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

Chef! (Chief!) & La Tête dans les nuages (Head in the Clouds) (Videocassette : 96 min. )  [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4854
Abstract: In Chef!, director Jean-Marie Teno locates the roots of Africa's authoritarian regimes in the patriarchal family, reinforced by traditional kingship and the colonial experience. Teno insists that this film was not planned but imposed itself on him during a visit to his ancestral village, Bandjoun, in the Ghomala speaking region of Western Cameroon. He had gone to film dances dedicating a monument to King Kamga Joseph II, the filmmakers' great grand uncle, but the ceremony soon turned into a celebration of one-man rule, in particular Cameroonian President Paul Biya's. In La Tête dans les nuages, Teno investigates the ties between unaccountable government and an unproductive economy. Kleptocracy has become an accepted fact of Cameroonian life described by the proverb: 'The goat grazes where it is tied.' The government controlled formal sector, like its colonial predecessor, is essentially parasitical. An informal sector has emerged parallel to it which increasingly supplies the daily subsistence needs of the people. Irene, for example, works at the Ministry of Education for an unreliable and inadequate salary; she earns the money she needs to eat from selling beignets in the market. She also belongs to a tontine or 'credit union' which offers its members a pool of capital to draw on for business ventures. Such clubs, ubiquitous among African market women, help fill the economic and social vacuum left by the decay of traditional society and the unresponsiveness of the formal banking sector.
Director: Jean-Marie Téno Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cameroon, politics, history, economy, education

Coffee-Go-Round, The (DVD : 26 min. )  [2005]
DVD 7920
Abstract: Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world - a major cash crop for many poor, developing countries trying to trade their way out of poverty. Coffee promises to increase developing countries' share of income from agricultural products on world markets - in line with Millennium Development Goal No 8's commitment to a global partnership for development. But for the last 10 years the international coffee industry has been in crisis - and many coffee-producing countries are facing disaster. The world's 25 million coffee farmers receive less than one per cent of the price of a cup of coffee sold in a coffee bar. Life visits Ethiopia, the cradle of coffee cultivation, and speaks to players in the international coffee trade to find out how individual coffee growers can survive the boom and bust of the global coffee market.
Director: Joost de Haas Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Ethiopia, coffee, industry, agriculture, development, economy, trade

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

Cost of Living (The) (Videocassette : 24 min. )  [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8925
Abstract: Part of the Life series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. This program examines why AIDS drugs are unaffordable in developing countries, using as examples Thailand and South Africa, two countries who have applied to use compulsory licenses and parallel importing -- practices agreed under World Trade Organization guidelines -- to make their own generic versions of anti-retroviral drugs to halt the AIDS epidemic in their countries. It also asks why anti-retroviral drugs still aren't included in the WTO's essential drugs lists.
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, Thailand, HIV/AIDS, medicine, WTO, economy, health

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

Debt Crisis: An African Dilemma (The) (Videocassette : 20 min. )  [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 1164
Abstract: Discusses the foreign debt crisis in Zambia and the economic decline that has cut its citizens' standard of living by twenty-five percent in the last decade. Written and produced by Steve Whitehouse.
Director: Steve Whitehouse Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Zambia, debt, economy

Diamonds and Rust (Videocassette : 74 min. )  [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7190
Abstract: On a trawler moored off the coast of Namibia, diamond mining goes on around the clock, but the extraction is muddied by politics, and fraught with racial tension. The crew is made up of white South Africans spouting racist jokes, Cubans who write poetry and speak of love, an Israeli security manager who makes himself the enemy, and Namibian deckhands who find themselves colonized off the coast of their own country. Obtrusively, without commentary, Diamonds and Rust takes us into the daily life of this international crew working in the service of a faceless mining conglomerate. As they battle with the failing mechanisms of the rusty old ship, the men are drawn into contemplation of their situation and its dubious rewards. Directors Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz received permission to film everyday life on the Spirit of Namibia from diamond exporter De Beers, the result-which shows fraying tempers, racist attitudes, a deteriorating vessel and front office indifference-hardly flatters the company.
Director: Adi Barash, Ruthie Shatz Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Namibia, mining, economy, labor, race, feature film

Diamonds of War (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 50min min. )  [2007]
DVD 8987
Abstract: In the diamond-rich West African nation of Sierra Leone, rebels used the precious gems to bankroll a violent ten-year insurrection, leaving a terrorized population and a ravaged landscape in its wake.
Director: NA Distributor:Warner Home Video
Keywords: Sierra Leone, diamonds, mining, war, violence, economy

Divine Carcasse (Videocassette : 60 min. )  [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4807
Abstract: Fictional documentary which follows the life of a car imported to Benin by a European expatriate. Intersecting cultures are seen when the car passes to his African cook who uses it as a taxi service, and finally, village life and traditions are shown when the scraps from the car are made into a divinity commissioned by the villagers.
Director: Dominique Loreau Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Benin, economy, recyclia

Dream Deferred: Africa's AIDS Crisis (The) (Videocassette : 57 min. )  [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6637
Abstract: The HIV/AIDS epidemic has struck Africa with horrific force-- more than 3.8 million people were infected in 2000. Many of these people will die within a decade. In A Dream Deferred, CNN Johannesburg Bureau Chief Charlayne Hunter-Gault takes a look at the lives of six South Africans who illuminate the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic sweeping the continent.
Director: Sandy Balfour Distributor:Multivision Media Monitoring
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, economy

Educating Lucia (Videocassette : 24 min. )  [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8926
Abstract: Part of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Across the African continent only 24 percent of girls actually complete primary school, compared to 65-70 percent for boys. This program focuses on the story of three African sisters who want to graduate to secondary school but are more likely to receive no formal education, working as seasonal laborers on one of Zimbabwe's large tobacco farms. They're being raised by their grandmother who can only afford school fees for one girl.
Director: Charlotte Metcalf Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Africa, Zimbabwe, women, education

Farewell, GDR (Videocassette : 25 min. )  [1991]
VHS 9316
Abstract: In the 1980s, many young Mozambicans left their native land to seek better lives in Germany. Once there, they found themselves in a hostile land where they were openly slurred and where police did not intercede when they were beaten. When this inhospitable welcome caused many to repatriate, they often found themselves outsiders in their homeland. Groups calling themselves ninjas antagonize the returning Mozambicans, treating them as 'Europeans lost in Africa.' And they must still face the economic hardships which they fled in the first place.
Director: Licinio Azevedo Distributor:First Run, Icarus Films
Keywords: Mozambique, Germany, immigration, economy, youth

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

Fishers of Dar (DVD : 37 min. )  [2002]
DVD 8240
Abstract: Using no narration or commentary, this film shows the traditional fishing practices of the communites of Kivukoni and Kundichi in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and the hundreds of people who make a living in the process.
Director: Lina Fruzzetti Distributor:NA
Keywords: Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, trade, fishing, food, economy

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

God Gave Her a Mercedes Benz: Mama Benz: An African Market Woman (DVD : 48 min. )  [1995]
DVD 8036
Abstract: The colorful markets of Africa are often dominated by strong older women. They control price and determine who can buy their goods. These imperious women rule the market and are treated with deference. Thanks to their business acumen, they have amassed a great deal of wealth. These women are affectionately referred to as Mama Benz. Why? Because each one has as her trademark a prized possession, a chauffeured Mercedes Benz. This film focuses on one woman who presides over the cloth market in Lomé, Togo. She is a lavishly dressed matron with a fully- staffed mansion who proudly travels the rutted dirt roads in her limousine. Despite her success, Mama Benz has not become too grand for the hurly burly of the marketplace. Everyday she takes her accustomed place in the stall, surrounded by gloriously colored textiles, and haggles with her customers. The other market women look up to her. Perhaps one day they too will attain her success and become a Mama Benz.
Director: Katia Petersen Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Togo, Lome, women, textiles, economy, trade

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

In Danku the Soup Is Sweeter: Women and Development In Ghana (DVD : 30 min. )  [2000]
DVD 9105
Abstract: As in many African villages, life in Danku in the north of Ghana has been a struggle for subsistence. The women bear the burden of caring for the children, raising food, and trying to make life better for their families. Through a special project of the Canadian International Development Agency, the women were given access to credit for the first time. This film shows how this little bit of financial aid allowed the women to become 'entrepreneurs.' We follow two women who take advantage of this program, borrowing a little bit of start up money. We see how hard they work to pay back their loans. One makes butter from arduously pounding vegetables; the other cooks delicious soup from seasonal crops. They each sell their products from door to door and at the market near their village. Eventually their efforts make a small profit that affords their families some more comforts. This beautifully filmed video captures the rhythms of village life and the tenacity of the women who, though uneducated, are willing to undertake new responsibilities.
Director: Gary Beitel Distributor:NA
Keywords: Ghana, women, development, NGO, economy, credit associations

Kenya, Where Women Rule (DVD : 20 min. )  [2006]
DVD 8230
Abstract: Domestic violence against women is rife among the Samburu in Kenya. In Samburu culture, the women also do all the work, including building the homes, herding, collecting firewood and water and caring for the children. In the 1980s and 90s, two hundred women from the tribe claimed they were raped by men from a nearby British army base. The Samburu men rejected them, whipped them and threw them out of their homes. In 1990 a small group of these stigmatized women decided to band together and create their own village. Under the leadership of one woman, Rebecca Lollosoli, their village has prospered, taking advantage of the income from tourism. The Samburu men have tried to sabotage the tourist business and have also mounted raids on the village. Finally, the Samburu men's chief tried to effect a reconciliation, but the women vehemently rejected his proposal. They are clearly enjoying the advantages of independence!
Director: Stormland Productions Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, Samburu, women, economy, rape, tourism

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

Last Salt Caravan (The) (Videocassette : 28 min. )  [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6295
Abstract: Timbuktu in Mali was once a legendary center of trade and culture. Now, Mali has become one of the world's poorest countries, however Timbuktu is still a center for the salt trade. This trade is carried on by nomads in camel caravans, much as it has been for centuries. Photographed in long dramatic shots, the film captures the grandeur and harshness of the desert as well as the strength of those who eke out a living in its harsh solitude.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Mali, Timbuktu, economy, trade, caravans, history

Last grave at Dimbaza (Videocassette : 54 min. )  [2006]
VHS 9290
Abstract: Shot illegally in the Republic of South Africa, this documentary exposes the oppression of Blacks and other people designated as 'coloured' under apartheid rule in South Africa. The film contrasts the lives of black and white South Africans, focusing on inequities in housing, education, wages and health care. This is a digitally remastered version of the original 1973 film.
Director: Chris Curling and Pascoe MacFarlane Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, economy, apartheid, race, history, politics

Leaving Home for Sugar (Videocassette : 52 min. )  [1986]
VHS 9179
Abstract: Leaving Home for Sugar continues the history of sugar, focusing on later developments in the West Indies and Zimbabwe. Following the withdrawal of the Dutch in 1654 from the Brazilian sugar cane industry, the Caribbean became the center of world sugar production. With an ever-increasing demand for sugar in Europe, and as many as 15 million slaves transported from Africa, the West Indian sugar industry was for 200 years one of history's most profitable enterprises. Following Abolition, the plantations of the West Indies declined and the market favored European sugar beet production and newer ventures in the Pacific and Africa. Besides looking at the rise and fall of sugar in the West Indies, the film contrasts two sides of the history of sugar in Zimbabwe: the companies' story of turning semi-desert into model plantations, and the story told by local farm workers who were dispossessed or brought in as forced labor. Today in Europe and North America, the demand for cane sugar is falling as a result of protectionist policies, health concerns, and the use of new artificial sweeteners. The film ends with the multi-national agricultural companies looking for new markets for cane sugar - ironically in the producing countries themselves. Volume 5 of The Commodities Series. A seven part series by Sue Clayton & Jonathan Curling.
Director: Sue Clayton Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Zimbabwe, West Indies, economy, globalization, history, plantation, sugar, slavery

Living in Africa: African Solutions to African Problems (DVD : 150 min. )  [1995]
See individual titles
Abstract: Series of five films (each 30 minutes):

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: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Maasai, modernization, tourism, economy, development, environment, HIV/AIDS, wildlife conservation, government

Living the HipLife (DVD : 61 min. )  [2007]
DVD 11338
Abstract: This film is a musical portrait of street life in urban West Africa. It follows the birth of Hiplife music in Accra, Ghana, a mix of various African musical forms and American hip hop. Archival footage and hip hop music videos are remixed with interviews and the daily lives of rap artists. We follow Reggie Rockstone, the Godfather of Hiplife in the founding of the musical movement, as well as the Mobile Boys a group of aspiring rap artists as they try to make it in the music business. With humor and personality these characters move across the political and musical landscape of urban Ghana.
Director: Jesse W. Shipley Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Ghana, music, urban life, performance, art, economy

Maasai and Agents of Change (The) (Videocassette : 32 min. )  [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6294
Abstract: A rare opportunity to see life among the Maasai as filmed by one of their own warriors. The filmmaker and narrator is a Maasai who is studying at a United States college. He returned to Kenya to film the lifestyles and colorful ceremonies of his people before their culture becomes extinct. We learn that the traditional pastoral and nomadic life is under attack by outside forces who want to impose a money economy and privatize the land.
Director: Kakuta Ole Maimai Hamisi Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Kenya, Maasai, pastoralism

Mama Benz and the Taste of Money (DVD : 52 min. )  [2002]
On Order
Abstract: In West Africa wealthy women enjoy wearing colorful clothing made of 'genuine African' textiles. Ironically, since the early 20th Century, this coveted cloth has been designed and manufactured not in Africa, but in the Netherlands by a company called Vlisco. Local market women who sell the Vlisco cloth and have become extraordinarily rich -they can afford to be driven around in a Mercedes Benz--and are thus called 'Mama Benz.' This film details the interplay between a young ambitious European, Henk Bremer, from the Vlisco company, and an equally ambitious African market woman, Alice Gouba, as they jockey for advantage in marketing the cloth into a new territory. The film shows the difference in business attitudes between Europe and Africa, as they both struggle for a dominant position yet realize they are mutually dependent. Vlisco has for years pursued the strategy of divide and rule, while the Mamas know their power lies in being united. Alice is treading a tightrope between the two factions. A subtle and witty film about the evolving global marketplace.
Director: Karin Junger Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: West Africa, women, economy, textiles, markets, trade

Mama Wahunzi: Women Blacksmiths (Videocassette : 57 min. )  [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8049
Abstract: A documentary on women and other citizens in Uganda and Kenya who face life with disabilities and without tools like wheelchairs, which would enable them to lead fuller lives. Through the efforts of some women, the wheelchair industry is now able to make the lives of citizens and in particular women more productive, by supplying these tools.
Director: Lawan Jirasuradej Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Uganda, Kenya, women, disability, economy

Mauritania: The Vanishing Oasis (DVD : 57 min. )  [1993]
DVD 9001
Abstract: Beautifully photographed, this film introduces us to a couple, Baba and his wife Fatou, and their two children who live in a tiny oasis at the outskirts of Chinguetti, once a holy city of Islam. Ninety percent of Mauritania is desert, which encroaches a little every day upon the remaining arable land. Barely twenty years ago, eighty percent of Mauritania's population was nomadic. Today, only twelve percent can maintain the nomadic life. Fatou had grown up in a nomadic family and struggles with her new sedentary life. The family lives as best it can by protecting their date trees, which are constantly threatened by the ravages of sand. Drinking sweet tea to assuage their own hunger, they aim to keep their baby daughter plump so she can be married off at age seven. This is a memorable portrait of human beings surviving despite the forces of nature that buffet them.
Director: Louise Racicot Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Mauritania, economy, family, environment

Money Lender (The): Updated for year 2000 (Videocassette : 86 min. )  [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 7436
Abstract: Updated with scenes from April 2000, a documentary with criticisms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two of the most powerful financial institutions in the world. Five country case studies (Bolivia, Ghana, Brazil, Thailand, and the Philippines) are presented, discussing loans given to those countries, how the money was used and the consequences of the loans on the average citizens. Contents: 'Bolivia: Debt, Drugs and Democracy'; 'Ghana: The Model of Success'; 'Brazil: Debt, Damage and Politics'; 'Thailand: Dams and Dislocation'; 'Philippines: The Debt Fighters.'
Director: Robert Richter Distributor:Richter Productions
Keywords: Ghana, Bolivia, Brazil, Thailand, Philippines, IMF, World Bank, debt, poverty, politics, economy

My Mother Built This House (Videocassette : 28 min. )  [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7408
Abstract: There are four million homeless people in South Africa who live in shacks in slums or squatter settlements. Government programs are building houses for these homeless, but it is a slow process. This program looks at the difference the South African Homeless People's Federation is making. The federation members, most of whom are women, save up money to add to their government grants, allowing them to build larger houses, helping women and their families live in a home of their own. Additional materials available at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1114
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, women, housing, homelessness, economy

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

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

No Spare Parts (Videocassette : 22 min. )  [1991]
VHS 9340
Abstract: No Spare Parts portrays the introduction and utilization of appropriate technology in a developing nation. In Ghana, thrown away materials are being recovered and used to build and modernize the economy. Requiring only minimal financial resources, small workshops use recycled automobile parts and traditional crafting skills to produce machinery of great benefit to the local people. Grinding mills, lathes, palm oil presses and lumber saws, all made from scrap, enable the population to improve their everyday lives. Ghana's utilization of discards as a resource for raw materials reduces their reliance on imports and improves their independence and self-reliance. The appropriate technology movement is burgeoning in Ghana and having a beneficial impact on all levels of society. There's a message here for our own throw-away society and a lesson in ingenuity.
Director: David Springbett Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Ghana, appropriate technology, recycling, economy

Ocre People: Nomads of Namibia, The (DVD : 32 min. )  [1993]
In Process
Abstract: In the desert of Namibia, life has always been a harsh struggle enriched by a feeling of oneness with the land. The people of Ova Himba were cattle herders who followed the rains and knew where to find water and vegetation. They migrated between their encampments, the women repairing the huts with cow dung. Chief Kamasuthu, his mother, children and three wives always lived in the manner prescribed by their ancestors. They ground ocre with butterfat and herbs and decorated their bodies with this deep-hued mixture. This honored the fine cattle of their ancient gods. The drought and the war in Angola forced them into shanty towns and took away their dignity. Their children grew scornful of the old ways. This ancient, nomadic tribe, which had been untouched by the 20th century, now faces an uncertain future.
Director: Tracer Films Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Namibia, Ova Himba, economy, herding, war

One World, One Economy (Videocassette : 70 min. )  [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 1570
Abstract: Describes three widely differing economies (Mexico, Poland, Ghana) and their relationship to each other and the International Monetary Fund. Producer: John Merni.
Director: NA Distributor:IMF
Keywords: Ghana, economy, geography, development

Our Friends at the Bank (Videocassette : 90 min. )  [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4693
Abstract: Filmed over a period of 14 months, documents the negotiations between the World Bank and Uganda in an attempt to understand and describe the relationship and its implications for Uganda. Describes the activities of James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, and Yoweri Museveni, leader of Uganda.
Director: Peter Chappell Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Uganda, World Bank, aid and development, economy, politics

Pain, Passion and Profit (Videocassette : 49 min. )  [1992]
VHS 9402
Abstract: From the director of Bend it Like Beckham and Pride and Prejudice, the film Pain, Passion and Profit is an inspirational look at women entrepreneurs through the eyes of the Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick, who has always maintained a strong commitment to the idea of profits with principles. Several women in Africa who have successfully developed small-scale business enterprises in their own communities provide a focus for Roddick to pose questions about how the role and status of women affects their enterprises and how those enterprises provide a means of community and economic development for women. Pain, Passion and Profit gives an in-depth look at global feminism and economic development as well as a personal and spirited view of the connections between the experiences of women entrepreneurs in the First and Third Worlds.
Director: Gurinder Chadha Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: business, women, economy, development, feminism

Passing the Message (Videocassette : 52 min. )  [1981]
VHS 9401
Abstract: Black workers under South Africa's system of apartheid produce that nation's wealth, while enjoying little of it. Passing the Message is a film about the struggle to organize trade unions for black majority in the face of a vast entanglement of repressive government policies. Three black union activists who we follow through their grassroots organizing efforts tell this story of courage and hope. Black trade unions, although legal since 1979, have had to register and operate under state control. Some unions have refused to comply. These unions have been opening a new chapter in the struggle for justice in South Africa, a chapter revealed in Passing the Message.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, labor unions, apartheid, politics, race, economy

Patterns of Subsistence: Food Foragers and Pastoralists (Videocassette : 29 min. )  [1994]
V.CASS. VHS 5840
Abstract: Examination of various subsistence patterns. Selected roles among the !Kung, Mbuti and Nuer of Africa, the Netsilik Eskimos, and the Baseri of Iran are used to illustrate patterns and relationships.
Director: Ira R. Abrams, John Bishop Distributor:Insight Media
Keywords: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, !Kung, Mbuti, Nuer, pastoralists, hunting and gathering, agriculture, economy

Petite vendeuse de soleil (La) (Videocassette : 44 min. )  [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4902
Abstract: Parable uses the struggles of a young crippled girl in Dakar trying to earn her living in the market place selling newspapers to mirror Africa's role in the international marketplace.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, urban life, gender, economy, globalization, feature film

Pig of the World (The) (Videocassette : 30 min. )  [1977]
V. CASS. 22
Abstract: Examines mass consumption in countries of the third world. Deals more specifically with economic exploitation and the controversial issue that 'our gluttony has hurt the developing world.'
Director: NA Distributor:NA
Keywords: economy, environment

Right to Choose (The) (Videocassette : 24 min. )  [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8928
Abstract: Part of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Nibret is eleven -- and they're marrying her off to a man she's never met. Forced marriage isn't unusual in northern Ethiopia -- it helps to cement ties between families and establish land rights. Some Islamic leaders in northern Nigeria also advocate child-marriage. They believe women's role is to comfort men, and see nothing wrong with marrying girls as young as seven, often in polygamous marriages. This program reports on the dissonant voices arguing for change in local cultures -- and calls for reproductive health care and primary education for women and looks at widespread discrimination and violence against women.
Director: Charlotte Metcalf Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Ethiopia, Nigeria, women, children, marriage, human rights, land, education

Sugar: The Rules of the Game (Videocassette : 33 min. )  [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8699
Abstract: Examines the major players in the sugar industry--European and African farmers, major sugar production companies, experts and officials. The report shows how decisions made at distant international meetings affect the lives of individuals. Antonio Maolela cuts sugar cane on a plantation in Mozambique. He earns about two euros a day. Honorio Valdunciel is a farmer from Zamora, Spain, whose main source of income comes from growing sugar beet. Though he makes a decent income, it requires hard work and much investment. The future of both men is tied to the controversial price of sugar in world markets. Sugar prices in the European Union and the U.S. are highly protected by tariffs which block competition. Narration in English with interviews in Portuguese and Spanish subtitled in English.
Director: Meritxell Ribas Distributor:Filmmakers Library
Keywords: Mozambique, Spain, sugar, economy. agriculture, politics, globalization

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

Their Brothers' Keepers: Orphaned by AIDS (Videocassette : 56 min. )  [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 8942
Abstract: Examines the lives and struggles of Zambian children orphaned by AIDS, who must now act as parents for their siblings and peers. Filmed over a seven-month period, Their Brothers' Keepers goes inside Chazanga Compound, a shantytown in Lusaka, Zambia, and follows the day-to-day struggles of two child-headed families. We see how Benny, Dorris and Paul cope with a lack of food, water, health care, and schooling. They scramble for piecework to buy mealie-meal for their younger siblings. Local aid and community workers give support but lack the necessary resources. Foreign aid is too thin to trickle down. The film alternates between the broader view and the personal detail, between tragedy and hope. Stunning photography and an exquisite musical score contrast with the surreal lives of these heroic kids.
Director: Catherine Mullins Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Zambia, Lusaka, children, youth, poverty, HIV/AIDS, orphans, economy

To Be a Woman in Burkina Faso (Videocassette : 14 min. )  [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2188
Abstract: The lot of women in Burkina Faso is not an easy one. A look into the lives of women who must work in the fields in addition to the duties of childcare, home care and cooking, and the women working in the city's factories who are hardly better off. The future, women feel, will be better only when women are better educated, have the same job opportunities as men and have their own reasonable source of income.
Director: Maurice Kabore Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Burkina Faso, women, economy

Tooth of The Time (The) (Videocassette : 26 min. )  [1993]
VHS 9198
Abstract: Eddie Jacobs dreamed of being buried under an old prickly pear tree on the farm owned by his family for four generations. But when the government ceased its policy of 'buying' farmers' votes with subsidies - while an extended drought continued - Eddie was bankrupted, unable to pay back numerous loans. Thousands of other farmers and their workers faced the same plight. The Tooth of The Time spends a day with Eddie; Faan, a black laborer also born and raised on the farm; and Rudy Nagel, who is charged with auctioning away Eddie's life. Part of the Ordinary People series (a South African television series).
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, agriculture and farming, economy, labor, land

Two Dollars With or Without A Condom (DVD : 40 min. )  [1997]
DVD 8758
Abstract: Ethiopia has become to the Arab world what Thailand is to European tourists. Prostitution in Ethiopia has increased incredibly in recent years. In one section of Addis Ababa, some 130,000 girls support themselves by selling their bodies. Most of them are under eighteen, and many even under fourteen. In this probing documentary, we meet the victims, girls that have been orphaned, or thrown out by their family, or are hoping to find a better life. They are compelled to turn to prostitution to survive. The young ones, like nine-year-old Yashwarek, don't even earn enough money to buy food. The older ones earn more, about $2 a night, but yearn to work the luxury hotels as high-class prostitutes. Virtually all the girls are HIV positive. Condoms are seldom used, even though they are distributed free in many places. Customers, believing the youngest girls are HIV-free, seek them out, which in turn keeps lowering the age of girls becoming HIV-infected. Some attempts by agencies are being made to help these girls, but they face heavy odds.
Director: Leyla Assaf-Tengroth Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, prostitution, orphans, HIV/AIDS, women, youth, economy, poverty

Up in Smoke (Videocassette : 27 min. )  [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8141
Abstract: Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. This segment looks at the country of Malawi in Southern African where tobacco is the major export crop, responsible for 70% of all export earnings. But dependence on tobacco crops and manipulation by the tobacco industry has stunted the economy of Malawi, and despite the diminished returns from tobacco growing, the government has increased the land under cultivation.
Director: Martin Otanez, Christopher Walker Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Malawi, economic development, tobacco, farming

Vanishing Cultures: Bushmen of the Kalahari (DVD : 58 min. )  [2005]
DVD 7839
Abstract: The film takes a look at the San people, traditionally hunter-gatherers, but who are now facing outside pressure to change to a 21st century life. They find themselves having to stand up for their heritage, their land and their dignity. They realize that they can benefit economically from their distinct knowledge and traditions.
Director: Jeffrey Hayes Kazmark Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Southern Africa, San people, land tenure, hunting, economy

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

Zulu Love Affairs (DVD : 52 min. )  [2005]
DVD 8049
Abstract: Set in the verdant hills of Kwa-Zulu Natal, this is an intimate and spontaneous depiction of the lives of women left behind while their husbands, migrant laborers, work in the mines far away. By turns sad, touching or amusing, this film bears eloquent testimony to the ravages of an economic system which tears families apart to feed South Africa's insatiable mines. These women raise huge families, tend the fields, herd the cattle, and generally run village affairs. One says defiantly 'I'm the man of the house.' As they talk with each other and the filmmaker one hears many of the same joys and sorrows, angers and hopes as one would anywhere in the world. But here life is shaped by the absence of men, who seem to come home only to make children and contribute paltry pay to the subsistence of their families. Some women treasure their rare nights of passion with their husbands, while others resent their being left to languish in loneliness and sexual frustration. The filmmaker, a Western woman married to a Zulu musician has lived in the society. Her film captures the warmth and humor of the Zulu women, which they retain despite the challenges of their lives.
Director: Emmanuelle Bidou Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, women, poverty, marriage, gender, migrant labor, economy, work