African Studies Media Catalog
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Africa Dreaming (Videocassette : 109 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3798
Abstract: Four short films on love from Namibia, Mozambique, Senegal, and Tunisia produced in a continent-wide media project. 26 minutes each. Sophia's Homecoming (Namibia; directed by Richard Pakleppa); Sabriya (Tunisia; written and directed by Abderrahmane Sissako); So Be It (Senegal; written, directed and produced by Joseph Gai Ramaka); The Gaze of the Stars (Mozambique; directed by Joao Ribeiro)
Director: Collective Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, Tunisia, Senegal, Mozambique, gender, short feature films.
Africa, Africas (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8686
Abstract: Three short segments present different facets of contemporary African life. Fantococà (23 min.) presents the cultural phenomenon of skin bleaching in Cameroon and the challenge it is now posing on notions of black pride and identity. Director: Agnès Ndibi. From The Other Side Of The River (18 min.) documents the effects of war on a community of Ethiopian women and children who were forcibly relocated into refugee camps. Director: Moji-da Abdi. Laafi Bala (20 min.) demonstrates the causes of wide-spread unemployment and poverty in Burkina Faso, where few institutional resources and government support are available, and the debilitating effects this is having on women and youth. Director: Fanta Regina Nacro
Director: Moji-da Abdi, Fanta Regina Nacro and Agnès Ndibi Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, women, gender, beauty, war, refugees, youth, poverty
Angel Returns: Changing the Tradition of Female Circumcision (The) (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2002]
VHS 9170/ DVD 8084
Abstract: This colorfully photographed film is set in Somalia, where the tradition of female circumcision is firmly entrenched. Isnino Ahmed Musso, a determined and articulate woman, wants change. More than most other films on this subject, this documentary shows clearly what problems a reformer faces. Circumcision is a tradition of family honor, a marketable commodity for dowries, a religious rite, a means to control women's sexuality, and what is often not expressed, a livelihood for the many women who perform this ritual. Circumcisers are viewed with respect and paid for their services. They lobby fiercely against its abolition. Isnino uses all methods at her disposal to change the mindset of her people, including radio debates, which is an effective way to reach an illiterate population. But often, after meeting with religious leaders and elders in villages, she realizes that her best hope is to encourage a transition from a full Pharaonic circumcision to the lesser Sunna-type, consisting of just a few small cuts. In Somali with English subtitles. Also available in DVD format (DVD 8084).
Director: Jacqueline Bakker Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Somalia, female circumcision, initiation rites, religion, clitoridectomy, ceremonies, media, social change, women, gender
Angel Returns: Changing the Tradition of Female Circumcision, The (DVD : 50 min. ) [2002]
DVD 8084/ VHS 9170
Abstract: This colorfully photographed film is set in Somalia, where the tradition of female circumcision is firmly entrenched. Isnino Ahmed Musso, a determined and articulate woman, wants change. More than most other films on this subject, this shows clearly what problems a reformer faces. Circumcision is a tradition of family honor, a marketable commodity for dowries, a religious rite, a means to control women's sexuality, and what is often not expressed, a livelihood for the many women who perform this ritual. Circumcisers are viewed with respect and paid for their services. They lobby fiercely against its abolition. Isnino uses all methods at her disposal to change the mindset of her people, including radio debates, which is an effective way to reach an illiterate population. But often, after meeting with religious leaders and elders in villages, she realizes that her best hope is to encourage a transition from a full Pharaonic circumcision to the lesser Sunna-type of just a few small cuts. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 9170).
Director: Jacqueline Bakker Distributor:Filmmakers Library
Keywords: Somalia, female circumcision, initiation rites, religion, clitoridectomy, ceremonies, media, social change, women, gender
Another Man's Garden (DVD : 80 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10219
Abstract: For a young girl who wants to study medicine in Mozambique, the obstacles extend far beyond the distractions of her boyfriend and her family. A moment of weakness or an error in judgment can cost her a place at the university, an irretrievable loss in a country with so few opportunities for women.
Director: Sol de Carvalho Distributor:Icarus Films
Keywords: Mozambique, women, gender, education, health
Asante Market Women (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1982]
V.CASS. VHS 8792
Abstract: This documentary examines the matrilineal and polygamous Ashanti society of Ghana through interviews with women who exercise complete authority in the wholesale produce market. The interviewees reveal the advantages and tribulations of their relationships, the practical problems they confront, and the various solutions they embrace.
Director: Claudia Milne Distributor:Filmaker's Library
Keywords: Ghana, Asante, Akan, women, economic conditions, social conditions, gender
Blue Eyes of Yonta (The) (Videocassette : 92 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS. VHS 2798
Abstract: Uses the device of a young woman's search for the author of a love letter to explore the political and social environment in the former Portuguese overseas province of Portuguese Guinea, now the independent country of Guinea-Bissau.
Director: Flora Gomes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea-Bissau, gender, politics, popular culture, feature film
Changing Paths: Female Circumcision in Mali. (Videocassette : 46 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9177
Abstract: In Mali ninety-three percent of the women are circumcised. This tradition is deeply rooted in village society where life is determined by respect for ancestors and a hierarchy based on age and gender. At an early age, girls are circumcised in order to allow them to 'live their life in purity and become good wives'. Female circumcision is not a subject that is easy to discuss in Mali. Educating people on the subject is therefore something that demands a great deal of patience and perseverance. Astan Diallo exhibits these qualities in abundance in her efforts to eradicate this practice. She works for a local NGO (non-governmental organization) and travels to several villages on her 'moped', talking to men and women about the health hazards of circumcision. She is sensitive to the respect that must be paid to the elders, and courteously approaches these decision makers before speaking to the younger generation. It is clear that there is little room for individual choice. As one girl says 'Whatever they decide, banning it or continuing it, I will do the same.' In French and Bambara with English subtitles
Director: Jacqueline Bakker Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Mali, Bambara, female circumcision, NGO, social change, women
Child Brides (The) (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 5783
Abstract: In many parts of Africa, Asia, and South America, young girls are often engaged by the age of eight, and leave their homes to join their husbands by twelve. In many cases, the younger the girl, the more her family receives in the form of a dowry. This program travels to the most rural and poverty-stricken regions of Ethiopia to expose the common practice of child brides and the consequences for the young girls who often give birth before they are out of childhood.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Ethiopia, marriage, ritual, gender
Chronicle of a Savanna Marriage (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1984]
V. CASS. VHS 3816
Abstract: A unique view of the life and culture of the Maasai people in Kenya and Tanzania.
Director: Stig Holmqvist Distributor:MGM Home Entertainment
Keywords: East Africa, Maasai, marriage, gender, pastoralism
Colour of Gold (The) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 3245
Abstract: Focuses on the living conditions of men who work in the gold mines in South Africa. Four men discuss the danger of their jobs, money, AIDS, and the difficulties in having families. Writer: Medienwerkstadt Freiburg. See also Goldwidows.
Director: Don Edkins, Michael Shlomer Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, Lesotho, gold miners, apartheid, social conditions, work, gender
Dakan (Videocassette : 87 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3792
Abstract: Dakan is the first feature film on homosexuality from sub-Saharan Africa. It also is a contemporary African reinterpretation of the age-old Romeo and Juliet conflict between love and social convention.
Director: Mohamed Camara Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea, homosexuality, gender, family, social conditions, feature film
Dancing on the Edge (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8245
Abstract: This narrative documentary is set in rural Mozambique, where gender roles and poverty influence the fight to contain the spread of AIDS. A young HIV positive mother, Antonietta, who works as an AIDS counselor takes her healthy daughter to a remote village for initiation into sexuality. Antonietta struggles with the contradictions of maintaining traditional values while adapting to the reality of the modern world devastated by AIDS. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of IV/AIDS (Volume 6).
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mozambique, HIV/AIDS, gender, ritual, rural life, Steps for the Future
Dream Becomes a Reality (The) (Videocassette : 48 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 4568
Abstract: Interviews with women who were treated as equals during the struggle for Eritrean independence about their current employment and social conditions. Most have continued to work in their professions or vocations although the traditional cultural forces make full sexual equality impossible.
Director: NA Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Eritrea, women, gender, social life, history, guerrillas, politics
Dreams of a Good Life (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8258
Abstract: In Dreams of a Good Life, five South African women talk about life, love and how their dreams for the future have changed since they have found out they are HIV positive. The women now examine their relationships with men more openly than ever before. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 19).
Director: Bridget Pickering Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, gender, HIV/AIDS, Steps for the Future
Faat Kine (Videocassette : 121 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6352
Abstract: The deceptively light domestic drama of Faat Kine, a gas station operator born, significantly, the same year as Senegalese independence, 1960.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, women, motherhood, gender, labor, feature film
Femme taxi à Sidi Bel-Abbès (Une) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6465
Abstract: After the death of her husband, Soumicha becomes the only woman taxi driver in Sidi Bel-Abbès (Algeria). The film shows her working conditions in a job normally reserved for men, and a city where integrist violence rages.
Director: Belkacem Jadjadj Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Algeria, women, gender roles, labor
Fire Eyes (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS.VHS 4107
Abstract: Fire Eyes explores the socio-economic, psychological and medical consequences of the ancient custom of female circumcision which is performed on more than 80 million women worldwide. In this film, several women who have experienced this rite of passage voice varying points of view on perpetuating the practice.
Director: Soraya Mire Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Female Circumcision, gender, ritual
Future Remembrance: Photography and Image Arts in Ghana (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 5029
Abstract: Documentary about the role of photography, photographers and the art of image making in Ghana. Meet the photographers, sculptors and painters who tell us in their own words about the economic, social, cultural, aesthetic, and spiritual motivations of their work.
Director: Tobias Wendl and Nancy du Plessis Distributor:Documentary Educational Resources
Keywords: Ghana, photography, art, popular culture, gender
God Sleeps in Rwanda (DVD : 28 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5902
Abstract: Uncovering amazing stories of hope in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, Academy Award-Nominee God Sleeps in Rwanda captures the spirit of five courageous women as they rebuild their lives, redefine women's roles in Rwandan society and bring hope to a wounded nation. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide left the country nearly 70 percent female, handing Rwanda's women an extraordinary burden and an unprecedented opportunity. Girls are attending school in record numbers, and women now make up a large part of the country's leadership. Working with two cameras and no crew except for their translator --a genocide survivor herself-- the filmmakers uncover incredible stories: an HIV-positive policewoman raising four children alone and attending night school to become a lawyer, a teenager who has become head of household for her four siblings, and a young woman orphaned in her teens who is now the top development official in her area. Heart-wrenching and inspiring, this powerful film is a brutal reminder of the consequences of the Rwandan tragedy, and a tribute to the strength and spirit of those who are moving forth. In Kinyarwanda and English, Subtitled
Director: Kimberlee Acquaro, Stacy Sherman Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Rwanda, gender, genocide, race relations, women
Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo (The) (DVD : 76 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9695
Abstract: Since 1998 a brutal war has ravaged the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing over 4 million people and resulting in many tens of thousands of women and girls being systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army. Until now, their stories have never been told to the world.
Director: Lisa F. Jackson Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, war, rape, violence, gender
Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces (Videocassette : 98 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4918
Abstract: A coming of age film that is also a portrait of a 12-year-old boy's life, family, and community in a Mediterranean Arab society. Director: Ferid Boughedir.
Director: NA Distributor:Kino International
Keywords: Tunisia, gender, youth, Islam, social conditions, feature film
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
Hoffnung im Herz: Mündliche Poesie (Videocassette : 20 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 5063 and 4082
Abstract: A profile of the life and work of Afro-German poet May Ayim, including interview footage and performances at a festival in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1995.
Director: NA Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: poetry, gender, identity
Iron Ladies of Liberia (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 77 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9754
Abstract: After fourteen years of civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated President, following a hotly contested election in which she won 59% of the vote. She is the first elected female head of state in Africa. Since taking office, she has appointed other women to leadership positions in all areas of government, including the Police Chief and the ministers of Justice, Commerce, Finance and Gender. Can the first female Liberian president, backed by other powerful women, bring sustainable democracy and peace to such a devastated country?
Director: Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Liberia, Sirleaf, politics, government, women, gender, war
Karmen Geei (Videocassette : 83 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS. VHS 7176
Abstract: Carmen in West Africa: Karmen escapes prison through her lesbian relationship with the warden. She then wrecks the marriage and career of a police corporal by making him her lover and co-conspirator in a smuggling ring. She abandons the corporal who, in a fit of jealous rage, stabs her. Like every Carmen, Karmen Gei is about the conflict between infinite desire for freedom and the laws, conventions, languages, the human limitations which constrain that desire. Since this is an African Carmen, freedom necessarily has a political dimension. Contains much singing and dancing.
Director: Joseph Gaï Ramaka Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, lesbianism, gender, music, opera, feature film
Karmen Geei (DVD : 84 min. ) [2001]
DVD7547
Abstract: Like every Carmen, Karmen Gei is about the conflict between infinite desire for freedom and the laws, conventions, languages, the human limitations which constrain that desire. Since this is an African Carmen, freedom necessarily has a political dimension. The opening scene is set in a women's prison on Goree Island, site of the notorious slave castle. Karmen and the women in the prison use dance and music as a weapon of resistance against dehumanizing regimentation as has so often been the case throughout the African Diaspora.
Director: Joseph Gaï Ramaka Distributor:Kino Video
Keywords: Senegal, musical, opera, gender, lesbian and gay, feature film
Life and Times of Sara Baartman 'The Hottentot Venus' (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4688
Abstract: Using historical drawings, cartoons, legal documents, and interviews with noted cultural historians and anthropologists, The Life and Times of Sara Baartman 'the Hottentot Venus' deconstructs the social, political, scientific and philosophical assumptions which transformed one young African woman into a representation of savage sexuality and racial inferiority.
Director: Zola Maseko Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, gender, representation, science, history.
Lines in the Dust (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7420
Abstract: In a small village in northern Ghana, a group of men and women discuss their daily chores with the help of a chart they've drawn in the dust. This village is part of a program called Reflect, which aims to reach the 900 million illiterate adults across the world. Reflect uses participants' own knowledge and experience as starting points for learning. Lines in the Dust looks at this program in Ghana and India, and how it not only teaches people to read, write, and work with numbers, but also encourages the participants to change their ideas about men's and women's separate workloads, stand up for their rights, earn more money for their families, and become more self-assured. Additional materials available at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1162
Director: Lucinda Broadbent Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Ghana, development, literacy, gender, labor
Looking for Busi (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8242
Abstract: This is the story of a fifteen-year old South African girl, Busi, who is an HIV-positive mother. Busi's mother abandoned her when Busi became pregnant, even before testing positive for AIDS. Busi is chosen for a mother-to-child drug trial and to be the subject of a documentary. After the documentary airs and exposes that she is HIV-positive, Busi disappears, and the filmmaker and her friend search for her. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 3).
Director: Robyn Hofmeyr Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, drugs, gender, Steps for the Future
Love in a Time of Sickness (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8251
Abstract: Khalo Matabane tells friends at dinner about meeting a woman he felt attracted to, then breaking off with her after she disclosed her HIV-positive status. Intercut with Khalo's thoughts about his own protected past and his attitudes to gender roles. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 12).
Director: Khalo Matabane Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, Steps for the Future
Luggage is Still Labeled (The): Blackness in South African Art (DVD : 60 min. ) [2003]
DVD 4336
Abstract: Many contemporary South African artists explore the construction of race and gender through their art.
Director: Vuyile C. Voyiya, Julie L. McGee Distributor:Vuyile C. Voyiya and Julie L. McGee
Keywords: South Africa, art, artists, race, gender
Masai Manhood (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 4598
Abstract: An ethnographic view of Maasai culture and society, focusing on the preparation of young Maasai boys for manhood and leadership in their society. Follows the seven years of transition in which the boys serve as warriors and learn about survival and the outside world, as dictated by their elders. Consultant: Melissa Llewellyn-Davies. [1991 (orig. 1970s)]
Director: Chris Curling Distributor:Films Inc.
Keywords: Kenya, Maasai, education, gender, ritual
Masai Women (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 2083
Abstract: An ethnographic view of Maasai culture and society, focusing on the preparation of young Maasai girls for marriage and life in their society. Probes, through a candid interview with an older woman, the feelings of the Maasai women about polygamy and their inability to own property. Anthropologist: Melissa Llewellyn-Davies.
Director: Chris Curling Distributor:Films Inc.
Keywords: Kenya, Maasai, marriage, gender
Moment (The) (Videocassette : 8 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8257
Abstract: The Moment features men and women from different backgrounds who share their most personal thoughts about courtship and sexual behavior. They discuss the six stages of seduction: the moment you meet, the moment you connect, the moment you seduce, the moment you kiss, the moment you take your clothes off, and the moment before penetration. A caption asks us: at which moment do you decide to use a condom? Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 18).
Director: Siyabonga Makhatini Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, sexual behavior, gender, Steps for the Future
Moolaadé (Videocassette : 124 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9130/DVD 9615
Abstract: Moolaadé is set in a small African village, where four young girls facing ritual 'purification' flee to the household of Collé Ardo Gallo Sy, a strong-willed woman who has managed to shield her own teenaged daughter from the procedure. Collé invokes the time honored custom of moolaadé (sanctuary) to protect the fugitives. Tension mounts as the ensuing stand-off pits Collé against village traditionalists -- both male and female -- and endangers the prospective marriage of her daughter to the heir-apparent to the local throne. Also available in DVD format (DVD 9615). See also The Making of Moolade.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Senegal, Dyula, female genital cutting, gender, women, ritual marriage, feature film
Neria (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2851
Abstract: Patrick and Neria, through shared hard work and resourcefulness, built a comfortable home, a good life and family in the city. But when their loving and equal partnership suddenly ends with the tragic death of Patrick, Neria's nightmare begins. Utilizing a new Zimbabwean law protecting women, the widow fights back. A box office hit in Zimbabwe.
Director: NA Distributor:KJM3 Entertainment Group/Documentary Educational Resource
Keywords: Zimbabwe, gender, law, marriage, development, feature film
Night Stop (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8244
Abstract: This documentary tells of the lives of eight prostitutes living in northern Mozambique. They reveal their individual stories of pregnancy, the search for a husband, unrequited love, violence and resignation. While the women are aware of the dangers of HIV and AIDS, they continue to have unprotected sex. The video also illustrates the world of the truck drivers as they talk among themselves. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 5).
Director: Licinio Azavedo Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mozambique, HIV/AIDS, prostitution, violence, labor, gender, Steps for the Future
O Jardim do Outro Homem = Another Man's Garden (DVD : 80 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10219
Abstract: For a young girl who wants to study medicine in Mozambique, the obstacles extend far beyond the distractions of her boyfriend and her family. A moment of weakness or an error in judgment can cost her a place at the university, an irretrievable loss in a country with so few opportunities for women.
Director: Sol de Carvalho Distributor:Icarus Films
Keywords: Mozambique, gender, education, poverty, feature film
Our Way of Loving (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 3281
Abstract: The third program in a trilogy focusing on the Hamar, an isolated people of Southwestern Ethiopia. This film shows Duka, now a mother with two young children. Her life is dominated by caring for them and her husband, Sago. Although Sago and Duka seem to have an affectionate marriage, he beats her when provoked. She accepts this behavior for she believes it is a man's way of loving. Film also shows the ceremony of Sago's cousin's initiation into manhood. Producer: Chris Curling. (Part of the Hamar Trilogy. Other titles include: The Women Who Smile and Two Girls Go Hunting.)
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, Hamar, women, social conditions, family, marriage, gender, rites and ceremonies
Out in South Africa (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 3699
Abstract: A look at the social and political conditions for gay and lesbian people in present-day South Africa. Features interviews and historical background on the country's transformation into an open society for gay people. Produced, directed, and edited by Barbara Hammer.
Director: Barbara Hammer Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: South Africa, gay/ lesbian sexuality, gender, social activism, social life
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
Quartier Mozart (Videocassette : 80 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2117
Abstract: Queen of the 'Hood is a proud young girl who doesn't want to be taken advantage of by men. She befriends a local sorceress who helps her enter the body of a young man, My Guy, so she can discover for herself the real 'sexual politics' of the quarter. Meanwhile, the sorceress assumes the shape of Panka, a familiar comic figure in Cameroonian folklore with sexual powers. In this sex farce, women's wisdom and 'witchcraft' help to temporarily regain the balance of power in a sexist world. Producer/Director: Jeanne-Pierre Bekolo.
Director: Jeanne-Pierre Bekolo Distributor:NA
Keywords: Cameroon, gender, popular culture, feature film
Senegal: the Power to Change (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6299
Abstract: The protest against female genital mutilation in Senegal started with an educational program set up by the United Nations in cooperation with a local NGO. News of the declarations spread through the media, inspiring women in other villages to demand education and to take similar decisions. This is a success story which shows that education makes all the difference.
Director: Gerd Inger Polden Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Senegal, female genital cutting, women's rights, gender, development
Side by Side (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 2863
Abstract: Follows a social worker and a theater director/magazine editor as each uses her skills to overcome the effects of AIDS.
Director: Peter Davis Distributor:Villon Films
Keywords: Zimbabwe, HIV/AIDS, health, gender, development
Sisters in Law (DVD : 104 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5952
Abstract: In the little town of Kumba, Cameroon, there have been no convictions in spousal abuse cases for 17 years. But two women determined to change their community are making progress that could change the world. This fascinating, often hilarious documentary follows the work of State Prosecutor Vera Ngassa and Court President Beatrice Ntuba as they help women fight often-difficult cases of abuse, despite pressures from family and their community to remain silent. Six-year-old Manka is covered in scars and has run away from an abusive aunt, Amina is seeking a divorce to put an end to brutal beatings by her husband, the pre-teen Sonita has daringly accused her neighbor of rape. With fierce compassion, the two feisty and progressive-minded women dispense wisdom, wisecracks and justice in fair measure, handing down stiff sentences to those convicted.
Director: Florence Ayisi, Kim Longinotto Distributor:Women Make Movies [www.wmm.com]
Keywords: Cameroon, children, domestic abuse, gender relations, justice system, law, rape, women, gender, family
Stepping Out (Videocassette : 29 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 3262
Abstract: Denzel, a teenager from the 'colored' township of Newclare, takes part in the Miss Gay Transvaal competition. The cameras are on Denzel, as well as his mother and a local gay rights activist who were both in attendance. Part of the Ordinary People series (South African television series).
Director: Nicolaas Hofmeyr Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, sexuality and gender, performance, popular culture
Sudan: Slipping Back in Time (Videocassette : 44 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS VHS 7547
Abstract: Describes the suffering and cruelty of the civil war in Sudan, focusing on how Dinka woman and children are being abducted by militiamen in the south and sold as slaves to their Arabic enemies in northern Sudan.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Dinka, war, gender, slavery
Taafe Fanga = Pouvoir de Pagne = Skirt Power (Videocassette : 98 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3796
Abstract: A gender-bending farce set among the 18th century Dogon to make some serious points about the status of women in Africa today. Writer: Adama Drabo.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mali, Dogon, myth, gender, feature film
Tableau ferraille (Videocassette : 88 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3795
Abstract: Tells the story of an idealistic young politician's rise and fall. Daam, a well-intentioned but vacillating European-trained politician, must choose between two social paradigms exemplified by his two wives. The film offers a view of how modernization, as practiced in today's Africa, corrodes traditional communities and retards grassroots development.
Director: Moussa Sene Absa Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, marriage, gender, modernity, development, politics, feature film
These Girls Are Missing: The Gender Gap in Africa's Schools (DVD : 60 min. ) [1997]
DVD 8006
Abstract: Everybody knows this instinctively -- educate women and you will change society. Perhaps that's why in many African countries, fewer than 20% of girls ever enter a schoolroom, and across the continent, only one woman in three learns to read. It's not official policy. In fact, an international industry devoted to changing the status quo exists. Still the deck is stacked against African girls. How can a schoolgirl be such a threat to traditional concepts of appropriate gender roles and control of fertility? These Girls Are Missing offers small sets of stories, sharp glimpses into a few intimate relationships layered to mirror the complex reality: Nadouba and Bintu in their West African village, Taz and Patricia from elite St. Mary's Secondary School in Malawi, Ethel and her mother torn between village and the modern world, a relaxed and riotous conversation among a group of Malinke elders. Through knowing them, the audience grows to understand how deep cultural attitudes, more than economics, undermine the future of Africa's women. More provocative than prescriptive, this film aims to inspire reflection, argument and deeper understanding.
Director: Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Malawi, Malinke, women, education, gender
These Hands (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2800
Abstract: Surveys a typical workday in the lives of impoverished women in Tanzania who manually mine gravel used for making concrete for urban building projects.
Director: Floar M'mbugu-Shelling Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Tanzania, labor, gender
They Carry Their Families: A Village in Mauritania (DVD : 14 min. ) [1999]
DVD 8972
Abstract: Life in a rural village in Mauritania is hard on women. Tradition and Islamic religion are intertwined to reinforce strict gender roles. The husband is the protector and keeper; his word is law. While the men take their ease, the girls and women are off to the fields during the peanut planting and harvest season, walking five miles each way, and coming home with heavy burdens from the fields to prepare the family dinner. They carry the water, sweep the yard, wash the clothes, and care for the children. This short, beautifully filmed video captures succinctly the subservience of women, while at the same time remaining respectful of tradition and culture. There are no drugs, alcohol or loneliness in this kind of community, where family bonds are very strong. We hear from several young Peace Corps workers in the village who are hopeful that by educating and thereby widening the horizons of young women, eventually women will have more choices. From a Western perspective, the future of Africa depends on education and family planning.
Director: Ingo A. Zamperoni Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Mauritania, women, gender, religion, family, work, education
Turkana Trilogy (Videocassette : 245 min. ) [1982]
See Individual Titles
Abstract: Three films by David and Judith MacDougal: Lorang's Way [1980, 69 min], The Wedding Camels [1980, 108 min], Wife Among Wives [1982, 68 min]. See individual titles. [1980-1982]
Director: David and Judith MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, marriage, gender, pastoralism
Two Girls Go Hunting (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 3282
Abstract: The second program in a trilogy focusing on the Hamar, an isolated people of Southwestern Ethiopia. This film shows Duka and her friend, Gardi, as they prepare to marry men they have never met. The film follows the build-up to the marriages, from the all night vigil with girlfriends, to farewells when the brides are taken away at dawn to the village of their husband's family, the arrival in the villages and the preparation of the prospective brides for the ceremony by the mother-in-law. Part of the Hamar Trilogy. Other titles include: The Women Who Smile and Our Way of Loving.
Director: Chris Curling Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, Hamar, women, social conditions, marriage, gender, rites and ceremonies
Wa 'n wina = Sincerely Yours (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8240
Abstract: Filmmaker Dumisani Phakathi returns to his old neighborhood in Phiri, Soweto and engages with friends to discuss relationships, sex, love, and AIDS. They talk intimately about the realities of the street and choices they have been forced to make. The video reveals the gaps between everyday life and the AIDS campaigns that often talk past the very people they are supposed to address.Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 1).
Director: Dumisani Phakathi Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, Soweto, social conditions, gender, sexual behavior, Steps for the Future
Way of the Wodaabe (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 2282
Abstract: Provides a look at the unique culture of the gentle, elusive Wodaabe, or 'People of the Taboo,' who live in Niger. Shows how they mark the end of the wet season with a celebration of love and beauty. Features photographer Carol Beckwith. Producer: Kevin A. Peer
Director: NA Distributor:Capitol Video Communications/National Geographic
Keywords: Niger, Wodaabe, pastoralists, ritual, music, gender
Wedding Camels (The) (Videocassette : 108 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 2600/ DVD 8924
Abstract: An account of a marriage among the Turkana, a remote pastoral tribe of the dry thorn-country of northwestern Kenya. Shows the preparations for the wedding of the daughter of Lorang, one of the senior men of the region. Explores the quarrels and customs which surround the wedding. Shows the tensions that arise during bridewealth negotiations between the two families, and how these strain the old friendship between the bride's father and his future son-in-law. Part of Turkana Trilogy (see also Lorang's Way and Wife Among Wives). In Turkana with English subtitles. Also available in DVD format (DVD 8924).
Director: David and Judith MacDougall Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, pastoralism, wedding, ritual, gender, marriage, family
Wedding Camels (The): A Turkana Marriage (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 108 min. ) [1976]
DVD 8924/ VHS 2600
Abstract: An account of a marriage among the Turkana, a remote pastoral tribe of the dry thorn-country of northwestern Kenya. Shows the preparations for the wedding of the daughter of Lorang, one of the senior men of the region. Explores the quarrels and customs which surround the wedding. Shows the tensions that arise during bridewealth negotiations between the two families, and how these strain the old friendship between the bride's father and his future son-in-law. Part of Turkana Trilogy (see also Lorang's Way and Wife Among Wives). In Turkana with English subtitles. Also available in videotape format (VHS 2600)
Director: David and Judith MacDougall. Distributor:Berkeley Media LLC
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, marriage, gender, pastoralism, family, ritual
Wife Among Wives (Videocassette : 68 min. ) [1982]
V. CASS. VHS 2532
Abstract: An ethnographic documentary of the Turkana of northern Kenya. This is an inquiry into the Turkana view of marriage. By David and Judith MacDougall. Part of Turkana Trilogy (see also Lorang's Way and The Wedding Camels).
Director: David and Judith MacDougall Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, gender, marriage, pastoralism
Wife for My Son (A) (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 5923
Abstract: At age 18, Fatiha divides her time between home and school. But when her parents decide to marry her to Hussein, her only choice is to submit to their wishes. Writer/director: Ali Ghalem.
Director: Ali Ghalem Distributor:www.arabfilm.com
Keywords: Algeria, marriage, gender, literature, feature film
Witches in Exile (Videocassette : 78 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9141
Abstract: From Tanzania and Zambia to Ivory Coast and Ghana, belief in witchcraft continues to terrorize women. In Northern Ghana alone, there are estimated to be more than 5000 witches confined to witches' villages--part sanctuaries, part prison camps. This film introduces us to five women who have taken refuge in the Kukuo witches' camp and who represent a cross section of the witch population of Northern Ghana today. It leads us on a step by step journey on how a woman becomes stigmatized as a witch. The film makes clear that one cannot successfully attack a phenomenon like witches' camps in isolation, but must see them as part of a wider set of beliefs designed to mark women as an expendable part of society (especially older women who have lost their economic usefulness). The film traces the complex intersection of anthropology, political science and economics, which must come together in any strategy for liberating women in Africa.
Director: Allison Berg Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Ghana, Dagomba, gender relations, human rights, social conditions, traditional religion, witchcraft, women
Womanhood and Circumcision: Three Maasai Women Have Their Say (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7560
Abstract: This thought-provoking documentary sensitively explores the cultural context of female genital-cutting practices among the Maasai. It will stimulate discussion and reflection in a wide variety of courses in cultural anthropology, women's and gender studies, African studies, and development studies. A mother and her two daughters discuss their feelings about circumcision (excision) and its meaning in their lives. The three women discuss their experiences from the perspective of three different stages of the life cycle. Produced by Barbara G. Hoffman.
Director: NA Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Maasai, female circumcision, women, gender, ritual
Women Who Smile (The) (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 3283
Abstract: The first program in a trilogy focusing on the Hamar, an isolated people of Southwestern Ethiopia. In this film Duka, a young unmarried Hamar girl learns what awaits her in life from the older women of her tribe. Their often humorous conversations range from pregnancy and growing old to relationships with men. Although the men are dominant, the women are not servile. Shows harvest celebrations and the blessing ceremony for a new baby. Part of the Hamar Trilogy. Other titles include: Two Girls Go Hunting and Our Way of Loving. Producer: Chris Curling.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, Hamar, women, marriage, social conditions, gender, rites and ceremonies
Women's Olamal (The): The Organization of a Maasai Fertility Ceremony (Videocassette : 114 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 3964
Abstract: Discusses a fertility ceremony of the Maasai women in East Africa.
Director: Melissa Llewellyn-Davies Distributor:Documentary Educational Resources
Keywords: Kenya, women, Maasai, gender, fertility, ritual
Woubi Chéri (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4622
Abstract: Woubi Chéri is the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality.
Director: Philip Brooks, Laurent Bocahut Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cote d'Ivoire, Abidjan, homosexuality, gender, social life
Yesterday (Videocassette : 95 min. ) [2006]
DVD 5599
Abstract: After falling ill, Yesterday (Khumalo) learns that she is HIV positive. With her husband in denial and young daughter to tend to, Yesterday's one goal is to live long enough to see her child go to school. Set against the awesome, harsh landscapes of South Africa, Yesterday is an eloquent, unsentimental film that quietly builds an overwhelming emotional force.
Director: Darrell James Roodt Distributor:Home Box Office
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, HIV/AIDS, gender, feature film
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
Page(s): 1
Africa Dreaming (Videocassette : 109 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3798
Abstract: Four short films on love from Namibia, Mozambique, Senegal, and Tunisia produced in a continent-wide media project. 26 minutes each. Sophia's Homecoming (Namibia; directed by Richard Pakleppa); Sabriya (Tunisia; written and directed by Abderrahmane Sissako); So Be It (Senegal; written, directed and produced by Joseph Gai Ramaka); The Gaze of the Stars (Mozambique; directed by Joao Ribeiro)
Director: Collective Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, Tunisia, Senegal, Mozambique, gender, short feature films.
Africa, Africas (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8686
Abstract: Three short segments present different facets of contemporary African life. Fantococà (23 min.) presents the cultural phenomenon of skin bleaching in Cameroon and the challenge it is now posing on notions of black pride and identity. Director: Agnès Ndibi. From The Other Side Of The River (18 min.) documents the effects of war on a community of Ethiopian women and children who were forcibly relocated into refugee camps. Director: Moji-da Abdi. Laafi Bala (20 min.) demonstrates the causes of wide-spread unemployment and poverty in Burkina Faso, where few institutional resources and government support are available, and the debilitating effects this is having on women and youth. Director: Fanta Regina Nacro
Director: Moji-da Abdi, Fanta Regina Nacro and Agnès Ndibi Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, women, gender, beauty, war, refugees, youth, poverty
Angel Returns: Changing the Tradition of Female Circumcision (The) (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2002]
VHS 9170/ DVD 8084
Abstract: This colorfully photographed film is set in Somalia, where the tradition of female circumcision is firmly entrenched. Isnino Ahmed Musso, a determined and articulate woman, wants change. More than most other films on this subject, this documentary shows clearly what problems a reformer faces. Circumcision is a tradition of family honor, a marketable commodity for dowries, a religious rite, a means to control women's sexuality, and what is often not expressed, a livelihood for the many women who perform this ritual. Circumcisers are viewed with respect and paid for their services. They lobby fiercely against its abolition. Isnino uses all methods at her disposal to change the mindset of her people, including radio debates, which is an effective way to reach an illiterate population. But often, after meeting with religious leaders and elders in villages, she realizes that her best hope is to encourage a transition from a full Pharaonic circumcision to the lesser Sunna-type, consisting of just a few small cuts. In Somali with English subtitles. Also available in DVD format (DVD 8084).
Director: Jacqueline Bakker Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Somalia, female circumcision, initiation rites, religion, clitoridectomy, ceremonies, media, social change, women, gender
Angel Returns: Changing the Tradition of Female Circumcision, The (DVD : 50 min. ) [2002]
DVD 8084/ VHS 9170
Abstract: This colorfully photographed film is set in Somalia, where the tradition of female circumcision is firmly entrenched. Isnino Ahmed Musso, a determined and articulate woman, wants change. More than most other films on this subject, this shows clearly what problems a reformer faces. Circumcision is a tradition of family honor, a marketable commodity for dowries, a religious rite, a means to control women's sexuality, and what is often not expressed, a livelihood for the many women who perform this ritual. Circumcisers are viewed with respect and paid for their services. They lobby fiercely against its abolition. Isnino uses all methods at her disposal to change the mindset of her people, including radio debates, which is an effective way to reach an illiterate population. But often, after meeting with religious leaders and elders in villages, she realizes that her best hope is to encourage a transition from a full Pharaonic circumcision to the lesser Sunna-type of just a few small cuts. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 9170).
Director: Jacqueline Bakker Distributor:Filmmakers Library
Keywords: Somalia, female circumcision, initiation rites, religion, clitoridectomy, ceremonies, media, social change, women, gender
Another Man's Garden (DVD : 80 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10219
Abstract: For a young girl who wants to study medicine in Mozambique, the obstacles extend far beyond the distractions of her boyfriend and her family. A moment of weakness or an error in judgment can cost her a place at the university, an irretrievable loss in a country with so few opportunities for women.
Director: Sol de Carvalho Distributor:Icarus Films
Keywords: Mozambique, women, gender, education, health
Asante Market Women (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1982]
V.CASS. VHS 8792
Abstract: This documentary examines the matrilineal and polygamous Ashanti society of Ghana through interviews with women who exercise complete authority in the wholesale produce market. The interviewees reveal the advantages and tribulations of their relationships, the practical problems they confront, and the various solutions they embrace.
Director: Claudia Milne Distributor:Filmaker's Library
Keywords: Ghana, Asante, Akan, women, economic conditions, social conditions, gender
Blue Eyes of Yonta (The) (Videocassette : 92 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS. VHS 2798
Abstract: Uses the device of a young woman's search for the author of a love letter to explore the political and social environment in the former Portuguese overseas province of Portuguese Guinea, now the independent country of Guinea-Bissau.
Director: Flora Gomes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea-Bissau, gender, politics, popular culture, feature film
Changing Paths: Female Circumcision in Mali. (Videocassette : 46 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9177
Abstract: In Mali ninety-three percent of the women are circumcised. This tradition is deeply rooted in village society where life is determined by respect for ancestors and a hierarchy based on age and gender. At an early age, girls are circumcised in order to allow them to 'live their life in purity and become good wives'. Female circumcision is not a subject that is easy to discuss in Mali. Educating people on the subject is therefore something that demands a great deal of patience and perseverance. Astan Diallo exhibits these qualities in abundance in her efforts to eradicate this practice. She works for a local NGO (non-governmental organization) and travels to several villages on her 'moped', talking to men and women about the health hazards of circumcision. She is sensitive to the respect that must be paid to the elders, and courteously approaches these decision makers before speaking to the younger generation. It is clear that there is little room for individual choice. As one girl says 'Whatever they decide, banning it or continuing it, I will do the same.' In French and Bambara with English subtitles
Director: Jacqueline Bakker Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Mali, Bambara, female circumcision, NGO, social change, women
Child Brides (The) (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 5783
Abstract: In many parts of Africa, Asia, and South America, young girls are often engaged by the age of eight, and leave their homes to join their husbands by twelve. In many cases, the younger the girl, the more her family receives in the form of a dowry. This program travels to the most rural and poverty-stricken regions of Ethiopia to expose the common practice of child brides and the consequences for the young girls who often give birth before they are out of childhood.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Ethiopia, marriage, ritual, gender
Chronicle of a Savanna Marriage (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1984]
V. CASS. VHS 3816
Abstract: A unique view of the life and culture of the Maasai people in Kenya and Tanzania.
Director: Stig Holmqvist Distributor:MGM Home Entertainment
Keywords: East Africa, Maasai, marriage, gender, pastoralism
Colour of Gold (The) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 3245
Abstract: Focuses on the living conditions of men who work in the gold mines in South Africa. Four men discuss the danger of their jobs, money, AIDS, and the difficulties in having families. Writer: Medienwerkstadt Freiburg. See also Goldwidows.
Director: Don Edkins, Michael Shlomer Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, Lesotho, gold miners, apartheid, social conditions, work, gender
Dakan (Videocassette : 87 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3792
Abstract: Dakan is the first feature film on homosexuality from sub-Saharan Africa. It also is a contemporary African reinterpretation of the age-old Romeo and Juliet conflict between love and social convention.
Director: Mohamed Camara Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea, homosexuality, gender, family, social conditions, feature film
Dancing on the Edge (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8245
Abstract: This narrative documentary is set in rural Mozambique, where gender roles and poverty influence the fight to contain the spread of AIDS. A young HIV positive mother, Antonietta, who works as an AIDS counselor takes her healthy daughter to a remote village for initiation into sexuality. Antonietta struggles with the contradictions of maintaining traditional values while adapting to the reality of the modern world devastated by AIDS. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of IV/AIDS (Volume 6).
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mozambique, HIV/AIDS, gender, ritual, rural life, Steps for the Future
Dream Becomes a Reality (The) (Videocassette : 48 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 4568
Abstract: Interviews with women who were treated as equals during the struggle for Eritrean independence about their current employment and social conditions. Most have continued to work in their professions or vocations although the traditional cultural forces make full sexual equality impossible.
Director: NA Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Eritrea, women, gender, social life, history, guerrillas, politics
Dreams of a Good Life (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8258
Abstract: In Dreams of a Good Life, five South African women talk about life, love and how their dreams for the future have changed since they have found out they are HIV positive. The women now examine their relationships with men more openly than ever before. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 19).
Director: Bridget Pickering Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, gender, HIV/AIDS, Steps for the Future
Faat Kine (Videocassette : 121 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6352
Abstract: The deceptively light domestic drama of Faat Kine, a gas station operator born, significantly, the same year as Senegalese independence, 1960.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, women, motherhood, gender, labor, feature film
Femme taxi à Sidi Bel-Abbès (Une) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6465
Abstract: After the death of her husband, Soumicha becomes the only woman taxi driver in Sidi Bel-Abbès (Algeria). The film shows her working conditions in a job normally reserved for men, and a city where integrist violence rages.
Director: Belkacem Jadjadj Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: Algeria, women, gender roles, labor
Fire Eyes (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS.VHS 4107
Abstract: Fire Eyes explores the socio-economic, psychological and medical consequences of the ancient custom of female circumcision which is performed on more than 80 million women worldwide. In this film, several women who have experienced this rite of passage voice varying points of view on perpetuating the practice.
Director: Soraya Mire Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Female Circumcision, gender, ritual
Future Remembrance: Photography and Image Arts in Ghana (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 5029
Abstract: Documentary about the role of photography, photographers and the art of image making in Ghana. Meet the photographers, sculptors and painters who tell us in their own words about the economic, social, cultural, aesthetic, and spiritual motivations of their work.
Director: Tobias Wendl and Nancy du Plessis Distributor:Documentary Educational Resources
Keywords: Ghana, photography, art, popular culture, gender
God Sleeps in Rwanda (DVD : 28 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5902
Abstract: Uncovering amazing stories of hope in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, Academy Award-Nominee God Sleeps in Rwanda captures the spirit of five courageous women as they rebuild their lives, redefine women's roles in Rwandan society and bring hope to a wounded nation. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide left the country nearly 70 percent female, handing Rwanda's women an extraordinary burden and an unprecedented opportunity. Girls are attending school in record numbers, and women now make up a large part of the country's leadership. Working with two cameras and no crew except for their translator --a genocide survivor herself-- the filmmakers uncover incredible stories: an HIV-positive policewoman raising four children alone and attending night school to become a lawyer, a teenager who has become head of household for her four siblings, and a young woman orphaned in her teens who is now the top development official in her area. Heart-wrenching and inspiring, this powerful film is a brutal reminder of the consequences of the Rwandan tragedy, and a tribute to the strength and spirit of those who are moving forth. In Kinyarwanda and English, Subtitled
Director: Kimberlee Acquaro, Stacy Sherman Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Rwanda, gender, genocide, race relations, women
Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo (The) (DVD : 76 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9695
Abstract: Since 1998 a brutal war has ravaged the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing over 4 million people and resulting in many tens of thousands of women and girls being systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army. Until now, their stories have never been told to the world.
Director: Lisa F. Jackson Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, war, rape, violence, gender
Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces (Videocassette : 98 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4918
Abstract: A coming of age film that is also a portrait of a 12-year-old boy's life, family, and community in a Mediterranean Arab society. Director: Ferid Boughedir.
Director: NA Distributor:Kino International
Keywords: Tunisia, gender, youth, Islam, social conditions, feature film
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
Hoffnung im Herz: Mündliche Poesie (Videocassette : 20 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 5063 and 4082
Abstract: A profile of the life and work of Afro-German poet May Ayim, including interview footage and performances at a festival in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1995.
Director: NA Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: poetry, gender, identity
Iron Ladies of Liberia (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 77 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9754
Abstract: After fourteen years of civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated President, following a hotly contested election in which she won 59% of the vote. She is the first elected female head of state in Africa. Since taking office, she has appointed other women to leadership positions in all areas of government, including the Police Chief and the ministers of Justice, Commerce, Finance and Gender. Can the first female Liberian president, backed by other powerful women, bring sustainable democracy and peace to such a devastated country?
Director: Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Liberia, Sirleaf, politics, government, women, gender, war
Karmen Geei (Videocassette : 83 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS. VHS 7176
Abstract: Carmen in West Africa: Karmen escapes prison through her lesbian relationship with the warden. She then wrecks the marriage and career of a police corporal by making him her lover and co-conspirator in a smuggling ring. She abandons the corporal who, in a fit of jealous rage, stabs her. Like every Carmen, Karmen Gei is about the conflict between infinite desire for freedom and the laws, conventions, languages, the human limitations which constrain that desire. Since this is an African Carmen, freedom necessarily has a political dimension. Contains much singing and dancing.
Director: Joseph Gaï Ramaka Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, lesbianism, gender, music, opera, feature film
Karmen Geei (DVD : 84 min. ) [2001]
DVD7547
Abstract: Like every Carmen, Karmen Gei is about the conflict between infinite desire for freedom and the laws, conventions, languages, the human limitations which constrain that desire. Since this is an African Carmen, freedom necessarily has a political dimension. The opening scene is set in a women's prison on Goree Island, site of the notorious slave castle. Karmen and the women in the prison use dance and music as a weapon of resistance against dehumanizing regimentation as has so often been the case throughout the African Diaspora.
Director: Joseph Gaï Ramaka Distributor:Kino Video
Keywords: Senegal, musical, opera, gender, lesbian and gay, feature film
Life and Times of Sara Baartman 'The Hottentot Venus' (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4688
Abstract: Using historical drawings, cartoons, legal documents, and interviews with noted cultural historians and anthropologists, The Life and Times of Sara Baartman 'the Hottentot Venus' deconstructs the social, political, scientific and philosophical assumptions which transformed one young African woman into a representation of savage sexuality and racial inferiority.
Director: Zola Maseko Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, gender, representation, science, history.
Lines in the Dust (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7420
Abstract: In a small village in northern Ghana, a group of men and women discuss their daily chores with the help of a chart they've drawn in the dust. This village is part of a program called Reflect, which aims to reach the 900 million illiterate adults across the world. Reflect uses participants' own knowledge and experience as starting points for learning. Lines in the Dust looks at this program in Ghana and India, and how it not only teaches people to read, write, and work with numbers, but also encourages the participants to change their ideas about men's and women's separate workloads, stand up for their rights, earn more money for their families, and become more self-assured. Additional materials available at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1162
Director: Lucinda Broadbent Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Ghana, development, literacy, gender, labor
Looking for Busi (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8242
Abstract: This is the story of a fifteen-year old South African girl, Busi, who is an HIV-positive mother. Busi's mother abandoned her when Busi became pregnant, even before testing positive for AIDS. Busi is chosen for a mother-to-child drug trial and to be the subject of a documentary. After the documentary airs and exposes that she is HIV-positive, Busi disappears, and the filmmaker and her friend search for her. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 3).
Director: Robyn Hofmeyr Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, drugs, gender, Steps for the Future
Love in a Time of Sickness (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8251
Abstract: Khalo Matabane tells friends at dinner about meeting a woman he felt attracted to, then breaking off with her after she disclosed her HIV-positive status. Intercut with Khalo's thoughts about his own protected past and his attitudes to gender roles. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 12).
Director: Khalo Matabane Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, Steps for the Future
Luggage is Still Labeled (The): Blackness in South African Art (DVD : 60 min. ) [2003]
DVD 4336
Abstract: Many contemporary South African artists explore the construction of race and gender through their art.
Director: Vuyile C. Voyiya, Julie L. McGee Distributor:Vuyile C. Voyiya and Julie L. McGee
Keywords: South Africa, art, artists, race, gender
Masai Manhood (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 4598
Abstract: An ethnographic view of Maasai culture and society, focusing on the preparation of young Maasai boys for manhood and leadership in their society. Follows the seven years of transition in which the boys serve as warriors and learn about survival and the outside world, as dictated by their elders. Consultant: Melissa Llewellyn-Davies. [1991 (orig. 1970s)]
Director: Chris Curling Distributor:Films Inc.
Keywords: Kenya, Maasai, education, gender, ritual
Masai Women (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 2083
Abstract: An ethnographic view of Maasai culture and society, focusing on the preparation of young Maasai girls for marriage and life in their society. Probes, through a candid interview with an older woman, the feelings of the Maasai women about polygamy and their inability to own property. Anthropologist: Melissa Llewellyn-Davies.
Director: Chris Curling Distributor:Films Inc.
Keywords: Kenya, Maasai, marriage, gender
Moment (The) (Videocassette : 8 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8257
Abstract: The Moment features men and women from different backgrounds who share their most personal thoughts about courtship and sexual behavior. They discuss the six stages of seduction: the moment you meet, the moment you connect, the moment you seduce, the moment you kiss, the moment you take your clothes off, and the moment before penetration. A caption asks us: at which moment do you decide to use a condom? Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 18).
Director: Siyabonga Makhatini Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, sexual behavior, gender, Steps for the Future
Moolaadé (Videocassette : 124 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9130/DVD 9615
Abstract: Moolaadé is set in a small African village, where four young girls facing ritual 'purification' flee to the household of Collé Ardo Gallo Sy, a strong-willed woman who has managed to shield her own teenaged daughter from the procedure. Collé invokes the time honored custom of moolaadé (sanctuary) to protect the fugitives. Tension mounts as the ensuing stand-off pits Collé against village traditionalists -- both male and female -- and endangers the prospective marriage of her daughter to the heir-apparent to the local throne. Also available in DVD format (DVD 9615). See also The Making of Moolade.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Senegal, Dyula, female genital cutting, gender, women, ritual marriage, feature film
Neria (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2851
Abstract: Patrick and Neria, through shared hard work and resourcefulness, built a comfortable home, a good life and family in the city. But when their loving and equal partnership suddenly ends with the tragic death of Patrick, Neria's nightmare begins. Utilizing a new Zimbabwean law protecting women, the widow fights back. A box office hit in Zimbabwe.
Director: NA Distributor:KJM3 Entertainment Group/Documentary Educational Resource
Keywords: Zimbabwe, gender, law, marriage, development, feature film
Night Stop (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8244
Abstract: This documentary tells of the lives of eight prostitutes living in northern Mozambique. They reveal their individual stories of pregnancy, the search for a husband, unrequited love, violence and resignation. While the women are aware of the dangers of HIV and AIDS, they continue to have unprotected sex. The video also illustrates the world of the truck drivers as they talk among themselves. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 5).
Director: Licinio Azavedo Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mozambique, HIV/AIDS, prostitution, violence, labor, gender, Steps for the Future
O Jardim do Outro Homem = Another Man's Garden (DVD : 80 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10219
Abstract: For a young girl who wants to study medicine in Mozambique, the obstacles extend far beyond the distractions of her boyfriend and her family. A moment of weakness or an error in judgment can cost her a place at the university, an irretrievable loss in a country with so few opportunities for women.
Director: Sol de Carvalho Distributor:Icarus Films
Keywords: Mozambique, gender, education, poverty, feature film
Our Way of Loving (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 3281
Abstract: The third program in a trilogy focusing on the Hamar, an isolated people of Southwestern Ethiopia. This film shows Duka, now a mother with two young children. Her life is dominated by caring for them and her husband, Sago. Although Sago and Duka seem to have an affectionate marriage, he beats her when provoked. She accepts this behavior for she believes it is a man's way of loving. Film also shows the ceremony of Sago's cousin's initiation into manhood. Producer: Chris Curling. (Part of the Hamar Trilogy. Other titles include: The Women Who Smile and Two Girls Go Hunting.)
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, Hamar, women, social conditions, family, marriage, gender, rites and ceremonies
Out in South Africa (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 3699
Abstract: A look at the social and political conditions for gay and lesbian people in present-day South Africa. Features interviews and historical background on the country's transformation into an open society for gay people. Produced, directed, and edited by Barbara Hammer.
Director: Barbara Hammer Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: South Africa, gay/ lesbian sexuality, gender, social activism, social life
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
Quartier Mozart (Videocassette : 80 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2117
Abstract: Queen of the 'Hood is a proud young girl who doesn't want to be taken advantage of by men. She befriends a local sorceress who helps her enter the body of a young man, My Guy, so she can discover for herself the real 'sexual politics' of the quarter. Meanwhile, the sorceress assumes the shape of Panka, a familiar comic figure in Cameroonian folklore with sexual powers. In this sex farce, women's wisdom and 'witchcraft' help to temporarily regain the balance of power in a sexist world. Producer/Director: Jeanne-Pierre Bekolo.
Director: Jeanne-Pierre Bekolo Distributor:NA
Keywords: Cameroon, gender, popular culture, feature film
Senegal: the Power to Change (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6299
Abstract: The protest against female genital mutilation in Senegal started with an educational program set up by the United Nations in cooperation with a local NGO. News of the declarations spread through the media, inspiring women in other villages to demand education and to take similar decisions. This is a success story which shows that education makes all the difference.
Director: Gerd Inger Polden Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Senegal, female genital cutting, women's rights, gender, development
Side by Side (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 2863
Abstract: Follows a social worker and a theater director/magazine editor as each uses her skills to overcome the effects of AIDS.
Director: Peter Davis Distributor:Villon Films
Keywords: Zimbabwe, HIV/AIDS, health, gender, development
Sisters in Law (DVD : 104 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5952
Abstract: In the little town of Kumba, Cameroon, there have been no convictions in spousal abuse cases for 17 years. But two women determined to change their community are making progress that could change the world. This fascinating, often hilarious documentary follows the work of State Prosecutor Vera Ngassa and Court President Beatrice Ntuba as they help women fight often-difficult cases of abuse, despite pressures from family and their community to remain silent. Six-year-old Manka is covered in scars and has run away from an abusive aunt, Amina is seeking a divorce to put an end to brutal beatings by her husband, the pre-teen Sonita has daringly accused her neighbor of rape. With fierce compassion, the two feisty and progressive-minded women dispense wisdom, wisecracks and justice in fair measure, handing down stiff sentences to those convicted.
Director: Florence Ayisi, Kim Longinotto Distributor:Women Make Movies [www.wmm.com]
Keywords: Cameroon, children, domestic abuse, gender relations, justice system, law, rape, women, gender, family
Stepping Out (Videocassette : 29 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 3262
Abstract: Denzel, a teenager from the 'colored' township of Newclare, takes part in the Miss Gay Transvaal competition. The cameras are on Denzel, as well as his mother and a local gay rights activist who were both in attendance. Part of the Ordinary People series (South African television series).
Director: Nicolaas Hofmeyr Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, sexuality and gender, performance, popular culture
Sudan: Slipping Back in Time (Videocassette : 44 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS VHS 7547
Abstract: Describes the suffering and cruelty of the civil war in Sudan, focusing on how Dinka woman and children are being abducted by militiamen in the south and sold as slaves to their Arabic enemies in northern Sudan.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Dinka, war, gender, slavery
Taafe Fanga = Pouvoir de Pagne = Skirt Power (Videocassette : 98 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3796
Abstract: A gender-bending farce set among the 18th century Dogon to make some serious points about the status of women in Africa today. Writer: Adama Drabo.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mali, Dogon, myth, gender, feature film
Tableau ferraille (Videocassette : 88 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3795
Abstract: Tells the story of an idealistic young politician's rise and fall. Daam, a well-intentioned but vacillating European-trained politician, must choose between two social paradigms exemplified by his two wives. The film offers a view of how modernization, as practiced in today's Africa, corrodes traditional communities and retards grassroots development.
Director: Moussa Sene Absa Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, marriage, gender, modernity, development, politics, feature film
These Girls Are Missing: The Gender Gap in Africa's Schools (DVD : 60 min. ) [1997]
DVD 8006
Abstract: Everybody knows this instinctively -- educate women and you will change society. Perhaps that's why in many African countries, fewer than 20% of girls ever enter a schoolroom, and across the continent, only one woman in three learns to read. It's not official policy. In fact, an international industry devoted to changing the status quo exists. Still the deck is stacked against African girls. How can a schoolgirl be such a threat to traditional concepts of appropriate gender roles and control of fertility? These Girls Are Missing offers small sets of stories, sharp glimpses into a few intimate relationships layered to mirror the complex reality: Nadouba and Bintu in their West African village, Taz and Patricia from elite St. Mary's Secondary School in Malawi, Ethel and her mother torn between village and the modern world, a relaxed and riotous conversation among a group of Malinke elders. Through knowing them, the audience grows to understand how deep cultural attitudes, more than economics, undermine the future of Africa's women. More provocative than prescriptive, this film aims to inspire reflection, argument and deeper understanding.
Director: Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Malawi, Malinke, women, education, gender
These Hands (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2800
Abstract: Surveys a typical workday in the lives of impoverished women in Tanzania who manually mine gravel used for making concrete for urban building projects.
Director: Floar M'mbugu-Shelling Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Tanzania, labor, gender
They Carry Their Families: A Village in Mauritania (DVD : 14 min. ) [1999]
DVD 8972
Abstract: Life in a rural village in Mauritania is hard on women. Tradition and Islamic religion are intertwined to reinforce strict gender roles. The husband is the protector and keeper; his word is law. While the men take their ease, the girls and women are off to the fields during the peanut planting and harvest season, walking five miles each way, and coming home with heavy burdens from the fields to prepare the family dinner. They carry the water, sweep the yard, wash the clothes, and care for the children. This short, beautifully filmed video captures succinctly the subservience of women, while at the same time remaining respectful of tradition and culture. There are no drugs, alcohol or loneliness in this kind of community, where family bonds are very strong. We hear from several young Peace Corps workers in the village who are hopeful that by educating and thereby widening the horizons of young women, eventually women will have more choices. From a Western perspective, the future of Africa depends on education and family planning.
Director: Ingo A. Zamperoni Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Mauritania, women, gender, religion, family, work, education
Turkana Trilogy (Videocassette : 245 min. ) [1982]
See Individual Titles
Abstract: Three films by David and Judith MacDougal: Lorang's Way [1980, 69 min], The Wedding Camels [1980, 108 min], Wife Among Wives [1982, 68 min]. See individual titles. [1980-1982]
Director: David and Judith MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, marriage, gender, pastoralism
Two Girls Go Hunting (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 3282
Abstract: The second program in a trilogy focusing on the Hamar, an isolated people of Southwestern Ethiopia. This film shows Duka and her friend, Gardi, as they prepare to marry men they have never met. The film follows the build-up to the marriages, from the all night vigil with girlfriends, to farewells when the brides are taken away at dawn to the village of their husband's family, the arrival in the villages and the preparation of the prospective brides for the ceremony by the mother-in-law. Part of the Hamar Trilogy. Other titles include: The Women Who Smile and Our Way of Loving.
Director: Chris Curling Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, Hamar, women, social conditions, marriage, gender, rites and ceremonies
Wa 'n wina = Sincerely Yours (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8240
Abstract: Filmmaker Dumisani Phakathi returns to his old neighborhood in Phiri, Soweto and engages with friends to discuss relationships, sex, love, and AIDS. They talk intimately about the realities of the street and choices they have been forced to make. The video reveals the gaps between everyday life and the AIDS campaigns that often talk past the very people they are supposed to address.Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of HIV/AIDS (Volume 1).
Director: Dumisani Phakathi Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, Soweto, social conditions, gender, sexual behavior, Steps for the Future
Way of the Wodaabe (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 2282
Abstract: Provides a look at the unique culture of the gentle, elusive Wodaabe, or 'People of the Taboo,' who live in Niger. Shows how they mark the end of the wet season with a celebration of love and beauty. Features photographer Carol Beckwith. Producer: Kevin A. Peer
Director: NA Distributor:Capitol Video Communications/National Geographic
Keywords: Niger, Wodaabe, pastoralists, ritual, music, gender
Wedding Camels (The) (Videocassette : 108 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 2600/ DVD 8924
Abstract: An account of a marriage among the Turkana, a remote pastoral tribe of the dry thorn-country of northwestern Kenya. Shows the preparations for the wedding of the daughter of Lorang, one of the senior men of the region. Explores the quarrels and customs which surround the wedding. Shows the tensions that arise during bridewealth negotiations between the two families, and how these strain the old friendship between the bride's father and his future son-in-law. Part of Turkana Trilogy (see also Lorang's Way and Wife Among Wives). In Turkana with English subtitles. Also available in DVD format (DVD 8924).
Director: David and Judith MacDougall Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, pastoralism, wedding, ritual, gender, marriage, family
Wedding Camels (The): A Turkana Marriage (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 108 min. ) [1976]
DVD 8924/ VHS 2600
Abstract: An account of a marriage among the Turkana, a remote pastoral tribe of the dry thorn-country of northwestern Kenya. Shows the preparations for the wedding of the daughter of Lorang, one of the senior men of the region. Explores the quarrels and customs which surround the wedding. Shows the tensions that arise during bridewealth negotiations between the two families, and how these strain the old friendship between the bride's father and his future son-in-law. Part of Turkana Trilogy (see also Lorang's Way and Wife Among Wives). In Turkana with English subtitles. Also available in videotape format (VHS 2600)
Director: David and Judith MacDougall. Distributor:Berkeley Media LLC
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, marriage, gender, pastoralism, family, ritual
Wife Among Wives (Videocassette : 68 min. ) [1982]
V. CASS. VHS 2532
Abstract: An ethnographic documentary of the Turkana of northern Kenya. This is an inquiry into the Turkana view of marriage. By David and Judith MacDougall. Part of Turkana Trilogy (see also Lorang's Way and The Wedding Camels).
Director: David and Judith MacDougall Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Turkana, gender, marriage, pastoralism
Wife for My Son (A) (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 5923
Abstract: At age 18, Fatiha divides her time between home and school. But when her parents decide to marry her to Hussein, her only choice is to submit to their wishes. Writer/director: Ali Ghalem.
Director: Ali Ghalem Distributor:www.arabfilm.com
Keywords: Algeria, marriage, gender, literature, feature film
Witches in Exile (Videocassette : 78 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 9141
Abstract: From Tanzania and Zambia to Ivory Coast and Ghana, belief in witchcraft continues to terrorize women. In Northern Ghana alone, there are estimated to be more than 5000 witches confined to witches' villages--part sanctuaries, part prison camps. This film introduces us to five women who have taken refuge in the Kukuo witches' camp and who represent a cross section of the witch population of Northern Ghana today. It leads us on a step by step journey on how a woman becomes stigmatized as a witch. The film makes clear that one cannot successfully attack a phenomenon like witches' camps in isolation, but must see them as part of a wider set of beliefs designed to mark women as an expendable part of society (especially older women who have lost their economic usefulness). The film traces the complex intersection of anthropology, political science and economics, which must come together in any strategy for liberating women in Africa.
Director: Allison Berg Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Ghana, Dagomba, gender relations, human rights, social conditions, traditional religion, witchcraft, women
Womanhood and Circumcision: Three Maasai Women Have Their Say (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7560
Abstract: This thought-provoking documentary sensitively explores the cultural context of female genital-cutting practices among the Maasai. It will stimulate discussion and reflection in a wide variety of courses in cultural anthropology, women's and gender studies, African studies, and development studies. A mother and her two daughters discuss their feelings about circumcision (excision) and its meaning in their lives. The three women discuss their experiences from the perspective of three different stages of the life cycle. Produced by Barbara G. Hoffman.
Director: NA Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, Maasai, female circumcision, women, gender, ritual
Women Who Smile (The) (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 3283
Abstract: The first program in a trilogy focusing on the Hamar, an isolated people of Southwestern Ethiopia. In this film Duka, a young unmarried Hamar girl learns what awaits her in life from the older women of her tribe. Their often humorous conversations range from pregnancy and growing old to relationships with men. Although the men are dominant, the women are not servile. Shows harvest celebrations and the blessing ceremony for a new baby. Part of the Hamar Trilogy. Other titles include: Two Girls Go Hunting and Our Way of Loving. Producer: Chris Curling.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, Hamar, women, marriage, social conditions, gender, rites and ceremonies
Women's Olamal (The): The Organization of a Maasai Fertility Ceremony (Videocassette : 114 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 3964
Abstract: Discusses a fertility ceremony of the Maasai women in East Africa.
Director: Melissa Llewellyn-Davies Distributor:Documentary Educational Resources
Keywords: Kenya, women, Maasai, gender, fertility, ritual
Woubi Chéri (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4622
Abstract: Woubi Chéri is the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality.
Director: Philip Brooks, Laurent Bocahut Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cote d'Ivoire, Abidjan, homosexuality, gender, social life
Yesterday (Videocassette : 95 min. ) [2006]
DVD 5599
Abstract: After falling ill, Yesterday (Khumalo) learns that she is HIV positive. With her husband in denial and young daughter to tend to, Yesterday's one goal is to live long enough to see her child go to school. Set against the awesome, harsh landscapes of South Africa, Yesterday is an eloquent, unsentimental film that quietly builds an overwhelming emotional force.
Director: Darrell James Roodt Distributor:Home Box Office
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, HIV/AIDS, gender, feature film
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
September 16, 2008: Geoffrey Nyarota
