalia, Mogadishu, radio, television, independent media, civil war, politics
Tree of Our Forefathers, The (DVD : 53 min. ) [1994]
DVD 9405
Abstract: 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. During the 15-year civil war in Mozambique, one and a half million people fled to seek refuge in neighboring countries. There was no time for ceremonial leave-taking, no time to pay the proper respects to the dead. But in 1993, with the war finally over, the refugees began to return home. Licinio Azevedo's moving documentary is the story of one family's long journey back to seek the forefathers' atonement under the village tree. The film follows Alexandre Ferrao and his extended family as they toil home across a land emptied of people and littered with the twisted scrapmetal of warfare. At night, around the camp fire, the family recounts their experiences of the years in exile and their fears for what they might find when they finally reach home.
Director: Licinio Azevedo Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Mozambique, refugees, emigration, immigration, funeral rites, ceremonies, civil war
Witness to Truth (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9147
Abstract: WITNESS was invited by the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to produce the first video accompaniment to an official TRC report. Witness to Truth summarizes the key findings and recommendations of the TRC's report -- highlighting the key causes and consequences of the war, raising public awareness of the TRC's efforts at peace-building and encouraging civil society in Sierra Leone and beyond, in order to hold the government accountable for implementing the binding recommendations that will be issued by the TRC.
Director: Gillian Caldwell Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, TRC, civil society, politics, war
Yesterday in Rwanda (DVD : 14 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8259
Abstract: Yesterday in Rwanda is a haunting film that focuses on one survivor of the genocide and her experience of trauma, displacement and hope. Claire Wihogora emigrated to Canada in 1998, four years after her father, brother and countless other family and friends were killed. The film portrays Claire carrying on with her life today in Toronto, while inevitably haunted by terrible memories of Rwanda. On film she recounts how she and her sister hid in the brush while all around her people were massacred. Nothing can help her forget the hundred days when 800,000 members of the Hutu and Tutsi tribes were slaughtered. Yet she finds comfort in telling her story in schools 'to share it to make sure it never happens again.' Also, she has founded Women in Rwanda, which links female genocide survivors now living in North America in a support system. The film achieves a fascinating interplay of past and present, as images from Claire's everyday life in Toronto (grey tones) are differentiated from the images of Kigali rendered in color.
Director: Davina Pardo Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Rwanda, Kigali, history, civil war, genocide, emigration, NGO
Zimbabwe and South Africa: Still Far From Coexistence (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7507
Abstract: Zimbabwe still reels from the after effects of independence. Former colonials are blamed for failing to work out compensation and land reallocation, and violence against whites is on the increase. South Africa emerged from the evils of apartheid more than a decade ago, and today faces an expanding gap between the rich and poor, increasing interracial conflict, a rising crime rate, and an AIDS epidemic that is decimating the mostly black population. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Somalia: the Neglected Civil War and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Kazuta Hioki Distributor:NA
Keywords: Zimbabwe, South Africa, colonialism, apartheid, HIV/AIDS, land, politics
September 16, 2008: Geoffrey Nyarota
