African Studies Media Catalog
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African Queen (The) (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 105 min. ) [1952]
V. DISC 42
Abstract: Thrown together at the outset of World War I, the spinster sister of a British missionary and the derelict captain of the launch, The African Queen, determine to pilot the boat down an uncharted river in an effort to destroy a German gunboat which prevents invasion by British forces. Setting: German East Africa in 1914.Filmed in Africa. Producer: Sam Speigel.
Director: John Huston Distributor:CBS Fox Video
Keywords: East Africa, World War I, colonialism, feature film
Afrique, je te plumerai (Videocassette : 88 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2348
Abstract: A depiction of the history of colonials in Cameroon, and by extension, on the African continent. Focuses on historical as well as contemporary European cultural dominance, including its influence on publishing and mass media in Cameroon.
Director: Jean-Marie Teno Distributor:California News
Keywords: Cameroon, colonialism, media, history, feature film
Aimé Césaire: A Voice for History = Une voix pour l'Histoire (Videocassette : 160 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 2988 V.1-3.
Abstract: This three-part study introduces American audiences to the celebrated Martinican author who coined the term négritude and launched the movement called the A Great Black Cry'. Weaves Césaire's life and poetry into a vast tapestry featuring many of the most important artistic and intellectual figures of the past six decades. In Part I, L'Ile Veilleuse (The Vigilant Island) Césaire shows us his pays natal, its volcano, beaches and colonial towns, a tropical crossroad where Europe, Africa and America meet. From this cultural vortex, Césaire, his wife, Suzanne, and philosopher René Menil founded in 1939 the seminal literary review Tropiques. Discusses the difficulty of balancing the life of a poet with that of a practical politician for over 50 years. Part II, Au rendez-vous de la conquête (Where the Edges of Conquest Meet) moves to Paris in the 1930s where Césaire, Leopold Senghor, first president of Senegal, and the French Guyanese poet, Leon Damas, developed the concept of négritude, a world-wide revindication of African values. In Part III, La force de regarder demain (The Strength to Face Tomorrow), Césaire responds to the disappointments of the post-colonial world, the dangers of neo-colonialism. (3 videocassettes: 54, 56, 50 min.)
Director: Euzhan Palcy Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cesaire, Negritude, literature, politics, diaspora
Angola (DVD : 45 min. ) [1989]
DVD 9212
Abstract: A Brazilian documentary which reflects contemporary Angolan society, beginning with its war of independence against Portugal, which Angola won in 1975.
Director: Robert Berliner Distributor:Cidela and Antene
Keywords: Angola, Portugal, colonialism, history
Battle of Algiers (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 122 min. ) [1989]
V. DISC 1310
Abstract: Dramatization of the conflict between Algerian nationalists and French colonialists that culminated in Algeria's independence in 1962. Producer: Antonio Musu.
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo Distributor:Image Entertainment
Keywords: Algeria, colonialism, urban culture, nationalism, feature film
Black Man's Land Trilogy (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three films on colonialism, nationalism and revolution in Kenya: White Man's Country; Mau Mau; and Kenyatta. See individual titles for description.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, Mau Mau, Jomo Kenyatta, nationalism, politics
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
Black and White in Color (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 88 min. ) [1988]
V. DISC 672
Abstract: The idyllic life in a French-African settlement is rudely interrupted in 1915 by news of war in Europe. The French gamely assemble a rag-tag army of native soldiers to try to capture a neighboring German settlement. The result is a classic farce whose comedy is enlivened by the antic clash of African versus European customs. Series: Cinema Disc Collection.
Director: Jean-Jacques Distributor:NA
Keywords: West Africa, colonialism, feature film
Camp de Thiaroye=Camp Thiaroye (Videocassette : 152 min. ) [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 6979
Abstract: African soldiers, returning home after fighting in World War II, are massacred by French colonial authorities in a dispute over pay.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, World War II, colonialism, feature film
Chocolat (Videocassette : 105 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 5499
Abstract: A young woman returns to Cameroon to trace her past. Soon the sights, sounds and smells sweep her back to her childhood and memories of the people who populated her youth.
Director: Claire Denis Distributor:MGM Home Entertainment
Keywords: Cameroon, colonialism, feature film
Conakry Kas (Videocassette : 82 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8968
Abstract: In January 2003, director Manthia Diawara visited Guinea-Conakry to see what was left of the artists (Ballets Africains, Bembeya Jazz National) and intellectuals (D.T. Niane, Telivel Diallo) of the Guinean cultural revolution, and how citizens of Conakry were coping with globalization. The film casts a nostalgic look at Pan-Africanism in the 1960s, and asks what is the utopia of the Guinean youth today.
Director: Manthia Diawara Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea (Conakry), nationalism, history, artists, post-colonialism, Pan-Africanism, youth
Continent that Overslept: Africa, The (DVD : 58 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8285
Abstract: The award-winning investigative team of Heilbuth and Bulow (Battle of the Titans) produced this thoroughly researched program with a bold disregard for political correctness. They met with a new generation of African businessmen and intellectuals who addressed the appalling lack of progress. These Africans are outraged at the widening gap between the rich heads of state and poor subjects; the lack of a work ethic among African workers; and the fact that famine still claims so many lives when Africa could easily feed itself. The film shows that Africa is a rich area: it has 70% of the world's cobalt reserves; 46% of its diamonds; 44% of its chrome; and great hydroelectric power potential. Contrary to popular belief, Africa is not densely populated. The young, educated Africans feel that colonialism and the rich countries of the world can no longer be blamed for all the ills of Africa. As one African journalist says, 'It is unfortunate and shameful to see Africa with all her potential, always turning to the West and saying 'Give us this, give us that.' A young Kenyan businessman says he is embarrassed by an economy built on aid. Yet, he believes that a change is taking place across Africa and 'we have to take our place amongst the nations.'
Director: Poul Erik Heilbuth and Hans Bulow Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: economy, politics, government, development
Coup de Torchon = Clean Slate (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 128 min. ) [1981]
V.DISC 2302
Abstract: After Lucien Cordier, the only police officer in a small African village, is ridiculed by the local pimp, cheated on by his wife, and suffers his mistresses being beaten, he begins to get rid of the evil ones in his life.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier Distributor:Voyager
Keywords: West Africa, colonialism, feature film
Coup de Torchon = Clean Slate (DVD : 128 min. ) [1981]
DVD 764
Abstract: After Lucien Cordier, the only police officer in a small African village, is ridiculed by the local pimp, cheated on by his wife, and suffers his mistresses being beaten, he begins to get rid of the evil ones in his life.
Director: Bernard Tavernier Distributor:The Criterion Collection
Keywords: West Africa, colonialism, feature film
Deniers Colons (Les) = Last Colonials (The) (Videocassette : 61 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3249
Abstract: Visits with the last of the white population living in Zaire. They are managers, missionaries, businessmen and land owners who have chosen to settle in the heart of Africa, and who remain there in spite of the violence and danger. They reminisce on the 'good old days of the colonial era' and reveal shattered dreams in a country they thought might have been the new El Dorado.
Director: Thierry Michel Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, politics, government, colonialism, social conditions, history
Emitaï (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6976
Abstract: Depicts the clash between French colonialists and the Dyulas, an African people, in the closing days of World War II. Depicts the history and myths of this Senegalese people.
Director: Ousmane Sembêne Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, Dyula, colonialism, World War II, history, politics, feature film
Fintar O Destino=Dribbling Fate (Videocassette : 77 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4787
Abstract: Fintar O Destino is a sports film with a distinctly African twist. It is the story of the aging sport hero who holds onto his past so strongly he destroys his present. At the same time, this film explores a much broader tension, personal and political, between remaining true to one's dreams or making the best of the limited opportunities around us.
Director: Fernando Vendrell Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cape Verde, soccer, sports, popular culture, economy, social relations, postcolonialism
Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 2997
Abstract: A film biography of Frantz Fanon.
Director: Isaac Julien and Mark Nash Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Fanon, colonialism, psychology, biography
Freedom Now, 1947 (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4210
Abstract: In 1947, 160 years of British rule came to an end as India became the world's largest democracy, inspiring the fight for freedom on another continent. This film talks with the people who witnessed and participated in the struggle for independence in India and Africa. While Mohandas Gandhi showed the world how the masses could successfully defy their imperial masters, his example spurred others on: European empires in Africa and Asia began to crumble, and in short order, Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, and dozens more would win their freedom.
Director: Jennifer Clayton Distributor:WGBH Boston Video
Keywords: Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, history, Gandhi, politics, colonialism
From Congo to Zaire (DVD : 52 min. ) [2001]
DVD 7895
Abstract: The Congo, the largest country in Central Africa, was granted its independence from Belgium in 1960. This riveting historical documentary, using a wealth of archival material, illustrates how the legacy of colonialism effected modern Congo, led first by Patrice Lumumba, then by General Mobutu for thirty years. From 1908, when King Leopold II ceded his land grants to the Belgian people, economic development was seen as the first stage of the process of colonization. A new industrial port, along with road and rail networks, opened up the Congo to overseas trade. The Belgians brought with them an efficient system of administration, education and healthcare. By the end of World War II, the relationship between the colonizers and colonized changed. The pace accelerated towards decolonization. However, independence brought its own problems. Two leaders emerged, Patrice Lumumba and General Mobutu, and conflict between them ended with the murder of Lumumba and Mobutu's seizure of power. From Congo to Zaire takes a fresh look at the Congo's turbulent history and provides new insights into the problems it faces today.
Director: Olivier Moser and Frederic Tadino Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Congo, Zaire, colonialism, history, Mobutu, Lumumba
Grand Blanc de Lambarene (Le) (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4850
Abstract: Cameroonian filmmaker Bassek ba Kobhio provides a fascinating revisionist perspective on Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize winner and secular saint of the colonial era. Shot on the site of Schweitzer's hospital in Gabon, the film reveals a man blinded to the people around him by his own spiritual self-absorption and arrogance.
Director: Bassek ba Kobhio Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Gabon, Schweitzer, history, medicine, colonialism
Heart of the Congo (DVD : 57 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7637
Abstract: Amid threats of violence, corruption, and a legacy of colonial dependency, aid workers in the Congo help refugees who have lost everything. They seek to strengthen villagers' will, essential for a self-sufficient future. Heart of the Congo is a film about courage, perseverance and ways in which humanitarian aid makes a lasting difference.
Director: Tom Weidlinger Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Congo, refugees, humanitarian assistance, colonialism
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
Jaguar (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1964]
V. CASS VHS 2583
Abstract: Portrays a condition and state of mind that existed in West Africa in the 1950's--a time when it was possible to travel freely and when there was an exhilarating sense of opportunity in the air. (Filmed between 1957 and 1964)
Director: Jean Rouch Distributor:Interama
Keywords: Niger, Ghana, migration, colonialism
Kenyatta (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1979]
V.CASS. VHS 8855/ DVD 9267
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in DVD format (DVD 9267). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Bellwether Group
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, history, settler colonialism, politics, nationalism, biography
Kenyatta (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9267/ VHS 8855
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 8855). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: Anthony Howarth and David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, politics, history, biography, colonialism, nationalism
Kitchen Toto (The) (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 96 min. ) [1987]
V. DISC 1515
Abstract: Set in 1950 Kenya as British rule was being threatened by Mau Mau terrorists. A young Kikuyu boy is torn between the British for whom he works and the guerrilla freedom fighters who want him to join them. Complex and powerful story of the Kenyan freedom crusade. Director/Author: Harry Hook.
Director: Harry Hook Distributor:Warner Home Video
Keywords: Kenya, colonialism, history, Mau Mau, feature film
Landscape and Memory: Martinican Land - People - History (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8985
Abstract: French West Indies' most renowned identity theoreticians - Jean Bernabé, Patrick Chamoiseau, and Raphaël Confiant - investigate the different ways in which France, as a colonial power, marks colonized lands and peoples. In five different sections, the writers examine the possibilities of landscape as a repository for a forgotten past, Martinique's economic dependence on France, the recent 'cementification' of Martinique, the politics of commemoration, and the possibilities for Creole culture.
Director: Renée Gosson, Eric Faden Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Martinique, France, African diaspora, cultural identity, colonialism, landscape, history, economy, creolization
Living in Africa: African Solutions to African Problems (DVD : 150 min. ) [1995]
See individual titles
Abstract: Series of five films (each 30 minutes):
Malentendu colonial, Le = Colonial Misunderstanding (Videocassette : 73 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 9140
Abstract: Jean-Marie Téno looks at European colonialism in Africa through the lens of Christian evangelism as the model for the relationship between Africa and Western countries today. The history of German missionaries in Namibia in the 19th and 20th centuries is discussed by African and German historians and theologians, revealing how colonialism destroyed African beliefs and social systems, and replaced them with European ones.
Director: Jean-Marie Téno Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, Germany, religion, history, evangelism, colonialism, Christianity, traditional religion , missionaries
Mandabi (Videocassette : 92 min. ) [1999]
VHS 4764/ DVD 5167
Abstract: A story about a man who receives a money order that threatens to destroy the traditional fabric of his life is used to point out the problems of modern Africa as a civilization struggling to recapture its own rich heritage after colonial corruption. Also available in DVD format (DVD 5167).
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, colonialism, corruption, history, feature film
Mandabi (DVD : 90 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5167/ VHS 4764
Abstract: A story about a man who receives a money order that threatens to destroy the traditional fabric of his life is used to point out the problems of modern Africa as a civilization struggling to recapture its own rich heritage after colonial corruption. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 4764).
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, colonialism, corruption, history, feature film
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
Maîtres fous (Les) (Videocassette : 29 min. ) [1955]
V.CASS. VHS 2566
Abstract: Describes the Haouka, members of a religious cult living in Accra, Ghana. Shows them living and working in Europeanized Accra and participating in a spirit possession ceremony. Documents the annual religious ceremony of the Hauku cult which was widespread in Niger and Ghana from the 1920's to the 1950's. Ceremony took place on a rural farm, where the Haukas entered into trance, and were possessed with the spirits, associated with their former Western colonial powers. Supplicants consult the gods through trance, and may receive advice about their problems and illnesses. They may also find support and comfort although they can also be reprimanded for wrongdoings. Hauka first began in the person of a soldier who witnessed the decimating of their West African troops by the Germans, despite their outstanding performance in battle. The Hauka was suppressed by the French and British, subsequent administrators of Niger. After protestations against this suppression the agreement was reached that they should limit their ceremonies to prescribed places. Today the Hauka movement has been absorbed into the traditional religious systems and there is now an end to the Hauka development.
Director: Jean Rouch Distributor:Interama Video Classics
Keywords: Niger, Ghana, Hauka movement, Zabrama, colonialism, spirit possession, ritual
Mortu Nega=Those Whom Death Refused (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4630
Abstract: In 1973, independence was proclaimed in Guinea Bissau, ending five centuries of Portuguese colonization and a decade of armed struggle. This film, Gomes' first feature-length film, made in 1987, portrays this critical period in history through the story of one woman, Diminga, whose husband is fighting on the front lines. The camera captures Cabral's assassination, the ending of hostilities, and the reconstruction of the economically and spiritually devastated country. The term 'Mortu Nega' means those that death did not want, and Gomes films a ceremony using 3000 extras, in which survivors call upon the dead, asking them how they can go on living in such terrible conditions--From the Le Monde Cannes '96 Supplement, May 10.
Director: Flora Gomes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea Bissau, women, colonialism, history, feature film
Namibia: Africa's Last Colony (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1984]
V. CASS. 283
Abstract: Nora Chase of the Namibian Council of Churches describes how occupying countries have enriched themselves off her country's vast mineral resources, while the indigenous people have been condemned to poverty.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, colonialism, economy, history
No Easy Walk (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1987]
V. CASS. VHS 3974 v. 1-3
Abstract: Chronicles how Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe were subdued by colonial powers and later achieved independence from their oppressors.
Director: Bernard Odjija Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, colonialism, history, politics
O Testamento do Senhor Napumoceno = Napumoceno's Will (Videocassette : 106 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4623
Abstract: The film is an epic farce from one of the world's least known but most culturally complex societies --Cape Verde. This classic tale of the hollowness at the core of provincial bourgeois life introduces English-speaking audiences to Germano Almeida, one of the outstanding writers in Portuguese today. With its novelistic breadth, the film offers a bildungsroman of a man and a society so caught up in the pursuit of conventional success and prestige it overlooks its true self almost until it is too late. Producer/Director: Francisco Manso.
Director: Francisco Manso Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cape Verde, social life, politics, colonialism, class, feature film
One Hundred Years of Silence (DVD : 39 min. ) [2006]
DVD 8698
Abstract: Documentary film about the near extermination of the Herero people of Namibia by German colonial soldiers in the first years of the 20th century. This history is told through the story of a young present-day Herero woman whose great-grandmother was raped by a German soldier, resulting in Georgina's light skin and eyes.
Director: Halfdan Muurholm Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Namibia, Herero, colonialism, history, genocide, violence
Out of Africa (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 161 min. ) [1986]
V. DISC. 951
Abstract: The true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband, runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and the mysterious white hunter. Producer/Director: Sydney Pollack. 2 videodiscs/laser version
Director: Sydney Pollack Distributor:MCA Home Video
Keywords: Kenya, colonialism, feature film
Scorpion Under the Rock: Afrikaans from Colonialism to Democracy (Videocassette : 78 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 6957 Pts. 1- 3
Abstract: This three part docudrama looks at the relationship between language and political, social and economic power in South Africa from the beginning of Dutch colonial rule until today. The story of the origins and development of the Afrikaans language is narrated by Zaine Lackay (played by David Isaacs), a student activist from Salt River. His experience of the Afrikaans language is used as a central point at which to relate a series of historical tableaux. (3 videocassettes)
Director: Zackie Achmat and Jack Lewis Distributor:Idol Pictures
Keywords: South Africa, Afrikaans, language, race relations, history
Simba (Videocassette : 99 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9082
Abstract: Filmed in documentary style partly in Kenya, Simba tells the story of a young Englishman's brother who has been murdered by Mau Mau terrorists. He, however, overcomes his hatred of blacks after a native physician sacrifices his life to prevent the massacre of a group of white colonists. A Peter de Sarigny production, this feature film originally released as a motion picture in 1955, with a screenplay by John Baines . This drama has also been released under the title of Mark of Mau Mau.
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst Distributor:General Film Distributors (U.K.) and Lippert Pictures (U.S.)
Keywords: Kenya, Mau Mau, drama, history, terrorism, murder, settler colonialism, feature film
T-Shirt Travels (DVD : 57 min. ) [2001]
DVD 8789
Abstract: What happens to all those old clothes you bring to the Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries? This comprehensive program is about Third World debt and secondhand clothes. The filmmaker travelled to Zambia and was amazed to find almost everyone wearing Calvin Klein, MTV and James Dean t-shirts! Huge bales of American secondhand clothing are sold to African importers, putting the African manufacturers out of business. We see a secondhand clothing dealer in Zambia carefully select a bale among dozens, bundled and shipped from abroad. He pays for the used clothing and then transports it by bus ten hours to a market. His meager profits support his entire extended family who subsist in shanty towns miles from the market. Their lives exemplify the poverty plaguing Africa today. They have virtually no possibility of advancing themselves and their children. Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard University Center for International Studies and other experts discuss the history of colonialism, slavery and the depletion of Africa's natural resources. They draw the connection between this shameful legacy and the current huge debt. As the African governments service their debts according to an IMF/World Bank policy known as 'structural adjustment lending,' people's benefits are slashed drastically, resulting in terrible suffering from malnutrition, poor healthcare, inadequate schools and a crumbling infra-structure. Our old t-shirts come with a high price-tag.
Director: Shantha Bloemen Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zambia, trade, economy, clothing, poverty, history, government, development
Thomas Sankara: The Upright Man (DVD : 52 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9601
Abstract: A biography of Thomas Sankara, a charismatic army captain who became the first president of Burkina Faso after a popularly-supported coup. During his four years in office before being assassinated, he instituted a wide range of progressive social and economic reforms.
Director: Robin Shuffield Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Upper Volta, Thomas Sankara, politics, development, economics, postcolonialism
Village Theater in Senegal: Queen Ndate and the French Conquest (Videocassette : 14 min. ) [1983]
V.CASS. VHS 8673
Abstract: Amateur actors, members of a rural youth association in northwestern Senegal, perform in a play about the conquest of their region by the French in the 19th century.
Director: Jean Pol-Lefebore Distributor:Indiana University Audio-Visual Center
Keywords: Senegal, drama, youth, conquest, colonialism, history
White Man's Country (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9265
Abstract: The first in a three-part series that traces Kenya's history from colonialism to independence, this film deals with the arrival of the first European settlers towards the end of the 19th century and explains how, over a period of time, the African inhabitants were deprived of much of their land. It charts the actions of the Imperial British East Africa Company and uses quotes from both official letters and private journals to reveal the motives of those who sought to make Kenya a white man's country. It also recalls the treatment the Africans received at the hands of their colonial masters and discusses the founding of the first political protest movement, led by Harry Thuku, who is one of the individuals interviewed and whose funeral in 1970 opens and closes the film. The documentary makes good use of a rare collection of photographs of the period. This film is part 1 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: Anthony Howarth, David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, politics, history, colonialism, land
Zimbabwe Countdown (DVD : 52 min. ) [2003]
DVD 9101
Abstract: This documentary provides a personal insight into the plight of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) under the brutal regime of Mugabe. The filmmaker, Michael Raeburn, was a white Rhodesian who has spent his life chronicling events there. In 1969, he supported African nationalists in their hopes of ending colonial rule under the racist Ian Smith. Raeburn was expelled from his country and wrote a book applauding Mugabe¹s socialist vision of the future. In this film, Raeburn details how the liberation movement he once admired has been transformed into a reign of terror. To insure his re-election, Mugabe has tortured and murdered the opposition and triggered agricultural chaos and economic ruin. The land and homes of white farmers have been seized by government supporters, and their black farmworkers have been killed. Millions starve as a result of the chaotic land distribution. Zimbabwe had been a model of a postcolonial nation, and Mugabe had pledged to ensure a place for everybody in this country. Today, the optimism of liberation has turned to despair, with rage, riots, killing and starvation rampant throughout the land. And Michael Raeburn has been forced into exile a second time, because of the color of his skin.
Director: Michael Raeburn Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zimbabwe, Mugabe, Ian Smith, colonialism, government, politics, history, race, land
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
Zulu Dawn (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 117 min. ) [1986]
V. DISC 1143
Abstract: A dramatic and true story that recounts the breathtaking defeat of British forces at the hands of a 2,500 strong and determined Zulu army.
Director: NA Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, history, colonialism
Page(s): 1
African Queen (The) (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 105 min. ) [1952]
V. DISC 42
Abstract: Thrown together at the outset of World War I, the spinster sister of a British missionary and the derelict captain of the launch, The African Queen, determine to pilot the boat down an uncharted river in an effort to destroy a German gunboat which prevents invasion by British forces. Setting: German East Africa in 1914.Filmed in Africa. Producer: Sam Speigel.
Director: John Huston Distributor:CBS Fox Video
Keywords: East Africa, World War I, colonialism, feature film
Afrique, je te plumerai (Videocassette : 88 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2348
Abstract: A depiction of the history of colonials in Cameroon, and by extension, on the African continent. Focuses on historical as well as contemporary European cultural dominance, including its influence on publishing and mass media in Cameroon.
Director: Jean-Marie Teno Distributor:California News
Keywords: Cameroon, colonialism, media, history, feature film
Aimé Césaire: A Voice for History = Une voix pour l'Histoire (Videocassette : 160 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 2988 V.1-3.
Abstract: This three-part study introduces American audiences to the celebrated Martinican author who coined the term négritude and launched the movement called the A Great Black Cry'. Weaves Césaire's life and poetry into a vast tapestry featuring many of the most important artistic and intellectual figures of the past six decades. In Part I, L'Ile Veilleuse (The Vigilant Island) Césaire shows us his pays natal, its volcano, beaches and colonial towns, a tropical crossroad where Europe, Africa and America meet. From this cultural vortex, Césaire, his wife, Suzanne, and philosopher René Menil founded in 1939 the seminal literary review Tropiques. Discusses the difficulty of balancing the life of a poet with that of a practical politician for over 50 years. Part II, Au rendez-vous de la conquête (Where the Edges of Conquest Meet) moves to Paris in the 1930s where Césaire, Leopold Senghor, first president of Senegal, and the French Guyanese poet, Leon Damas, developed the concept of négritude, a world-wide revindication of African values. In Part III, La force de regarder demain (The Strength to Face Tomorrow), Césaire responds to the disappointments of the post-colonial world, the dangers of neo-colonialism. (3 videocassettes: 54, 56, 50 min.)
Director: Euzhan Palcy Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cesaire, Negritude, literature, politics, diaspora
Angola (DVD : 45 min. ) [1989]
DVD 9212
Abstract: A Brazilian documentary which reflects contemporary Angolan society, beginning with its war of independence against Portugal, which Angola won in 1975.
Director: Robert Berliner Distributor:Cidela and Antene
Keywords: Angola, Portugal, colonialism, history
Battle of Algiers (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 122 min. ) [1989]
V. DISC 1310
Abstract: Dramatization of the conflict between Algerian nationalists and French colonialists that culminated in Algeria's independence in 1962. Producer: Antonio Musu.
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo Distributor:Image Entertainment
Keywords: Algeria, colonialism, urban culture, nationalism, feature film
Black Man's Land Trilogy (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three films on colonialism, nationalism and revolution in Kenya: White Man's Country; Mau Mau; and Kenyatta. See individual titles for description.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, Mau Mau, Jomo Kenyatta, nationalism, politics
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
Black and White in Color (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 88 min. ) [1988]
V. DISC 672
Abstract: The idyllic life in a French-African settlement is rudely interrupted in 1915 by news of war in Europe. The French gamely assemble a rag-tag army of native soldiers to try to capture a neighboring German settlement. The result is a classic farce whose comedy is enlivened by the antic clash of African versus European customs. Series: Cinema Disc Collection.
Director: Jean-Jacques Distributor:NA
Keywords: West Africa, colonialism, feature film
Camp de Thiaroye=Camp Thiaroye (Videocassette : 152 min. ) [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 6979
Abstract: African soldiers, returning home after fighting in World War II, are massacred by French colonial authorities in a dispute over pay.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, World War II, colonialism, feature film
Chocolat (Videocassette : 105 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 5499
Abstract: A young woman returns to Cameroon to trace her past. Soon the sights, sounds and smells sweep her back to her childhood and memories of the people who populated her youth.
Director: Claire Denis Distributor:MGM Home Entertainment
Keywords: Cameroon, colonialism, feature film
Conakry Kas (Videocassette : 82 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8968
Abstract: In January 2003, director Manthia Diawara visited Guinea-Conakry to see what was left of the artists (Ballets Africains, Bembeya Jazz National) and intellectuals (D.T. Niane, Telivel Diallo) of the Guinean cultural revolution, and how citizens of Conakry were coping with globalization. The film casts a nostalgic look at Pan-Africanism in the 1960s, and asks what is the utopia of the Guinean youth today.
Director: Manthia Diawara Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea (Conakry), nationalism, history, artists, post-colonialism, Pan-Africanism, youth
Continent that Overslept: Africa, The (DVD : 58 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8285
Abstract: The award-winning investigative team of Heilbuth and Bulow (Battle of the Titans) produced this thoroughly researched program with a bold disregard for political correctness. They met with a new generation of African businessmen and intellectuals who addressed the appalling lack of progress. These Africans are outraged at the widening gap between the rich heads of state and poor subjects; the lack of a work ethic among African workers; and the fact that famine still claims so many lives when Africa could easily feed itself. The film shows that Africa is a rich area: it has 70% of the world's cobalt reserves; 46% of its diamonds; 44% of its chrome; and great hydroelectric power potential. Contrary to popular belief, Africa is not densely populated. The young, educated Africans feel that colonialism and the rich countries of the world can no longer be blamed for all the ills of Africa. As one African journalist says, 'It is unfortunate and shameful to see Africa with all her potential, always turning to the West and saying 'Give us this, give us that.' A young Kenyan businessman says he is embarrassed by an economy built on aid. Yet, he believes that a change is taking place across Africa and 'we have to take our place amongst the nations.'
Director: Poul Erik Heilbuth and Hans Bulow Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: economy, politics, government, development
Coup de Torchon = Clean Slate (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 128 min. ) [1981]
V.DISC 2302
Abstract: After Lucien Cordier, the only police officer in a small African village, is ridiculed by the local pimp, cheated on by his wife, and suffers his mistresses being beaten, he begins to get rid of the evil ones in his life.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier Distributor:Voyager
Keywords: West Africa, colonialism, feature film
Coup de Torchon = Clean Slate (DVD : 128 min. ) [1981]
DVD 764
Abstract: After Lucien Cordier, the only police officer in a small African village, is ridiculed by the local pimp, cheated on by his wife, and suffers his mistresses being beaten, he begins to get rid of the evil ones in his life.
Director: Bernard Tavernier Distributor:The Criterion Collection
Keywords: West Africa, colonialism, feature film
Deniers Colons (Les) = Last Colonials (The) (Videocassette : 61 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3249
Abstract: Visits with the last of the white population living in Zaire. They are managers, missionaries, businessmen and land owners who have chosen to settle in the heart of Africa, and who remain there in spite of the violence and danger. They reminisce on the 'good old days of the colonial era' and reveal shattered dreams in a country they thought might have been the new El Dorado.
Director: Thierry Michel Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, politics, government, colonialism, social conditions, history
Emitaï (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6976
Abstract: Depicts the clash between French colonialists and the Dyulas, an African people, in the closing days of World War II. Depicts the history and myths of this Senegalese people.
Director: Ousmane Sembêne Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, Dyula, colonialism, World War II, history, politics, feature film
Fintar O Destino=Dribbling Fate (Videocassette : 77 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4787
Abstract: Fintar O Destino is a sports film with a distinctly African twist. It is the story of the aging sport hero who holds onto his past so strongly he destroys his present. At the same time, this film explores a much broader tension, personal and political, between remaining true to one's dreams or making the best of the limited opportunities around us.
Director: Fernando Vendrell Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cape Verde, soccer, sports, popular culture, economy, social relations, postcolonialism
Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 2997
Abstract: A film biography of Frantz Fanon.
Director: Isaac Julien and Mark Nash Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Fanon, colonialism, psychology, biography
Freedom Now, 1947 (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4210
Abstract: In 1947, 160 years of British rule came to an end as India became the world's largest democracy, inspiring the fight for freedom on another continent. This film talks with the people who witnessed and participated in the struggle for independence in India and Africa. While Mohandas Gandhi showed the world how the masses could successfully defy their imperial masters, his example spurred others on: European empires in Africa and Asia began to crumble, and in short order, Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, and dozens more would win their freedom.
Director: Jennifer Clayton Distributor:WGBH Boston Video
Keywords: Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, history, Gandhi, politics, colonialism
From Congo to Zaire (DVD : 52 min. ) [2001]
DVD 7895
Abstract: The Congo, the largest country in Central Africa, was granted its independence from Belgium in 1960. This riveting historical documentary, using a wealth of archival material, illustrates how the legacy of colonialism effected modern Congo, led first by Patrice Lumumba, then by General Mobutu for thirty years. From 1908, when King Leopold II ceded his land grants to the Belgian people, economic development was seen as the first stage of the process of colonization. A new industrial port, along with road and rail networks, opened up the Congo to overseas trade. The Belgians brought with them an efficient system of administration, education and healthcare. By the end of World War II, the relationship between the colonizers and colonized changed. The pace accelerated towards decolonization. However, independence brought its own problems. Two leaders emerged, Patrice Lumumba and General Mobutu, and conflict between them ended with the murder of Lumumba and Mobutu's seizure of power. From Congo to Zaire takes a fresh look at the Congo's turbulent history and provides new insights into the problems it faces today.
Director: Olivier Moser and Frederic Tadino Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Congo, Zaire, colonialism, history, Mobutu, Lumumba
Grand Blanc de Lambarene (Le) (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4850
Abstract: Cameroonian filmmaker Bassek ba Kobhio provides a fascinating revisionist perspective on Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize winner and secular saint of the colonial era. Shot on the site of Schweitzer's hospital in Gabon, the film reveals a man blinded to the people around him by his own spiritual self-absorption and arrogance.
Director: Bassek ba Kobhio Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Gabon, Schweitzer, history, medicine, colonialism
Heart of the Congo (DVD : 57 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7637
Abstract: Amid threats of violence, corruption, and a legacy of colonial dependency, aid workers in the Congo help refugees who have lost everything. They seek to strengthen villagers' will, essential for a self-sufficient future. Heart of the Congo is a film about courage, perseverance and ways in which humanitarian aid makes a lasting difference.
Director: Tom Weidlinger Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Congo, refugees, humanitarian assistance, colonialism
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
Jaguar (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1964]
V. CASS VHS 2583
Abstract: Portrays a condition and state of mind that existed in West Africa in the 1950's--a time when it was possible to travel freely and when there was an exhilarating sense of opportunity in the air. (Filmed between 1957 and 1964)
Director: Jean Rouch Distributor:Interama
Keywords: Niger, Ghana, migration, colonialism
Kenyatta (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1979]
V.CASS. VHS 8855/ DVD 9267
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in DVD format (DVD 9267). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Bellwether Group
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, history, settler colonialism, politics, nationalism, biography
Kenyatta (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9267/ VHS 8855
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 8855). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: Anthony Howarth and David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, politics, history, biography, colonialism, nationalism
Kitchen Toto (The) (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 96 min. ) [1987]
V. DISC 1515
Abstract: Set in 1950 Kenya as British rule was being threatened by Mau Mau terrorists. A young Kikuyu boy is torn between the British for whom he works and the guerrilla freedom fighters who want him to join them. Complex and powerful story of the Kenyan freedom crusade. Director/Author: Harry Hook.
Director: Harry Hook Distributor:Warner Home Video
Keywords: Kenya, colonialism, history, Mau Mau, feature film
Landscape and Memory: Martinican Land - People - History (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8985
Abstract: French West Indies' most renowned identity theoreticians - Jean Bernabé, Patrick Chamoiseau, and Raphaël Confiant - investigate the different ways in which France, as a colonial power, marks colonized lands and peoples. In five different sections, the writers examine the possibilities of landscape as a repository for a forgotten past, Martinique's economic dependence on France, the recent 'cementification' of Martinique, the politics of commemoration, and the possibilities for Creole culture.
Director: Renée Gosson, Eric Faden Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Martinique, France, African diaspora, cultural identity, colonialism, landscape, history, economy, creolization
Living in Africa: African Solutions to African Problems (DVD : 150 min. ) [1995]
See individual titles
Abstract: Series of five films (each 30 minutes):
l. Maasai in the Modern World - Kenya: This film looks at the impact of the modern world on the ancient culture of the Maasai people. Traditionally the Maasai herded their cattle between the plains and the well -watered mountain land. As tourism makes inroads on their already scarce land, they are trying to adapt without losing their heritage. DVD 8904
2. The Survival Age - Tanzania: Tanzania illustrates some of the problems of development and the environmental crisis. The economists featured are critical of Western ideas about progress. The film reflects on the failure of both socialism and capitalism in this country and explains the need to overcome the legacy of colonialism. DVD 8905
3. This Virus That Has No Cure - Zambia: Worldwide there are over 17 million people infected with the AIDS virus and an estimated ten million live in Africa. The problem is placing a serious strain on the Zambian health system. The film explores ways in which the community is uniting to fight back, caring for sufferers and educating about prevention. DVD 8906
4. The Riches of Elephants - Zimbabwe: The Campfire project is a highly successful program for both wildlife conservation and social development. The local community is allowed to sell safaris or hunting rights on public land reserves. The profit is used for development projects such as fences, schools, and individual households. DVD 8907
5. A Land of Immense Riches -Mozambique:
Once devastated by war, Mozambique now offers positive models for bio-diversity, community conservation and eco-tourism. We meet members of the local community who are working with the conservation authorities to educate people about sustainable harvesting and many other ways of protecting the environment. DVD 8908
Director:
Mark Newman
Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords:
Malentendu colonial, Le = Colonial Misunderstanding (Videocassette : 73 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 9140
Abstract: Jean-Marie Téno looks at European colonialism in Africa through the lens of Christian evangelism as the model for the relationship between Africa and Western countries today. The history of German missionaries in Namibia in the 19th and 20th centuries is discussed by African and German historians and theologians, revealing how colonialism destroyed African beliefs and social systems, and replaced them with European ones.
Director: Jean-Marie Téno Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, Germany, religion, history, evangelism, colonialism, Christianity, traditional religion , missionaries
Mandabi (Videocassette : 92 min. ) [1999]
VHS 4764/ DVD 5167
Abstract: A story about a man who receives a money order that threatens to destroy the traditional fabric of his life is used to point out the problems of modern Africa as a civilization struggling to recapture its own rich heritage after colonial corruption. Also available in DVD format (DVD 5167).
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, colonialism, corruption, history, feature film
Mandabi (DVD : 90 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5167/ VHS 4764
Abstract: A story about a man who receives a money order that threatens to destroy the traditional fabric of his life is used to point out the problems of modern Africa as a civilization struggling to recapture its own rich heritage after colonial corruption. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 4764).
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, colonialism, corruption, history, feature film
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
Maîtres fous (Les) (Videocassette : 29 min. ) [1955]
V.CASS. VHS 2566
Abstract: Describes the Haouka, members of a religious cult living in Accra, Ghana. Shows them living and working in Europeanized Accra and participating in a spirit possession ceremony. Documents the annual religious ceremony of the Hauku cult which was widespread in Niger and Ghana from the 1920's to the 1950's. Ceremony took place on a rural farm, where the Haukas entered into trance, and were possessed with the spirits, associated with their former Western colonial powers. Supplicants consult the gods through trance, and may receive advice about their problems and illnesses. They may also find support and comfort although they can also be reprimanded for wrongdoings. Hauka first began in the person of a soldier who witnessed the decimating of their West African troops by the Germans, despite their outstanding performance in battle. The Hauka was suppressed by the French and British, subsequent administrators of Niger. After protestations against this suppression the agreement was reached that they should limit their ceremonies to prescribed places. Today the Hauka movement has been absorbed into the traditional religious systems and there is now an end to the Hauka development.
Director: Jean Rouch Distributor:Interama Video Classics
Keywords: Niger, Ghana, Hauka movement, Zabrama, colonialism, spirit possession, ritual
Mortu Nega=Those Whom Death Refused (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4630
Abstract: In 1973, independence was proclaimed in Guinea Bissau, ending five centuries of Portuguese colonization and a decade of armed struggle. This film, Gomes' first feature-length film, made in 1987, portrays this critical period in history through the story of one woman, Diminga, whose husband is fighting on the front lines. The camera captures Cabral's assassination, the ending of hostilities, and the reconstruction of the economically and spiritually devastated country. The term 'Mortu Nega' means those that death did not want, and Gomes films a ceremony using 3000 extras, in which survivors call upon the dead, asking them how they can go on living in such terrible conditions--From the Le Monde Cannes '96 Supplement, May 10.
Director: Flora Gomes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea Bissau, women, colonialism, history, feature film
Namibia: Africa's Last Colony (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1984]
V. CASS. 283
Abstract: Nora Chase of the Namibian Council of Churches describes how occupying countries have enriched themselves off her country's vast mineral resources, while the indigenous people have been condemned to poverty.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, colonialism, economy, history
No Easy Walk (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1987]
V. CASS. VHS 3974 v. 1-3
Abstract: Chronicles how Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe were subdued by colonial powers and later achieved independence from their oppressors.
Director: Bernard Odjija Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, colonialism, history, politics
O Testamento do Senhor Napumoceno = Napumoceno's Will (Videocassette : 106 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4623
Abstract: The film is an epic farce from one of the world's least known but most culturally complex societies --Cape Verde. This classic tale of the hollowness at the core of provincial bourgeois life introduces English-speaking audiences to Germano Almeida, one of the outstanding writers in Portuguese today. With its novelistic breadth, the film offers a bildungsroman of a man and a society so caught up in the pursuit of conventional success and prestige it overlooks its true self almost until it is too late. Producer/Director: Francisco Manso.
Director: Francisco Manso Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cape Verde, social life, politics, colonialism, class, feature film
One Hundred Years of Silence (DVD : 39 min. ) [2006]
DVD 8698
Abstract: Documentary film about the near extermination of the Herero people of Namibia by German colonial soldiers in the first years of the 20th century. This history is told through the story of a young present-day Herero woman whose great-grandmother was raped by a German soldier, resulting in Georgina's light skin and eyes.
Director: Halfdan Muurholm Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Namibia, Herero, colonialism, history, genocide, violence
Out of Africa (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 161 min. ) [1986]
V. DISC. 951
Abstract: The true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband, runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and the mysterious white hunter. Producer/Director: Sydney Pollack. 2 videodiscs/laser version
Director: Sydney Pollack Distributor:MCA Home Video
Keywords: Kenya, colonialism, feature film
Scorpion Under the Rock: Afrikaans from Colonialism to Democracy (Videocassette : 78 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 6957 Pts. 1- 3
Abstract: This three part docudrama looks at the relationship between language and political, social and economic power in South Africa from the beginning of Dutch colonial rule until today. The story of the origins and development of the Afrikaans language is narrated by Zaine Lackay (played by David Isaacs), a student activist from Salt River. His experience of the Afrikaans language is used as a central point at which to relate a series of historical tableaux. (3 videocassettes)
Director: Zackie Achmat and Jack Lewis Distributor:Idol Pictures
Keywords: South Africa, Afrikaans, language, race relations, history
Simba (Videocassette : 99 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9082
Abstract: Filmed in documentary style partly in Kenya, Simba tells the story of a young Englishman's brother who has been murdered by Mau Mau terrorists. He, however, overcomes his hatred of blacks after a native physician sacrifices his life to prevent the massacre of a group of white colonists. A Peter de Sarigny production, this feature film originally released as a motion picture in 1955, with a screenplay by John Baines . This drama has also been released under the title of Mark of Mau Mau.
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst Distributor:General Film Distributors (U.K.) and Lippert Pictures (U.S.)
Keywords: Kenya, Mau Mau, drama, history, terrorism, murder, settler colonialism, feature film
T-Shirt Travels (DVD : 57 min. ) [2001]
DVD 8789
Abstract: What happens to all those old clothes you bring to the Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries? This comprehensive program is about Third World debt and secondhand clothes. The filmmaker travelled to Zambia and was amazed to find almost everyone wearing Calvin Klein, MTV and James Dean t-shirts! Huge bales of American secondhand clothing are sold to African importers, putting the African manufacturers out of business. We see a secondhand clothing dealer in Zambia carefully select a bale among dozens, bundled and shipped from abroad. He pays for the used clothing and then transports it by bus ten hours to a market. His meager profits support his entire extended family who subsist in shanty towns miles from the market. Their lives exemplify the poverty plaguing Africa today. They have virtually no possibility of advancing themselves and their children. Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard University Center for International Studies and other experts discuss the history of colonialism, slavery and the depletion of Africa's natural resources. They draw the connection between this shameful legacy and the current huge debt. As the African governments service their debts according to an IMF/World Bank policy known as 'structural adjustment lending,' people's benefits are slashed drastically, resulting in terrible suffering from malnutrition, poor healthcare, inadequate schools and a crumbling infra-structure. Our old t-shirts come with a high price-tag.
Director: Shantha Bloemen Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zambia, trade, economy, clothing, poverty, history, government, development
Thomas Sankara: The Upright Man (DVD : 52 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9601
Abstract: A biography of Thomas Sankara, a charismatic army captain who became the first president of Burkina Faso after a popularly-supported coup. During his four years in office before being assassinated, he instituted a wide range of progressive social and economic reforms.
Director: Robin Shuffield Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Upper Volta, Thomas Sankara, politics, development, economics, postcolonialism
Village Theater in Senegal: Queen Ndate and the French Conquest (Videocassette : 14 min. ) [1983]
V.CASS. VHS 8673
Abstract: Amateur actors, members of a rural youth association in northwestern Senegal, perform in a play about the conquest of their region by the French in the 19th century.
Director: Jean Pol-Lefebore Distributor:Indiana University Audio-Visual Center
Keywords: Senegal, drama, youth, conquest, colonialism, history
White Man's Country (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9265
Abstract: The first in a three-part series that traces Kenya's history from colonialism to independence, this film deals with the arrival of the first European settlers towards the end of the 19th century and explains how, over a period of time, the African inhabitants were deprived of much of their land. It charts the actions of the Imperial British East Africa Company and uses quotes from both official letters and private journals to reveal the motives of those who sought to make Kenya a white man's country. It also recalls the treatment the Africans received at the hands of their colonial masters and discusses the founding of the first political protest movement, led by Harry Thuku, who is one of the individuals interviewed and whose funeral in 1970 opens and closes the film. The documentary makes good use of a rare collection of photographs of the period. This film is part 1 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: Anthony Howarth, David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, politics, history, colonialism, land
Zimbabwe Countdown (DVD : 52 min. ) [2003]
DVD 9101
Abstract: This documentary provides a personal insight into the plight of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) under the brutal regime of Mugabe. The filmmaker, Michael Raeburn, was a white Rhodesian who has spent his life chronicling events there. In 1969, he supported African nationalists in their hopes of ending colonial rule under the racist Ian Smith. Raeburn was expelled from his country and wrote a book applauding Mugabe¹s socialist vision of the future. In this film, Raeburn details how the liberation movement he once admired has been transformed into a reign of terror. To insure his re-election, Mugabe has tortured and murdered the opposition and triggered agricultural chaos and economic ruin. The land and homes of white farmers have been seized by government supporters, and their black farmworkers have been killed. Millions starve as a result of the chaotic land distribution. Zimbabwe had been a model of a postcolonial nation, and Mugabe had pledged to ensure a place for everybody in this country. Today, the optimism of liberation has turned to despair, with rage, riots, killing and starvation rampant throughout the land. And Michael Raeburn has been forced into exile a second time, because of the color of his skin.
Director: Michael Raeburn Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zimbabwe, Mugabe, Ian Smith, colonialism, government, politics, history, race, land
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
Zulu Dawn (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 117 min. ) [1986]
V. DISC 1143
Abstract: A dramatic and true story that recounts the breathtaking defeat of British forces at the hands of a 2,500 strong and determined Zulu army.
Director: NA Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, history, colonialism
September 16, 2008: Geoffrey Nyarota
