African Studies Media Catalog
Page(s): 1
Benin: An African Kingdom (DVD : 75 min. ) [2004]
DVD 8380 through 8384
Abstract:
Five part series: 1. Home to the Village (DVD 8380)
Most urban Nigerians retain strong ties to their home villages. Many, like the Izevbigie family, return for planting and harvesting--suitcase farming it's called. This program compares the life of the city-dwelling Izevbigie with that of their country cousins, as well as the games they play.
2. The Present, Benin's People (DVD 8381)
Osaigbovo and Adesuwa are anxious to get home from school because they are having a birthday party. We observe the preparations--getting dressed, cooking food--and join in the celebration while discovering that life in Benin City today is a mixture of the modern and the traditional, Western and Nigerian.
3. Traders, the City, and Men from Over the Sea (DVD 8382)
There is still a king or Oba of Benin today, and he still dispenses justice to his people. He lives in a very traditional world but has received a British university eduction. Contrasts like these are commonplace in modern Nigeria; the children shop in the tumult of a traditional market and go to a supermarket to buy plastic toys made in China. Overseas trade is not new to Benin; it was taking place long before the white man arrived.
4. Emotan and the Fugitive Prince (DVD 8383)
The dance drama retells the legend of how Prince Ogun was banished and his brother usurped the throne. With the help of a widow, the loyal Emotan, he manages to regain his rightful throne to rule his people wisely and well. This tale of magic and revenge is firmly based in history.
5. Crafts and Crafts People (DVD 8384)
Adesuwa, aged 10, and Akugbe, aged 11, are going to have new party dresses made. They choose a tie-dyed fabric, and we learn how it is made. We also learn how the famous bronzes were cast. Today's chief bronze caster narrates the dance drama that explains how the bronze casters became the most important craft guild in Benin.
Director:
Ben Onwukwe, Deborah Isaacs
Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords:
Flip-Flotsam (DVD : 26 min. ) [2003]
DVD 8239
Abstract: This beautifully photographed, charming documentary traces the fantastic journey of Africa's most popular shoes: the flip-flop. Easily bought, quickly discarded, for Westerners the flip-flop stands as a symbol of the summer holiday. But in its African homeland, it has a unique life cycle, and their story reveals much about Africa¹s economy and culture. The flip-flops' journey begins in the factories of Mombasa, where 20 million pairs a year are made. Cheap and colorful, they have become an integral part of Swahili dress and are everywhere: aboard dhows and donkeys, bearing loads and left waiting for their owners on mosque door steps. Worn-out ones are taken to the cobblers who specialize in flip-flop maintenance. But some are too damaged to repair and are discarded. Every May, the monsoon rains wash rubbish into the ocean where the flip-flops' buoyancy allows them to host barnacles and crabs. Finally they come to rest further down the African coast. The colorful debris is prized by vilagers who ingeniously carve the flip-flops into toys and mobiles, fuelling a new cottage industry that provides precious income for many families. Newly transformed, the flip-flops are transported back to the shop-lined shores of Mombasa -- where their journey first began.
Director: Etienne Oliff Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Kenya, Mombasa, Swahili, economy, clothing, recycled products, crafts
Way to Move On (A): Women's Savings Associations in Dakar (DVD : 23 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8048
Abstract: Senegal went through an economic crisis in the l980's, and cut off from government support, many women emerged from their domestic roles to become breadwinners for their families. They formed collectives, called Roscas, which act like credit unions with an emotional component. Participants contribute a predetermined sum which gets redistributed to members who need short term loans to run their business. The women are able to raise their families' standard of living by raising and selling food crops, or making handicrafts. They meet regularly, share problems and help one another out. It is a cooperative very much in keeping with the African sense of community. The Rosca movement may be a key out of poverty.
Director: Elisa Mereghetti and Francesca Lulli Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Senegal, Dakar, women, cooperative societies, credit unions, economy
Women of the Sahel (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 4557
Abstract: Documentary which records a visit with a number of women of Niger's informal sector as they make peanut oil, extract salt from earth, and turn gypsum into plaster. The film introduces the craftswomen who create marvelously decorated pottery, beautifully woven straw mats, and intricate leather work; all this is done in the hope of earning a few dollars per week.
Director: Paolo Quaregne, Mahane Souleymane Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Niger, women, economy, art
September 16, 2008: Geoffrey Nyarota
