African Studies Media Catalog
Search results:159 records
| 159 records per page | Search by keywords (Criteria:"politics")
Page(s): 1
21 Up South Africa (DVD : 68 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9883
Abstract: Featuring scenes shot in 1992, 1999 and 2006, this documentary follows the lives of South African children -- rich and poor, black, white and 'mixed race' -- from all over the country, from the townships to the bushveldt. In the process 21 Up South Africa offers unique insights into the social and political changes occurring throughout the country since the fall of Apartheid. First filmed as 7-year-olds in 1992, these 11 individuals are ordinary South Africans growing up at a time of enormous social change. We see them now at the age of 21 making their way in the new South Africa and, as we roll back time in this unique chronicle of their lives, we also see them aged 14 and 7. We see where they started -- in township slums, old-school mansions and white suburbs -- their world divided along racial lines, as the policy of apartheid begins to crumble. While the fall of apartheid presented them with new opportunities, it also confronted them with new challenges. In successive interview sessions, characterized by disarming honesty, touches of humor and sadness, we see how their attitudes and experiences changed regarding many issues, from race relations and educational opportunities, crime and unemployment, to marriage and the AIDS crisis, which has already claimed the lives of several of the children.
Director: Angus Gibson Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, psychology, child development, history, politics
AIDS in Africa (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1990]
V.CASS. VHS 5118
Abstract: Describes the war on AIDS in Africa, where the disease cuts across the entire population, affecting men and women of reproductive age and their children, striking a continent already wracked by underdevelopment, civil strife and corruption.
Director: Roger Pyke Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, economic conditions, politics
Abolition: Broken Promises (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4420
Abstract: This program presents a grim picture of the black experience after slavery through the eyes of those who experienced it and their progeny. Topics include the Fugitive Slave Law and the Dred Scott decision; Northern political abandonment of blacks; the Ku Klux Klan; failure of the post-war land-distribution act; the role of industry; the deliberately cultivated image of black males as criminals and rapists; and the perpetuation of Jim Crow well into the 1950s.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: African Americans, social conditions, segregation, race, slavery, politics, history
About the United Nations: Africa Recovery (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 1839
Abstract: Africa today is a continent beset by drought, famine, war & debt. In Zambia, a news reporter examines these problems & discusses potential new solutions that might be applicable to the entire continent.
Director: Albert Lin Distributor:United Nations. Department of Public Information
Keywords: Zambia, politics, drought
Aimé Césaire: A Voice for History = Une voix pour l'Histoire (Videocassette : 160 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 2988 V.1-3.
Abstract: This three-part study introduces American audiences to the celebrated Martinican author who coined the term négritude and launched the movement called the A Great Black Cry'. Weaves Césaire's life and poetry into a vast tapestry featuring many of the most important artistic and intellectual figures of the past six decades. In Part I, L'Ile Veilleuse (The Vigilant Island) Césaire shows us his pays natal, its volcano, beaches and colonial towns, a tropical crossroad where Europe, Africa and America meet. From this cultural vortex, Césaire, his wife, Suzanne, and philosopher René Menil founded in 1939 the seminal literary review Tropiques. Discusses the difficulty of balancing the life of a poet with that of a practical politician for over 50 years. Part II, Au rendez-vous de la conquête (Where the Edges of Conquest Meet) moves to Paris in the 1930s where Césaire, Leopold Senghor, first president of Senegal, and the French Guyanese poet, Leon Damas, developed the concept of négritude, a world-wide revindication of African values. In Part III, La force de regarder demain (The Strength to Face Tomorrow), Césaire responds to the disappointments of the post-colonial world, the dangers of neo-colonialism. (3 videocassettes: 54, 56, 50 min.)
Director: Euzhan Palcy Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cesaire, Negritude, literature, politics, diaspora
All About Darfur (DVD : 82 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8064
Abstract: Up until now the perilous situation in Sudan has been seen only from outside the country. All About Darfur offers an opportunity to hear it explained by eloquent, diverse, even contradictory voices from within Sudan. The director talks to ordinary Sudanese in outdoor tea shops, markets, refugee camps and living rooms about how deeply rooted prejudices could suddenly burst into a wild fire of ethnic violence.
Director: Taghreed Elsanhouri Distributor:Taghreed Elsanhouri Productions
Keywords: Sudan, Darfur, genocide, civil war, ethnicity, politics, refugees, violence
Allah Tantou, God's Will Be Done (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 2989
Abstract: Through home movies, old newsreels, letters and fictional reconstruction of imprisonment, this film examines the life of the film maker's father, a diplomat under the Sekou Toure regime, who later disappeared into the Guinean gulag. Film reevaluates the turbulent decade of African independence and discusses its relevance to the new political order on the continent.
Director: David Achkar Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea, prisoners, politics and government, drama
Allan Boesak (Motion Picture : 28 min. ) [1984]
MP-16MM 363
Abstract: Depicts Allan Boesak's work against segregation in South Africa.
Director: Hugo Cassirer and Nadine Gordimer Distributor:Felix Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, politics
Amandla!: A Revolution in Four Part Harmony (DVD : 103 min. ) [2002]
DVD 4122
Abstract: Tells the story of black South African freedom music and the central role it played against apartheid. Specifically considers the music that sustained and galvanized blacks for more than 40 years. Focuses on the struggle's spiritual dimension named for the Xhosa word for power. An uplifting story of human courage, resolve and triumph. Individuals featured include: Vusi Mahlasela, Jeremy Cronin, Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Sophie Mgcina, Dolly Rathebe, Sifiso Ntuli, Abdullah Ibrahim and Duma Ka Ndlovu.
Director: Lee Hirsh Distributor:Artisan Home Entertainment
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, nationalism, music, history, popular culture, performance, politics
Angola é A Nossa Terra (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 6901
Abstract: Angolan women are rarely heard describing the impact of South Africa's undeclared war against their country. This moving documentary, produced in conjunction with the Organization of Angolan Women (OMA), highlights the contribution women make to the reconstruction of a country where war has consumed more than half the national budget and produced at least a million internal refugees.
Director: Jenny Morgan Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Angola, South Africa, war, women, history, politics
Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Bill Moyers (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4863
Abstract: Bill Moyers discusses with Archbishop Desmond Tutu the latter's life and work, in particular the Archbishop's struggle against apartheid.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, Desmond Tutu, history, politics
Bab el-Oued City (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 4619
Abstract: Bab El-Oued is a working class district of Algiers. A young worker commits an act which puts the entire district in turmoil.
Director: Merzak Allaouche Distributor:www.arabfilm.com
Keywords: Algeria, politics, urban life, feature film
Between Joyce and Remembrance (DVD : 68 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7638
Abstract: This video tells the story of one family, the Mtimkulu family, stretching back over two decades. Through the unfolding of personal narratives, this film raises far reaching questions about the nature of truth, forgiveness and reconciliation. It illustrates the ripple effect of an injustice, the disappearance and murder of Siphiwo Mtimkulu, twenty years ago to show how fragile the 'miracle' of South Africa's transition really is.
Director: Mark Kaplan Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, reconciliation, politics, history
Between War and Peace (DVD : 23 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8909
Abstract: Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, was relatively calm until 1980 when William Tolbert was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe after food price riots. By the late 1980s, arbitrary rule and economic collapse culminated in civil war when dissidents of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front overran much of the countryside and executed Doe. Over half of the population fled their homes in terror during its long and bloody civil war. After 14 years of anarchy, the international community has arrived in force in an attempt to stabilize the country. Many see this as Liberia's last chance. With more than 59,000 fighters (some of them children) demobilized in the last three months and another 15,000 waiting to follow, this Life program reports on Liberia's attempts to find a way of engaging the former fighters in rebuilding their country - to sustain the peace.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:Bull Frog films
Keywords: Liberia, conflict management, civil war, government, history, politics, development. children
Birth of a Democracy (Videocassette : 25 min. ) [1991]
VHS 9317
Abstract: On May 26, 1990, Cameroon declared itself a multi-party democracy after 30 years of totalitarian rule. This survey looks at the country's political climate and gathers the thoughts of Cameroonians from all backgrounds. Through their juxtaposed analyses, a revealing collage of the birth of a uniquely African democracy is presented.
Director: Bassek Ba Khobio Distributor:First Run / Icarus Films
Keywords: Cameroon, independence, history, politics, government
Black Man's Land Trilogy (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three films on colonialism, nationalism and revolution in Kenya: White Man's Country; Mau Mau; and Kenyatta. See individual titles for description.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, Mau Mau, Jomo Kenyatta, nationalism, politics
Black Man's Land Trilogy (DVD : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three-part series of films consisting of White Man's Country (part 1), Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3); all of the films combine period photographs and contemporary location footage with the testimony of African and European witnesses. The trilogy covers the violence of colonial rule, white settlement and African resistance in the story of Kenya, as the British tried to make it a 'white man's country' like South Africa or New Zealand. Land was allocated, settlers welcomed, and the 'jewel of the British empire' was born. But it was African land that was taken, African labor that was used to develop it, and African taxes that kept the colonial regime solvent. How did Africans confront this process? White Man's Country tells this story. Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Kenyatta offers a biographical account of Jomo Kenyatta, the man who became Kenya's national leader and who eventually led the movement to establish an independent government.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Facets Multimedia
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, land, history, politics
Blood Stained Diamonds: The Diamond Empire (CD-ROM ) [2001]
HD9677 .A2 F59 2001
Abstract: CD-ROM contains both the documentary film The Diamond Empire and the companion e-book Blood Stained Diamonds. Central to the diamond's role as a romantic symbol is the belief that diamonds are one of the rarest, most precious gifts for a loved one. This documentary examines how the great myth about the scarcity of diamonds and their inflated value was created and maintained over the decades by the diamond cartel. The author has spoken publicly about what she sees as the international suppression of both the book and the film due to pressure from De Beers.
Director: Janine Farrell-Roberts Distributor:Impact Media
Keywords: diamonds, mining, politics, economic conditions, human rights
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
Burden on the Land (DVD : 52 min. ) [1991]
DVD 9044
Abstract: Filmed in the face of enormous political and geographical obstacles, Burden on the Land is a comprehensive look at Africa's future as it faces the 21st century. It addresses the root causes of famine and suggests reasons why development efforts in Africa have been so disappointing. Examining the sub-Saharan countries - Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Ivory Coast, Mali, Ethiopia and Uganda - the documentary clarifies the conflicts and interrelated issues of politics, health, environment, and culture. When the colonial powers left Africa, the political vacuum was filled by authoritarian regimes whose armies continue to keep them in power. Frequent tribal wars keep countless people refugees, fleeing from one nation to another. Despite the efforts of international relief agencies, the vast number of refugees have depleted the host countries of resources. The film shows that despite the overwhelming problems there are small successes that improve the quality of life - dams, food processing, reforestation, road building, irrigation, and animal husbandry. But basically, it proposes that Africa's future depends on developing an infrastructure while maintaining the integrity of village life.
Director: Roger Pyke Productions Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: famine, development, colonization, environment, health, politics, history
Ceddo (Videocassette : 112 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6978
Abstract: An historical epic set loosely in the 19th century, the film examines the confrontation between opposing forces in the face of Moslem expansion in Africa.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Islam, slavery, religion, politics, feature film
Chef! (Chief!) & La Tête dans les nuages (Head in the Clouds) (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4854
Abstract: In Chef!, director Jean-Marie Teno locates the roots of Africa's authoritarian regimes in the patriarchal family, reinforced by traditional kingship and the colonial experience. Teno insists that this film was not planned but imposed itself on him during a visit to his ancestral village, Bandjoun, in the Ghomala speaking region of Western Cameroon. He had gone to film dances dedicating a monument to King Kamga Joseph II, the filmmakers' great grand uncle, but the ceremony soon turned into a celebration of one-man rule, in particular Cameroonian President Paul Biya's. In La Tête dans les nuages, Teno investigates the ties between unaccountable government and an unproductive economy. Kleptocracy has become an accepted fact of Cameroonian life described by the proverb: 'The goat grazes where it is tied.' The government controlled formal sector, like its colonial predecessor, is essentially parasitical. An informal sector has emerged parallel to it which increasingly supplies the daily subsistence needs of the people. Irene, for example, works at the Ministry of Education for an unreliable and inadequate salary; she earns the money she needs to eat from selling beignets in the market. She also belongs to a tontine or 'credit union' which offers its members a pool of capital to draw on for business ventures. Such clubs, ubiquitous among African market women, help fill the economic and social vacuum left by the decay of traditional society and the unresponsiveness of the formal banking sector.
Director: Jean-Marie Téno Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cameroon, politics, history, economy, education
Chronicle of a Genocide Foretold (Videocassette : 141 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3789
Abstract: Explores the 1994 massacre of 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda. Written and directed by Danièle Lacourse, Yvan Patry. Produced by Alter-Cinè
Director: Danièle Lacourse, Yvan Patry Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, ethnicity, history, politics
Clando (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 4466
Abstract: Sobgui, a former computer programmer, drives a 'clando' cab in Douala, Cameroon's streets. He is clandestine, not just because his cab is unlicensed, but because he is hiding from his past. When a radical political group involves him in a revenge slaying of an informer, Sobgui knows that it is time to get out of Douala. He gets his chance when he is asked to find a wealthy villager's son in Germany. The film represents a dilemma facing educated Africans: whether to work to change the autocratic regimes at home or seek their fortunes abroad.
Director: Jean-Marie Téno Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cameroon, politics, feature film
Congo, Heart of Darkness (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 108 min. ) [2002]
DVD 1382
Abstract: The war in Congo is a tragedy of historic proportions, a war that has claimed more lives than all other current wars around the world. But outside of Africa, no one seems to have noticed. This 5-part series documents the scope of human suffering that the war is causing. Originally shown on Nightline; with Ted Koppel.
Director: George Murphy Distributor:ABC News Productions
Keywords: Congo, history, war, politics, refugees
Continent that Overslept: Africa, The (DVD : 58 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8285
Abstract: The award-winning investigative team of Heilbuth and Bulow (Battle of the Titans) produced this thoroughly researched program with a bold disregard for political correctness. They met with a new generation of African businessmen and intellectuals who addressed the appalling lack of progress. These Africans are outraged at the widening gap between the rich heads of state and poor subjects; the lack of a work ethic among African workers; and the fact that famine still claims so many lives when Africa could easily feed itself. The film shows that Africa is a rich area: it has 70% of the world's cobalt reserves; 46% of its diamonds; 44% of its chrome; and great hydroelectric power potential. Contrary to popular belief, Africa is not densely populated. The young, educated Africans feel that colonialism and the rich countries of the world can no longer be blamed for all the ills of Africa. As one African journalist says, 'It is unfortunate and shameful to see Africa with all her potential, always turning to the West and saying 'Give us this, give us that.' A young Kenyan businessman says he is embarrassed by an economy built on aid. Yet, he believes that a change is taking place across Africa and 'we have to take our place amongst the nations.'
Director: Poul Erik Heilbuth and Hans Bulow Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: economy, politics, government, development
Controlling Interest: the World of the Multinational Corporation (Motion Picture : 45 min. ) [1978]
MP-16MM 219
Abstract: Examines the scale and underlying dynamics of multinational corporate expansion, and shows the deleterious social and economic effects of the multinationals' power in both the U.S. and the Third World. Includes interviews with several corporate executives and with workers in a small New England city faced with the threat of a runaway shop. Investigates the role of the multi-nationals in influencing U.S. government policy in underdeveloped nations.
Director: Larry Adelman Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: economics, politics, business, development
Countdown to Freedom: 10 Days that Changed South Africa (Videocassette : 97 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS. VHS 8541
Abstract: Examines a critical moment of South African history in the days leading up to the country's first multi-racial democratic election, from April 23 to May 2, 1994, and the election of Nelson Mandela as President, with background on key people and historical events.
Director: Danny Schechter Distributor:Globalvision
Keywords: South Africa, politics, elections, Nelson Mandela, history
Curse of Congo (The): A Story of Wealth, Exploitation, and Ruin (DVD : 57 min. ) [2002]
DVD 8650
Abstract: Reports on the bleak prospects of the noncombatant Congolese population, caught in the crossfire of opposing armies, decimated by disease and malnutrition, and exploited by the greed of others for their nation's valuable natural resources.
Director: hosted by Ted Koppel Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Congo, history, war, health, economics, politics
Daresalam (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 7168
Abstract: This feature film focuses on two young men caught up in the civil war in Chad. It begins in the 1970s with the story of Koni and Djimi as the central government invades their village and insists on buying the farmer's millet at below market price and then browbeats the villagers into paying taxes to help fight the war. When they resist the government burns the village and massacres the inhabitants. Djimi, wounded, remains behind with the hard-liners, while Koni joins a faction which supports compromise with the government.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Daresalam (DVD : 105 min. ) [2000]
DVD7329
Abstract: Daresalam is the first African feature film to focus on the civil wars convulsing the continent from Sierra Leone to Somalia. It provides compelling insights into how ordinary people around the world get swept up in extraordinary events. Its timeless story of two childhood friends turned into political foes personalizes the terrible costs of internecine strife.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:Kino International & California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, friendship, history, politics, feature film
Day with the President (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3253
Abstract: The camera accompanies Nelson Mandela throughout his extremely busy work day as he meets the challenges facing the new South Africa. To mark the anniversary of Nelson Mandela's inauguration as President of South Africa, Weekly Mail Television filmed this special edition of Ordinary People. Filmmakers spent 19 hours with President Mandela in four cities. He is shown at work, at his official residence and with various persons who work closely with him.
Director: N. Hofmeyer Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, government, politics
Deadline, The (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1996]
VHS 9184
Abstract: Filmed during the closing stages of South Africa's Constitutional Assembly, The Deadline is an inside look at the 'realpolitik' negotiations. May 10th, 1996 was chosen by the major South African political parties as the deadline for the new constitution. Following the first democratic elections (April, 1994), the ANC-led parliament set about the two-year task of creating a blue-print for an apartheid-free society, a blueprint that was to include a set of inalienable rights. By the final four weeks most of the Constitution had been written, but disputes over a few key issues - property rights, labor rights, education, and language - remained. Tension grew as the deadline loomed, and the playful camaraderie that had characterized much of the negotiations gave way to open antagonism, accusations, and counter-accusations. A deadlock over outstanding issues continued until the final night, threatening to derail the transition to democracy. The Deadline, commissioned by the Constitutional Assembly, provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at one of the most historic and dramatic constitutional processes of the 20th century.
Director: Harriet Gavshon Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, African National Congress, South African constitution, history, law, politics
Debt of Dictators (The) (DVD : 46 min. ) [2005]
DVD 9422
Abstract: The Debt of Dictators is the first film to expose the nefarious lending of billions of dollars by multinational banks and international financial institutions to brutal dictators throughout the world. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, asserts that transnational banks 'know the price of everything, but have no values.' The Debt of Dictators reveals the impoverishment resulting from the odious debts incurred to multinational lending institutions by these dictators. The film transports viewers to Argentina, South Africa, and the Philippines, where they come face to face with those suffering from the sacrifice of essential social services in order to repay these illegitimate debts.
Director: Erling Borgen Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, debt, economics, dictatorship, politics, poverty, development
Deniers Colons (Les) = Last Colonials (The) (Videocassette : 61 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3249
Abstract: Visits with the last of the white population living in Zaire. They are managers, missionaries, businessmen and land owners who have chosen to settle in the heart of Africa, and who remain there in spite of the violence and danger. They reminisce on the 'good old days of the colonial era' and reveal shattered dreams in a country they thought might have been the new El Dorado.
Director: Thierry Michel Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, politics, government, colonialism, social conditions, history
Diamond Life (The) (Videocassette : 7 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8973
Abstract: The Revolutionary United Front's (RUF) attack on Freetown in January of 1999 was the culmination of a decade-long and bloody struggle between the RUF and the government of Sierra Leone. The rebel forces, bolstered by the former Sierra Leonean Army, which had turned on the government, swept into the city, killing, mutilating, and raping thousands in the continuing war over the control of the country's rich diamond fields. RUF units burned houses with civilians inside, shot and raped people at random, killing an estimated 6,000 people in the span of three weeks. Since 1990, half the country's population of five million has been displaced. Today, Sierra Leone produces more refugees than any other country in Africa. The country is full of war victims, whose amputated limbs serve as living testimony to the brutality of the rebels. The Diamond Life provides a disturbing glimpse into the greed and violence that fuels the Sierra Leone region's brutal diamond war.
Director: Stephen Marshall, Josh Shore Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, violence, politics, history, refugees
Diamonds and Rust (Videocassette : 74 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7190
Abstract: On a trawler moored off the coast of Namibia, diamond mining goes on around the clock, but the extraction is muddied by politics, and fraught with racial tension. The crew is made up of white South Africans spouting racist jokes, Cubans who write poetry and speak of love, an Israeli security manager who makes himself the enemy, and Namibian deckhands who find themselves colonized off the coast of their own country. Obtrusively, without commentary, Diamonds and Rust takes us into the daily life of this international crew working in the service of a faceless mining conglomerate. As they battle with the failing mechanisms of the rusty old ship, the men are drawn into contemplation of their situation and its dubious rewards. Directors Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz received permission to film everyday life on the Spirit of Namibia from diamond exporter De Beers, the result-which shows fraying tempers, racist attitudes, a deteriorating vessel and front office indifference-hardly flatters the company.
Director: Adi Barash, Ruthie Shatz Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Namibia, mining, economy, labor, race, feature film
Domestic Differences (Videocassette : 47 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 6440
Abstract: Depicts South African society during the ten days leading up to the 1994 election through a comparison of the lives and views of a prosperous white family in a a residential suburb of Cape Town and their maid and her family in Transkei.
Director: Nanette Burstein Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, elections, politics, history, race, social conditions
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
Drilling Fields (The) (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 5034
Abstract: Looks at the land rights dispute in the Niger Delta area between the Nigerian government, the indigenous Ogoni people and the Shell Oil Company (Part of the Cutting Edge series).
Director: Glenn Ellis Distributor:Catma Films
Keywords: Nigeria, Ogoni, human rights, pollution, environment, politics and government, history
Emitaï (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6976
Abstract: Depicts the clash between French colonialists and the Dyulas, an African people, in the closing days of World War II. Depicts the history and myths of this Senegalese people.
Director: Ousmane Sembêne Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, Dyula, colonialism, World War II, history, politics, feature film
Facing the Truth (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4865 Pt.1 & Pt. 2
Abstract: Bill Moyers describes the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), providing footage of TRC hearings and interviews with apartheid victims and others. (2 videocassettes: 60 min. each)
Director: Gail Pellet Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, politics, apartheid, TRC
Fela: musique au poing = Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: Music is the Weapon (DVD : 53 min. ) [2004]
DVD 5064
Abstract: Filmed in 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria, the documentary mixes footage of Fela Anikulapo Kuti performing at his Shrine nightclub. Interviews with the controversial musician, glimpses of life at his not-so-palatial Kalakuta Republic compound, and scenes of Lagos street life.
Director: Stéphane Tchal-Gaddjieff Distributor:Geffen Records, Santa Monica, CA
Keywords: Nigeria, Lagos, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, afro-beat, biography, music performance, popular culture, politics
Finye =The Wind (Videocassette : 105 min. ) [1982]
VHS 9315
Abstract: Vivid social satire with overtones of Romeo and Juliet, Finye (The Wind) tackles the generation gap in post-colonial West Africa. Its heroine is the pot smoking daughter of a provincial military governor who falls in love with a fellow university student, the descendent of one of Mali's chiefs of an earlier age. Both families object to the union and to the lover's growing involvement in student strikes against the corrupt government. A mix of politics, romance and social commentary, Finye casts a critical eye on both the ancient and modern values.
Director: Souleymane Cissé Distributor:Kine International
Keywords: Mali, West Africa, feature film
Flame (Videocassette : 85 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3794
Abstract: Feature film depicting the role of women fighters in the Zimbabwean liberation struggle.
Director: Ingrid Sinclair Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Zimbabwe, women, national liberation movements, politics, feature film
Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict ( A) (Videocassette : 174 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6141 Parts 1-6
Abstract: This six-part series tells one of the 20th century's most important and least-known stories-- how nonviolent power overcame oppression and authoritarian rule. In South Africa in 1907, Mohandas Gandhi led Indian immigrants in a nonviolent fight for rights denied them by white rulers. The power that Gandhi pioneered has been used by underdogs on every continent and in every decade of the 20th century, to fight for their rights and freedom. Includes segments on South Africa, India, Denmark, Poland, Chile, and the U.S.
Director: Steve York Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, nonviolence, Gandhi, politics
Forsaken Cries: the Story of Rwanda (Videocassette : 35 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3838
Abstract: In 1994, close to one million people were killed in Rwanda. This documentary examines Rwanda as a case study of the human rights challenge of the 21st century. Incorporates historical footage, interviews, analyses. Produced by: Amnesty International, USA.
Director: NA Distributor:Amnesty International
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, history, politics, ethnicity
Freedom Now, 1947 (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4210
Abstract: In 1947, 160 years of British rule came to an end as India became the world's largest democracy, inspiring the fight for freedom on another continent. This film talks with the people who witnessed and participated in the struggle for independence in India and Africa. While Mohandas Gandhi showed the world how the masses could successfully defy their imperial masters, his example spurred others on: European empires in Africa and Asia began to crumble, and in short order, Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, and dozens more would win their freedom.
Director: Jennifer Clayton Distributor:WGBH Boston Video
Keywords: Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, history, Gandhi, politics, colonialism
From the Ashes (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 1 (PAL format)
Abstract: Shows how people in a small Mozambican village are working towards reconciliation following the civil war. Part one of the series Landscape of Memory. See also I Have Seen=Nda Mona,'The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Mozambique, civil war, reconciliation, history, politics
Geldoff in Africa (DVD : 240 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5559
Abstract: If Bob Geldof had never seen news footage of the horrific famine in Ethiopia back in the mid-'80s, he might have carried on in relative obscurity, making so-so records with his band the Boomtown Rats. But see it he did, which led to Band Aid (and 'Do They Know It's Christmas' ), Live Aid, Live 8, knighthood, and now Geldof in Africa, a profound, provocative, beautifully made six-part series that aired in 2005 on Britain's BBC. Sir Bob, who narrates both on- and off-screen, visited many parts of what he calls the Luminous Continent (as opposed to the Dark Continent moniker that was ironically bestowed on Africa by Europeans whose own countries were often gray and grim), including Somaliland, a sort of non-country whose very existence isn't acknowledged by any other nation; Ghana, from which slaves were once shipped to America and elsewhere; the Congo, the true heart of darkness, which still bears the ugly scars of Belgian colonization; the Sahara desert, where 'you discover the absolute insignificance of you'; Uganda, where a brutal 'rebel leader' abducts children and turns them into sex slaves and soldiers; and Ethiopia, where it all started for Geldof (and where conditions are actually improving). But Geldof and producer-director John Maguire's film is not a travelogue. Nor is it a scientific documentary, although we learn something about geography, anthropology, meteorology, geology, agriculture, history, religion, and, inevitably, politics. What distinguishes Geldof in Africa is the presence of Geldof himself. An excellent writer and articulate speaker, he brings a decidedly subjective point of view to the work. 'I can't do slick television,' he admits; neither cynical nor naïve, he says exactly what he thinks, and expresses his wonder, fascination, rage, grief, sympathy, blame, and hope with a quiet passion that compels the viewer to feel those things as well. The camera work is flawless throughout, with shot after shot of breathtaking beauty, and Pete Briquette's music provides graceful accompaniment. Extras include audio commentary by Geldof and Maguire, deleted scenes, photos, and a Geldof interview. --Sam Graham
Director: John Maguire Distributor:BBC/Warner Vision International
Keywords: Africa, Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, charity, development, NGO, travel
Generations of Resistance (Motion Picture : 53 min. ) [1979]
MP-16MM 220
Abstract: Rare archival footage combined with eye witness accounts documents the rise of black nationalism in South Africa in the 20th century.
Director: Peter Davis Distributor:Villon Films
Keywords: South Africa, politics, nationalism
Gerrie and Louise (Videocassette : 75 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4558
Abstract: This documentary film focuses on newlyweds Gerrie and Louise. Gerrie Hugo is a former member of the South African military and was involved in operations in support of apartheid, including operations where civilians in opposition to apartheid were tortured. Louise Flanagan is a former journalist who covered the protests leading to the fall of apartheid and then became the principal investigator for South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Using interviews and documentary footage, the film looks at some of the operations Gerrie played a part in, and at some of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposing the actions of former government officials involved in maintaining apartheid.
Director: Sturla Gunnarsson. Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, politics, history, TRC
Guelwaar (Videocassette : 115 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 4487
Abstract: When Guelwaar, a political activist and a Christian, is mistakenly buried in a Muslim cemetery, family members, political and religious leaders become embroiled in the dispute.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, social relations, religion, politics, feature film
Guimba the Tyrant (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 2991
Abstract: This epic in the legendary past of Mali (West Africa) provides an allegory of present-day African politics. This is the story of the downfall of Guimba the tyrant. Producer/ Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko.
Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mali, Bambara, language, history, fiction, feature film
Have You Heard From Johannesburg?: Apartheid and the Club of the West (DVD : 90 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9477
Abstract: Six documentary stories chronicling the history of the global anti-apartheid movement that took on both the South African government and its international supporters, who considered South Africa an ally in the Cold War.
Director: Connie Field Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, history, politics
Heart of Soweto (The) (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Four-part series examines social life, politics and history in late-apartheid era Soweto. Examines motherhood, political imprisonment, soccer and the legacy of the Freedom Charter.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, sport, political movements, apartheid
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 1: Everything I Never Had (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Rebecca Molete and Eugenia Twala are two of over one thousand mothers who gave birth in Soweto in October 1990. Eugenia wants her baby to have everything she never had, and visits an expensive private clinic. Rebecca is cared for by a local state clinic. The film documents the weeks leading up to her giving birth and provides a portrait of the two women's lifestyle, attitudes and hopes.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, health, political movements
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 2: When You Come Back Home (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Florence Williams and Nombulelo are mothers waiting for the return of their children, one from political imprisonment, the other from exile. Mrs. Williams has been waiting for months, highly expectant since De Klerk's announcement that all political prisoners will be released. Her daughter, Pumla, is in Pretoria Central Prison.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, political movements
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 3: Klip (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Soweto is famous as the place where the Freedom Charter was adopted in 1955. In 1991, a large informal settlement lives in an area near the Freedom Charter site where the progressive vision of the Freedom Charter stands in contrast to the living conditions of the people. However, in spite of its poverty, this community has maintained a vibrant culture and strong political will of throughout the years. This documentary is creatively produced wth cheerful puppetry scenes.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, sport, political movements
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 4: Once a Pirate (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Soccer is the favorite sport among South Africans. In the dark show of apartheid, soccer has become much more than just a football game. It is a way of life. The vibrancy, dynamic images, creative songs and electrifying atmosphere characterize every game. The Orlando Pirates is one of South Africa's oldest, biggest and most celebrated clubs, and, as its fans have come to believe, once a pirate, always a pirate.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, politics, history, sport, political movements
Himba of Namibia (The) (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS. VHS 7220
Abstract: Focusing on the death of headman Vetamuna Tjambirua Uoherero, this program explores life among the Himba as they struggle with their sorrow and the volatile question of who will be the next headman.
Director: Wayne Derrick Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Namibia, Himba, politics
I Have Seen= Nda Mona (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 2 (PAL format)
Abstract: Looks at the question of reconciliation faced by victims of war crimes committed by members of the national liberation movement in Namibia, who are now governing and want the past to be forgotten and forgiven. Part 2 of the series Landscape of Memory. See also From the Ashes, The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Richard Pakleppa Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Namibia, SWAPO, war, politics, reconciliation
Images in Struggle: South African Photographers Speak (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 6442
Abstract: South African photographers speak about their work and aspirations. All are concerned to document the developing liberation struggle, as well as the lives and hopes of the South African people. Discusses the challenges to the development of the medium and the nature of their work in the 1990s. Interviews with Omar Badsha, Lesley Lawson, Rashid Lombard, Santu Mofokeng, Cedric Nunn, Zubeida Vallie, Paul Weinberg.
Director: Barry Feinberg Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, photography, apartheid, politics, history
In Search of Bin Laden (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6528
Abstract: Investigates Osama bin Laden, his followers, and the bombings of two United States embassies in Africa in 1998. This special edition of the television show Frontline has been updated to cover the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, of which bin Laden is also accused.
Director: Martin Smith Distributor:PBS Video
Keywords: Kenya, Tanzania, terrorists, bombings, politics, history
In a Time of Violence (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 151 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 2797 v. 1-3
Abstract: The most controversial program broadcast on South African television, this film provides fascinating insights into the lingering divisions confronting the country as it attempts to forge a new post-apartheid national identity. A story concerning changing values, violent cultural and political clashes and conflict among black families in Johannesburg, South Africa. Writer: Oliver Schmitz. Three episodes: The Line, All on Edge, Fire with Fire.
Director: Brian Tilley Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, politics, social change, popular culture
In the Wake of War (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8988
Abstract: Philippe Mvuyekure has spent the last five years living in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Now, he's on his way home. He's among thousands of refugees convinced that the bitter, 10-year civil war that decimated his homeland of Burundi may be coming to an end. The civil war here between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army uprooted over a million people and killed more than 300,000. But the benefits of a peace process are finally beginning to emerge. Using traditional mediation systems and peacemakers, Burundi is introducing innovative peace and reconciliation projects. The aim is to start a grass roots movement to bring a lasting peace to Burundi and its long-suffering citizens. This program examines the future for Burundi, for power sharing and for a rapprochement between warring factions.
Director: James Heer Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Tanzania, Burundi, Hutu, Tutsi, war, refugees, conflict resolution, politics
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
Isitwanlandwe (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 6443
Abstract: Historical documentary tells the story of the adoption of the South African Freedom Charter (6/26/55). Includes documentary footage and photos of the Congress and a depiction of the government's response. Contemporary interviews with leaders of the African National Congress and other organizations speak to the relevance and importance of the Freedom Charter today.
Director: Barry Feinberg Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, nationalism, civil rights, history, politics, race
J'y Crois: La Route de la Décentralisation au Mali = I Believe in It: The Path to Decentralization in Mali (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8765
Abstract: Since the 1990s, Mali has been trying to transfer political and economic power to democratically elected political bodies in decentralized communities. The film looks at the reforms from the perspective of all the Malians involved, as the government seeks to convince the people of the necessity and fairness of these policies and attempts to increase people's participation.
Director: Emile van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal, Maarten van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal Distributor:FirstRun/Icarus Films
Keywords: Mali, politics, decentralization, democracy
Kafi's Story (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7170
Abstract: This film captures Nuba life just at the moment before it was engulfed in the Sudanese civil war in 1989. The Nubian native Kafi narrates his journey to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, from his village Torogi in the Nuba Mountains.Torogi is in the middle of Sudan's encroaching civil war, between the Muslim North and the Christian South. Torogi itself is neither Muslim nor Christian and is trying to remain neutral. See also Nuba Conversations for a return ten years later. Inquiries about the film can be directed to Amy Hardie Amy Hardie at a.hardie@eca.ac.uk
Director: Arthur Howes, Amy Hardie Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, history
Keeping a Live Voice: 15 Years of Democracy in Zimbabwe (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3793
Abstract: Collects the views, opinions and reminiscences of a wide cross section of Zimbabweans on the first 15 years of their nation's independence. Writer: Edwina Spicer.
Director: Edwina Spicer Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Zimbabwe, politics, government, history
Ken Saro-Wiwa: An African Martyr (Videocassette : 23 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3900
Abstract: Ken Saro-Wiwa, the celebrated Ogoni writer and political activist, was hanged in November 1995 by the Nigerian military dictatorship. Saro-Wiwa had been campaigning for the rights of Nigeria's Ogoni people, who have suffered fromdecades of resource exploitation by foreign oil companies and oppression by the Nigerian military government. This program tells Saro-Wiwa's story through his own words and those of his wife and features the only in-depth interview he gave before his death.
Director: Mark Johnson Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Nigeria, Ogoni, politics, environment, prisoners, industry, human rights
Kenyatta (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1979]
V.CASS. VHS 8855/ DVD 9267
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in DVD format (DVD 9267). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Bellwether Group
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, history, settler colonialism, politics, nationalism, biography
Kenyatta (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9267/ VHS 8855
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 8855). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: Anthony Howarth and David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, politics, history, biography, colonialism, nationalism
Kits and Cards (DVD : 53 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9036
Abstract: For forty-five years the Congo waited for free elections. But before the election, several important items had to be in place, namely, an electoral register and voters' cards. And these things presented huge problems in a country with limited infrastructure and security. With the help of the United Nations, the European Union and advisors from Belgium, it has been accomplished. A Belgian firm shipped the computers, printers, photographic equipment, and its experts were on call. Delivering the necessary electronic kits for printing the voters' cards to a safe holding area was also a tremendous problem. The trucks were in disrepair, and their low-paid drivers did not have enough food, drink, or sleep. But with the dream of democracy near at hand, and good spirits, the people pulled together.
Director: Philippe Dutilleul Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Congo, elections, government, politics
Kuxa Kanema: La Naissance du Cinéma = Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 7888
Abstract: Discusses the history of Mozambique's National Institute of Cinema's weekly newsreel entitled Kuxa kanema. Shows the relationship between the films and President Samora Machel and FRELIMO (Mozambique Liberation Front). The original filmmakers discuss their work as a testimonial to the country, its struggles and wars.
Director: Margarida Cordoso Distributor:First Run/Icarus Film
Keywords: Mozambique, history, film, journalism, politics
Land Affairs (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1995]
VHS 9197
Abstract: Hundreds of thousands of rural South Africans, displaced during the apartheid years, want land --land which white farmers now own. On the day of two meetings held in rural Natal, one with black farmers who want land, and one with white farmers who want to keep it, Weekly Mail Television filmed a white farmer, a displaced black tenant farmer, and Derek Hanekom, the Minister of Land Affairs. An important look at still unresolved tensions facing rural South Africa.
Director: Guy Spiller Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films, NY
Keywords: South Africa, Natal, agriculture, apartheid, displacement, land affairs, politics, race relations
Landscape and Memory: Martinican Land - People - History (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8985
Abstract: French West Indies' most renowned identity theoreticians - Jean Bernabé, Patrick Chamoiseau, and Raphaël Confiant - investigate the different ways in which France, as a colonial power, marks colonized lands and peoples. In five different sections, the writers examine the possibilities of landscape as a repository for a forgotten past, Martinique's economic dependence on France, the recent 'cementification' of Martinique, the politics of commemoration, and the possibilities for Creole culture.
Director: Renée Gosson, Eric Faden Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Martinique, France, African diaspora, cultural identity, colonialism, landscape, history, economy, creolization
Landscape of Memory (Videocassette : 104 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 1-4 (PAL format)
Abstract: A documentary series of four films created as a regional project about truth and reconciliation in Southern Africa. Filmmakers from four different countries show how people are dealing with the need to reconcile themselves to the violent past each country has recently emerged from. The series includes From the Ashes, I Have Seen=Nda Mona, The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment. (4 videocassettes: 104 min.)
Director: Karen Boswall, Antjie Krog, Ronelle Loots, Richard Pakleppa, Prudence Uriri Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, history, war, reconciliation, race, apartheid, politics
Last grave at Dimbaza (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2006]
VHS 9290
Abstract: Shot illegally in the Republic of South Africa, this documentary exposes the oppression of Blacks and other people designated as 'coloured' under apartheid rule in South Africa. The film contrasts the lives of black and white South Africans, focusing on inequities in housing, education, wages and health care. This is a digitally remastered version of the original 1973 film.
Director: Chris Curling and Pascoe MacFarlane Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, economy, apartheid, race, history, politics
Liberia: America's Stepchild (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7693
Abstract: Documentary follows the parallel stories of the relationship between the United States and the African republic of Liberia. Founded as a home for freed Blacks and former slaves, the American Colonization Society also gave support to the bond between the two countries. The 1997 election of Charles Taylor to the presidency and his corrupt administration is also explored as well as the reasons for the turmoil that has destroyed Liberia since 1980. Educator's resources at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/liberia/index.html
Director: Nancee Oku Bright Distributor:PBS Home Video
Keywords: Liberia, United States, history, Charles Taylor, politics, civil war
Liberia: The Promised Land (Videocassette : 43 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 4537
Abstract: Provides an exposé of the long involvement of the U.S. in Liberia, and the events which led to the downfall of this once promising nation. Original footage and interviews document the rise and fall of successive cruel dictatorships propped up by America.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Liberia, history, politics and government
Long Night's Journey Into Day (Videocassette : 95 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS VHS 5503
Abstract: For over forty years, South Africa was governed by the most notorious form of racial domination since Nazi Germany. When it finally collapsed, those who had enforced apartheid's rule wanted amnesty for their crimes. Their victims wanted justice. As a compromise, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed. As it investigated the crimes of apartheid, the Commission brought together victims and perpetrators to relive South Africa's brutal history. By revealing the past instead of burying it, the TRC hoped to pave the way to a peaceful future.
Director: Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, politics, apartheid, history, TRC
Long Walk of Nelson Mandela (The) (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 6115
Abstract: This film biography of Mandela tells the story of his life through interviews with intimates, from his most trusted associates to his jailers on Robben Island, the prison where he was held for 27 years. This film offers an insider'saccount of his extraordinary will to lead and of the great risk and personal sacrifice he endured to achieve democracy and equality for the people of his nation.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:PBS Home Video
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, biography, politics, history
Love Stories (Videocassette : 72 min. ) [2000]
See individual titles
Abstract: South Africa's extraordinary history has produced a wealth of stories. Among the heroic tales of sacrifice in the struggle against apartheid are the love stories of ordinary people, people with fascinating, hidden worlds that were often shattered by politics. Now, from South Africa's leading documentary production company, and made by three different South African filmmakers, the Love Stories series documents three remarkable love affairs. These stories are not sweet or sentimental - they are very much of the world. Although these stories are not overtly 'political' or 'sociological,' while watching them we learn about South Africa past, and its heart. See individual titles for details: The Moon in my Pocket (Kgomotso Matsunyane), Bubbles and Me (Mary Human) and White Girl in Search of the Party (Pat van Heerden). Love Stories is a series produced by Harriet Gavshon & David Jammy.
Director: Kgomotso Matsunyane, Mary Human, Pat van Heerden Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, race relations, love narratives, romance
Lumumba (Videocassette : 115 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6818
Abstract: Dramatizes the life of Congolese revolutionary, Patrice Lumumba, who led his country to independence from Belgium in 1960. He served for less than a year as the first elected prime minister, until he was brutally assassinated.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:Zeitgeist Films
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Lumumba: La mort du prophète (Videocassette : 69 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2990
Abstract: This film recounts Lumumba's 200 day rule culminating with his assassination. Reveals how a weakened democratic movement succumbed to the only well-financed and organized force in the country---the military. Producer: Raoul Peck.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Make Believe (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1993]
VHS 9200
Abstract: In August 1993, Ordinary People (a South African television series) visited the town of Schweizer-Reineke and its neighboring township, Ipelegeng, to observe two contrasting but simultaneous ceremonies - one held for the African National Congress, the other for the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB). When the conservative white town council decided to give the 'freedom of the city' to Eugene Terre Blanche and the Wenkommando, the AWB's paramilitary group, the neighboring black township chose to honor Joe Modise, commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the ANC's armed wing. As these two diametrically opposed events are witnessed through the eyes of three of the town's children, Make Believe reveals, through their hopes and their misgivings, the future of a country where children grow up entrenched in hatred and fear. Adri supports the AWB in what she sees as a God-ordained quest against communism. Kenny, a member of the ANC's Young Pioneers, hates AWB leader Eugene Terre Blanche, but is prepared to talk to his children about a non-racial future. Niels is not taking sides, but believes that God's will will prevail. Amidst the sharply contrasting festivities, the children demonstrate their innocence as they grapple with long standing prejudices and hatreds that they do not fully comprehend. As they speak, it becomes evident that the attitudes which children like them will develop toward each other may determine South Africa's future.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus Film
Keywords: South Africa, Afrikaner Resistance Movement, apartheid, African National Congress, children, politics, race relations
Mama Awethu! (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1993]
VHS 9202
Abstract: Mama Awethu! follows the day-to-day lives of five black South African women in the townships around Cape Town, revealing the inhuman legacy of the apartheid system. Evelyn, once an African National Congress branch secretary, lives in a squatter location called Philippi and works as a cleaning woman. Iris, also from Philippi, is a member of the ANC Women's League who is involved in community politics. Sheila, a resident of Khayaletisha, is a committed activist; Dinah is new to politics; and Nopopi focuses on issues affecting women. As they share their lives with the camera, the film reveals how township life has necessitated their involvement in the struggle for better living conditions and equal rights. Although set in South Africa, the inspiring voices heard in Mama Awethu! are a call to empowerment for all women. They speak eloquently of hope in the midst of immense violence and killing. Much more than a record of South African women, Mama Awethu! is a song about life and the courage to live.
Director: Bethany Yarrow Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, Cape Town, African National Congress, apartheid, social situation, women
Mandela's Fight for Freedom (Videocassette : 145 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 6498 (2 videos- pt. 1, pt. 2)
Abstract: Part George Washington, part Abraham Lincoln, part Gandhi, South Africa's Nelson Mandela occupies a unique position in the history of the human spirit. From youthful protester, to political prisoner, to the president of a newly free nation, Nelson Mandela embodies the ideals of freedom as no other man of this time. Through a combination of moral strength, political cunning, and sheer luck, he brought about the dismantling of the hated policy of racial apartheid, without the bloodbath many feared.
Director: Mick Gold Distributor:Discovery Channel Video
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, apartheid, politics, history, biography
Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 6703
Abstract: This candid and provocative portrait of Nelson Mandela takes you to the very heart of the struggle for majority rule in South Africa.
Director: Jo Menell Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, history, apartheid, politics
Mandela: the Man (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. 2260
Abstract: This hour long presentation offers viewers a unique perspective into the life of Nelson Mandela.
Director: NA Distributor:Library Distributors of America
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, politics, race, history, apartheid
Mau Mau (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9266
Abstract: In October 1952 the British government declared a State of Emergency in Kenya in order to defeat Mau Mau. In the war that followed, fewer than 40 of 40,000 white settlers were killed while more than 15,000 Africans lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more were arrested and subjected to a humiliating and often brutal process of 'rehabilitation.' Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Reveals the secret society known as Mau Mau to have been an attempt by the white minority to discredit the rising tide of black nationalism. Using newsreel and previously inaccessible archive footage, and drawing on interviews with participants on both sides, this film examines the myth and reality of Africa's first modern guerrilla war. This film is part 2 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, Mau Mau, history, colonialism, politics, settlers, nationalism, violence, war
Mobutu, King of Zaire: an African tragedy (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 7971 1-3
Abstract: The definitive visual record of the rise and fall of Joseph Désiré Mobutu, ruler of Zaire (the Congo) for over 30 years. Drawing upon 140 hours of rare archival material found in Kinshasa, and 50 hours of interviews with those once close to him, it tells the story of the man at the heart of Central Africa's post-colonial history. Part 1. The quest for power, Part 2. The upper hand, Part 3. The end of a reign. (3 Videocassettes)
Director: Michel Thierry Distributor:Icarus/First Run
Keywords: Congo (Democratic Republic), Mobutu, history, politics
Money Lender (The): Updated for year 2000 (Videocassette : 86 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 7436
Abstract: Updated with scenes from April 2000, a documentary with criticisms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two of the most powerful financial institutions in the world. Five country case studies (Bolivia, Ghana, Brazil, Thailand, and the Philippines) are presented, discussing loans given to those countries, how the money was used and the consequences of the loans on the average citizens. Contents: 'Bolivia: Debt, Drugs and Democracy'; 'Ghana: The Model of Success'; 'Brazil: Debt, Damage and Politics'; 'Thailand: Dams and Dislocation'; 'Philippines: The Debt Fighters.'
Director: Robert Richter Distributor:Richter Productions
Keywords: Ghana, Bolivia, Brazil, Thailand, Philippines, IMF, World Bank, debt, poverty, politics, economy
Nelson Mandela: the Struggle is My Life (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [1986]
V.CASS. VHS 7986
Abstract: A documentary on the life and political career of Nelson Mandela, including interviews with persons who have known him well and footage of some of the significant newsworthy events of the South African apartheid era.
Director: Lionel Ngakane Distributor:Impact Video
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, Nelson Mandela, history, politics
Nigeria's Oil War (DVD : 24 min. ) [2006]
DVD 8737
Abstract: The Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force is a well organized crime gang that has become a key player in the world's most strategically important industry -- oil. The vast Niger Delta holds an estimated three percent of the world's oil, and to the U.S., it's a vital alternative to the oilfields of the Middle East - worth $30 billion per year. The Force wants a share of this oil revenue for the people of the Niger Delta. As their leader, Al Haji Asari Dokubo, admitted in the film, the gang has brazenly stolen oil straight out of pipelines owned by some of the world's biggest multinationals. Called 'bunkering,' the practice is costing Western oil companies hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue each year. If gangs like the Force are threatened, they can disrupt Nigeria's oil supply with ease. This could lead to economic repercussions around the world. Not that the government of Nigeria seems overly concerned about cleaning up the industry, or using its massive oil wealth to help the people - some believe that they are the biggest gang of all. 'People have now gotten to the point where they don't believe anything that the government stands for,' Nigerian human rights lawyer Ledum Mittee says. 'Instead of the oil becoming a blessing, it now becomes a curse.'
Director: Mary Ann Jolley Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Nigeria, Niger River Delta, petroleum industry, insurgency, politics, government, economy
No Easy Walk (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1987]
V. CASS. VHS 3974 v. 1-3
Abstract: Chronicles how Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe were subdued by colonial powers and later achieved independence from their oppressors.
Director: Bernard Odjija Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, colonialism, history, politics
Nuba Conversations (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7171
Abstract: Ten years after filming Kafi's Story, British filmmaker Arthur Howes re-entered the Sudan clandestinely to find out what had happened to the Nuba of Torogi. Everywhere he encountered the jihad or holy war. The fundamentalist Sudanese regime is pursuing its policy of forced assimilation through a systematic disruption of the Nuba people, by killing their cattle and burning their villages. While Nuban women hide in caves 60,000 Nuba children have been abducted to camps where they are forcibly converted to Islam. Howes estimates that 40% of the Sudanese Army is now composed of Nuba men. See also Kafi's Story.
Director: Arthur Howes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, jihad, civil war, Islam, politics, history
O Testamento do Senhor Napumoceno = Napumoceno's Will (Videocassette : 106 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4623
Abstract: The film is an epic farce from one of the world's least known but most culturally complex societies --Cape Verde. This classic tale of the hollowness at the core of provincial bourgeois life introduces English-speaking audiences to Germano Almeida, one of the outstanding writers in Portuguese today. With its novelistic breadth, the film offers a bildungsroman of a man and a society so caught up in the pursuit of conventional success and prestige it overlooks its true self almost until it is too late. Producer/Director: Francisco Manso.
Director: Francisco Manso Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cape Verde, social life, politics, colonialism, class, feature film
On Tiptoe: The Music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 7172
Abstract: Tells the inspiring story of the group that introduced South African music to the world, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The film recounts how a music affirming its deeply traditional roots has been passed down and popularized under the most hostile circumstances.
Director: Eric Simonson Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, music, apartheid, popular culture, politics
On the Rumba River (DVD : 86 min. ) [2007]
DVD 8519
Abstract: Documentary about the history and continuing popularity of Congolese Rumba with legendary Congolese musician Wendo Kolosoy, affectionately known as 'Papa Wendo,' and members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki players. This is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades, and emphasizes the importance of music in this war-torn society. On the Rumba River introduces us to this legendary musician, along with veteran members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki Players -- including Antoine Moundanda (thumb piano), Joseph Munange (saxophone), Mukubuele Nzoku (guitar), and Alphonse Biolo Batilangandi (trumpet) -- who recount their own musical experiences and attest to their personal and professional respect for Wendo. The film also treats us to musical performances by the group, in rehearsals, impromptu jam sessions, and lively public performances. The film's exploration of the history and continuing popularity of Congolese rumba is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted this African nation for decades, from the repressive regime (1965-1997) of Mobutu Sese Seko, an ongoing civil war, and a fragile contemporary peace. Extended views of Kinshasa slums and the rusted hulks of sunken boats along the Congo River reveal the physical devastation and grinding poverty of the Congo, and Wendo, in a reflective moment, laments the sad state of his country brought about by greedy politicians and fratricidal warfare.
Director: Jacques Sarasin Distributor:First Run Icarus Films
Keywords: Congo, Kinshasa, Congolese rumba, music, popular culture, performance, history, politics
Ordinary People: Following On (Videocassette : 27 min. ) [1996]
On Order
Abstract: The first chapters of Ordinary People, created in 1993, were produced in a starkly different South Africa. Amidst social and political turmoil and strife, leaders were deep in negotiations for a new order and the ramifications were being felt throughout the country's social structure. In this, the final episode of the 1995 season, Following On revisits a number of the men, women, and children featured in the inaugural series. Intercut with scenes from the first shows more than two years after they were assembled, this program reveals the repercussions that the events chronicled in five of those programs (The Peacemakers; The Lawyer, The Farmer, and The Clerk; The Tooth of the Times; The Penalty Area; and Make Believe -- see individual titles in catalogue) have had on the their subjects as they share the personal tolls the new South Africa has taken on their lives. The end result is a film which presents far more than just nostalgia and reflection as it bears witness to perhaps the most enormously tumultuous period of change in South Africa's history.
Director: Harriet Gavshon Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, human rights, sociology, politics, history
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography (Videocassette : 241 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS. Ten videocassettes (volumes five through seven concern African nations): (v. 1) Central America: Costa Rica; (v. 2) Central America: Cuba; (v. 3) South America: Brazil; (v. 4) South America: Paraguay; (v. 5) Africa: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt; (v. 6) Africa: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya; (v. 7) Africa: Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho; (v. 8) Asia: Mongolia, China, Nepal; (v. 9) Asia: Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam; (v. 10) South Pacific/Oceania: The Philippines, Kiribati.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Costa Rica, Cuba, Brazil, Paraguay, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Mongolia, China, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Oceania, the Philippines, Kiribati, politics, history, economics
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography: Vol. 5 Africa: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, politics, history, economics
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography: Vol. 6. Africa: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, politics, history, economics
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography: Vol. 7 Africa: Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho (Videocassette : 29 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, politics, history, economics
Our Friends at the Bank (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4693
Abstract: Filmed over a period of 14 months, documents the negotiations between the World Bank and Uganda in an attempt to understand and describe the relationship and its implications for Uganda. Describes the activities of James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, and Yoweri Museveni, leader of Uganda.
Director: Peter Chappell Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Uganda, World Bank, aid and development, economy, politics
Passing the Message (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1981]
VHS 9401
Abstract: Black workers under South Africa's system of apartheid produce that nation's wealth, while enjoying little of it. Passing the Message is a film about the struggle to organize trade unions for black majority in the face of a vast entanglement of repressive government policies. Three black union activists who we follow through their grassroots organizing efforts tell this story of courage and hope. Black trade unions, although legal since 1979, have had to register and operate under state control. Some unions have refused to comply. These unions have been opening a new chapter in the struggle for justice in South Africa, a chapter revealed in Passing the Message.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, labor unions, apartheid, politics, race, economy
Patient Abuse: TAC's Struggle for Treatment Access (Videocassette : 59 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7173
Abstract: The film presents the early missteps by the South African government health officials concerning AIDS. Film follows the controversial statements made by current President Thabo Mbeki which advance doubts that HIV is the cause of AIDS. Treatment Action Campaign challenges pharmaceutical companies for charging high prices for AIDS drugs. Efforts of Zackie Achmat highlighted.
Director: Jack Lewis Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, medical care, health, politics
Paying the Price (Videocassette : 27 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7421
Abstract: Paying the Price investigates the history of AIDS treatment in Africa. It details Uganda's success with a UN-sponsored program of price reduction and medical education, and South Africa's refusal to begin a national AIDS treatment program despite defeating a drug company court challenge to the government's import and manufacture of generic anti-retroviral drugs. Finally, it looks at the success of smaller local programs that are bringing hope for the future to many infected Africans. Additional materials available at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1171
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, South Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, politics, drugs
Peacemakers (The) (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1993]
VHS 9199
Abstract: This inaugural episode of Ordinary People (a South African television series) visits the 1993 rallies in Vosloorus township commemorating the Sharpeville massacre of 1961. Historically an occasion for demonstrations of unity and resistance to apartheid, this day became more dramatic when separate opposing assemblies were convened by both the Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress. The Peacemakers introduces four people at Vosloorus: Gertrude, an Inkatha-supporting peace monitor; Faith, her ANC counterpart; David, an organizer for the regional peace committee; and Clive, a policeman. As the day progresses, the truce between the warring parties is continually tested, even while all work determinedly to keep at bay the violence that has marked the conflict between these parties.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, African National Congress, apartheid, commemoration, Inkatha Freedom Party, politics, race relations
Prime Time South Africa (Videocassette : 108 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3797
Abstract: Consists of six segments from South African Broadcasting Corporation television programming. The segments were chosen to demonstrate the variety of ways the media is portraying South Africa's new, post-apartheid society. Segments include commercials and excerpts from programs entitled Soul City, Local Voter, Rhythm and Rights, Generations, and Going Up.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, media, popular culture, politics, social life
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
Race Against Time: The AIDS Crisis in Africa (DVD : 48 min. ) [2002]
DVD 8057
Abstract: The AIDS crisis in Africa is an epidemic of staggering proportions. Thirty-six million people are infected with the HIV virus worldwide, with over 25 million of them in Africa, and a staggering number of Africans -- 17 million -- have died. This film is about the inspiring work of Canadian Stephen Lewis, the United Nations Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa as he searches for solutions to the pandemic ravaging the continent. Lewis describes the 'Herculean effort' that has begun to relieve the suffering. A global trust fund has been set up through the United Nations, which has grown to $1.5 billion. Drug companies have slashed their prices for anti-viral drugs for Africans, and there is now hope for the dying. After years of denial, there is now a new willingness on the part of African leaders to confront the disease. Lewis travels to Zambia and Kenya witnessing the challenges first hand as he talks to widows of AIDS victims, who are often infected themselves. In many instances, these ill women must care for their deceased relatives' children as well as their own, despite their desperate financial situation. On the plus side, he finds many creative, community-based educational programs that feature preventive 'safe sex' songs, dances and dramas.
Director: Stephen Lewis Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Kenya, Zambia, HIV/AIDS, United Nations, politics, health, performance
Red Dust (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 110 min. ) [2004]
DVD 9029
Abstract: A political thriller set in a small South African town during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. Human rights lawyer Sarah Barcant must represent Alex Mpondo, a former political activist, who was held captive and sadistically tortured by a police officer under the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Director: Tom Hooper Distributor:HBO Video
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, thriller, reconciliation, human rights, politics, feature film
Red Hat, Where Are You Going? = Bonnet rouge, où vas-tu? (Videocassette : 47 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8123
Abstract: An analysis of the socio-political position of traditional chiefs in Burkina Faso, this film examines the role of Mossi chiefs in the West African nation. Using interviews with chiefs and their critics, and archival footage, the film looks at how the chiefs have navigated political change, and at how they interact with both the government and people today.
Director: E. Adriaan Rouveroy Van Nieuwaal Distributor:First Run/Icarus Film
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Mossi, politics and government, chieftaincy, history
Reel Voices Video Collection (DVD : 53 min. ) [2004]
DVD 3719
Abstract: Contains three short films about the lives of African immigrants living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On one DVD. See individual titles for description: Stop Killing Taxi Drivers, In Their Own Voices, Rencontrer (To Meet).
Director: Filmon Mebrahtu Distributor:Reel Voices
Keywords: United States, diaspora, immigrantion, politics, art, labor
Regopstaan's Dream (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8927
Abstract: On March 21st, 1999, at a ceremony in the Kalahari desert, a community of 300 Bushmen were granted 125,000 acres of their own land for the first time by the South African government. Twenty-five years earlier, they had been evicted from the Kalahari by the previous, apartheid government of South Africa who said that they were 'too westernized' to cohabit with the wild animals in the National Park. Forced to live in shanty conditions on a patch of land just outside the park, their eviction was just one more chapter in a history of violence and exploitation dating from the beginnings of Dutch settlement. Regopstaan Krupier was an elder in the #Khomani clan of the Bushmen who initiated the fight to regain control of their ancestral lands. Regopstaan's Dream follows the story of his son, Dawid Krupier's campaign to make the dream come true by making sure that the South African government honors their agreement to allow him and his extended family the right to live in their Kalahari home.
Director: Chris Walker Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, Kalahari, Bushmen, San, national parks, apartheid, politics, conservation, land
Regopstaan's Dream (DVD : 24 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8128
Abstract: In 1974, the South African apartheid government evicted the Bushmen inhabiting areas of the Kalahari Desert as part of an ongoing genocide against these people, which had gone on for generations. Forced to live in shanty conditions on the edge of their own land, the Khomani clan of the Bushmen initiated a fight to regain control of their ancestral lands. On 21st March 1999, at a ceremony in the Kalahari Desert, 300 of the world's remaining Bushmen were granted 125,000 acres of land by the new South African government. Regopstaan Krupier was an elder in the #Khomani clan of the Bushmen who initiated the fight to regain control of their ancestral lands. Regopstaan's Dream follows the story of his son, Dawid Krupier's campaign to make the dream come true by making sure that the South African government honors their agreement to allow him and his extended family the right to live in their Kalahari home.
Director: Chris Walker Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, Kalahari, Bushmen, San, national parks, apartheid, politics, conservation, land
Remember Mandela! (Videocassette : 31 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 1108
Abstract: A portrait of the world's most famous political prisoner, who has been in jail since 1962. It outlines his career, and shows why he was such a threat to white rule, through personal accounts.
Director: NA Distributor:Villon Films
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, apartheid, politics, history
Republic Gone Mad: Rwanda 1894-1994 (A) (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3790
Abstract: Recounts Rwanda's history from the 1885 partitioning of Africa that made it a German colony, to Belgian conquest decline, World War I, the creation of a republic under Kayibanda in 1961, and the ultimately catastrophic regime of Habyarimana. Provides background necessary to understand the recent massacres.
Director: Luc de Heusch & Kathleen de Bethune. Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, history, politics, ethnicity
Right to be Nuba (The) (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 3881
Abstract: Film maker/anthropologist Hugo D'aybaury presents the struggles felt by the Nuba people, caught in the middle of Sudan's civil war between the northern Islamic Khartoum and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army rebel forces. Writer, director, co-producer: Hugo D'aybaury.
Director: Hugo D'aybaury Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, religion, human rights
Ronde Voudou (Le) = Voodoo Dance (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1989]
V.CASS. VHS 8974
Abstract: Documents the significant role of Voodoo in Haitian culture from the perspectives of Voodoo priests, government officials, historians, and politicians.
Director: Elsie Haas Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Haiti, African diaspora, Voudou, dance, religion, politics
Rostov-Luanda (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4628
Abstract: Mauritanian director Sissako spent a year in Rostov on the Don and there became friends with a young man from Angola. This film chronicles the director's search for a friend of the past. In this personal retrospective, Sissako encounters present-day Angola and traces the great lines of Africa's recent history.
Director: Abderrahmane Sissako Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Angola, Mauritania, history, civil war, politics, social life
Sankara (Videocassette : 20 min. ) [1991]
VHS 9318
Abstract: Thomas Sankara, the late President of Burkina Faso, emerged as an idealist in a generation of young African leaders more concerned with material wealth. In office, he engineered drastic improvements, from the symbolic change of the country's name from the colonial Upper Volta to Burkina Faso ('The Country of Free and Dignified People'), to providing real health care for the country's children. On October 15, 1987, Sankara fell prey to violent African politics when he was assassinated by troops loyal to Blaise Campaore, his second in command - and life long friend.
Director: Balufa Bakupa-Kanyinda Distributor:First Run Icarus Films
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Upper Volta, history, government, politics
Setting the Grass Roots on Fire (DVD : 56 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8935
Abstract: Dr. Norman Borlaug, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, has spent his life battling against hunger and poverty in developing countries. With characteristic energy and a sense or urgency, he is setting the agenda for a 'Green Revolution' in sub-Saharan Africa as population increases overwhelm production. Borlaug grew up on a small farm in Iowa during the Depression years and trained as an agricultural scientist. He developed a lifelong determination to use science for the benefit of subsistence farmers. The film charts his struggle against third world poverty, using footage shot in Africa and Mexico over the last thirty years. In Mexico after World War II, Borlaug designed a simple approach for intensifying traditional agriculture that had dramatic results. It saved India and Pakistan from a repetition of the dreadful famine of the 1960's. Often embroiled in politics in his determination to put agriculture at the top of the agenda, he has also crossed swords with some environmentalists, who he felt had little understanding of life in developing countries. His faith has always been in small-scale farmers who are 'setting the grassroots on fire.'
Director: Tony Freeth Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Nobel Peace Prize, poverty, hunger, development, agriculture, environment
Six Days in Soweto (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1977]
V. CASS. VHS 1801
Abstract: The violent Soweto student strike of June 17, 1976 is re-lived by residents of Soweto.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, politics, history
Slavery and the Making of America. Volume 4: The Challenge of Freedom (DVD : 60 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5288 PT. 4
Abstract: The series' fourth program follows the life of Robert Smalls as it takes viewers through the Civil War, the Reconstruction and beyond. A South Carolina slave who rode a stolen Confederate ship to freedom, Smalls became a sailor in the Union Navy, bought the mansion in which he had been enslaved, and went on to a long, successful career in politics. The program follows the transformation of the Civil War from a conflict intended to restore the Union to a conflict over slavery. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves under the control of the Confederate government. The Reconstruction period that followed offered much promise to the newly freed slaves, but by the 1876 Presidential election the North had tired of dealing with civil rights and decided to leave the issue of the treatment of the freed slaves to the Southern states, where many former Confederate leaders had taken the helm of government. With Smalls' story as a framework, this final installment looks at the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and militant opposition to black rights, the end of the Reconstruction and its replacement with a whole new kind of legalized oppression. This volume is part of the Slavery and the Making of America series.
Director: Leslie Farrell Distributor:Ambrose Video Publishing
Keywords: America, Africa, overview, history, slavery, emancipation, civil war
Somalia: the Neglected Civil War (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7506
Abstract: Independent since 1960, Somalia has seen virtually constant political upheaval. Some eighty percent of the nation is under the power of guerillas and local warlords. Recently, Somalia has become a target in the post-Afghanistan 'war against terrorism'. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Zimbabwe & South Africa: Still Far from Coexistence and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Seijun Hata Distributor:Filmakers Library, Inc.
Keywords: Somalia, civil war, guerillas, politics
Songololo: Voices of Change (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 54 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 3228
Abstract: Examines the role of black resistance to apartheid in South Africa through a look at two of the nation's leading cultural activists and popular performers, poet Mzwakhe Mbuli and writer/performer Gcina Mhlophe. Through their poetry, music and storytelling, they show us the important role culture played in changing South Africa. In addition to interviews with, and dynamic performances by, both Mbuli and Mhlophe, the film includes rousing scenes of hostel dancing,church singing, township jazz and freedom songs.
Director: Marianne Kaplan Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, intellectual life, social conditions, politics and government, music, theater, poetry, popular culture, performance
Soul In Torment (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 4 (PAL format)
Abstract: Deals with the massacres carried out in Zimbabwe after independence in 1980, featuring a member of the 5th Brigade whose deeds still torment him although he has tried the channels of official restitution. Part four of the Series Landscape of Memory. See also From the Ashes, I Have Seen=Nda Mona, and The Unfolding Sky.
Director: Prudence Uriri Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Zimbabwe, independence struggles, history, politics, reconciliation
Soweto: A History (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS VHS 7521
Abstract: Completed on the eve of South Africa's first democratic election, a groundbreaking six part documentary series [each part is 26 minutes in length] which reclaims the untold story of South Africa's largest city. A wealth of extraordinary archive footage, personal and documentary photographs evoke the drama of daily life in Soweto. The six parts are: Building Matchbox City, Divide and Rule, Best of the Worst, This is Our Day, By War-the Era of the Comrades, End Beginnings. Accompanies the book by the the same name by P. Bonner and L. Seagal.
Director: Angus Gibson Distributor:Film Resource Unit, Johannesburg
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, anti-apartheid movements, politics, history
Speaking Out: Women, AIDS, and Hope in Mali (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7703
Abstract: Profiles a remarkable HIV and AIDS support project in Bamako, Mali, and three brave women who work tirelessly on behalf of the infected community. Through their work they offer inspiration and support to persons afflicted with AIDS but especially to widows and children. They hope that through their work the government of Mali will become more active at all levels in helping to combat this disease in their country.
Director: Joanne Burke Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Mali, HIV/AIDS, women, activism, politics
Stop Killing Taxi Drivers (DVD : 7 min. ) [2001]
DVD 3719
Abstract: The Philadelphia Taxi Association hastily organizes a demonstration in August 2001 to respond to the shooting death of an African immigrant taxi driver, the fourth taxi driver fatality since the beginning of the year. Fellow African immigrant drivers express their sadness, frustrations and appeal to the City of Philadelphia for protection.
Director: Filmon Mebrahtu Distributor:Reel Voices
Keywords: United States, diaspora, immigration, politics, violence, labor
Stories My Country Told Me: Tutu and the Rainbow Nation (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6134
Abstract: 'You'll never be free until we are free,' said Archbishop Desmond Tutu to the white citizens of South Africa, and thanks to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, blacks and whites alike are finally free to put down the burden of guilt and come together as one people. This program follows a busy day in the life of Nobel Laureate Tutu in 1996, which begins with a tour through his Cape Town diocese and ends with a trip to Johannesburg to greet his mentor, Trevor Huddleston, on his return to South Africa.
Director: Tim May Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: South Africa, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Desmond Tutu, history, politics, apartheid
Sugar: The Rules of the Game (Videocassette : 33 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8699
Abstract: Examines the major players in the sugar industry--European and African farmers, major sugar production companies, experts and officials. The report shows how decisions made at distant international meetings affect the lives of individuals. Antonio Maolela cuts sugar cane on a plantation in Mozambique. He earns about two euros a day. Honorio Valdunciel is a farmer from Zamora, Spain, whose main source of income comes from growing sugar beet. Though he makes a decent income, it requires hard work and much investment. The future of both men is tied to the controversial price of sugar in world markets. Sugar prices in the European Union and the U.S. are highly protected by tariffs which block competition. Narration in English with interviews in Portuguese and Spanish subtitled in English.
Director: Meritxell Ribas Distributor:Filmmakers Library
Keywords: Mozambique, Spain, sugar, economy. agriculture, politics, globalization
Sultan's Burden, The (DVD : 50 min. ) [1994]
DVD 9086
Abstract: Sultan Issa Maigari is the ruler of the northern Cameroon province of Adamawa, an area the size of England. Served by a liveried bodyguard of servants and slaves, he lives in an extraordinary thatched palace with his harem of wives and concubines and his thirty children. We are in a world of heraldry and magic, an ancient world fast disintegrating under the pressures of contempory political forces. In 1992, the Sultan allowed anthropologist Lisbet Holtedahl and award-winning director Jon Jerstad to film his life. Never before had a traditional Islamic leader granted such access to a world that seems straight out of the Arabian Nights. We see the many problems besetting the Sultan, ranging from the threat of an armed rebellion among the peasant farmers, to his impossible task of justifying support for the national Christian government to his local Moslem subjects. His courtiers criticize his rule. His own praisesinger (surely the worst praisesinger in Africa) contributes a bitter diatribe against the Sultan for his lack of generosity. The intrigues of the court are reminiscent of Shakespearean drama. Filmed as the first democratic elections in Cameroon were about to be held, The Sultan's Burden captures the myriad political and ethnic rivalries which occur all over Africa as it emerges from a colonial past.
Director: Jon Jerstad Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Cameroon, government, religion, elections, politics
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
Talk Mogadishu: Media under Fire (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8929
Abstract: Documents the operation of the independent, non-partisan radio and television station, HornAfrik, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The station's very popular talk shows allow marginalized groups, such as human rights advocates and women's groups, to speak out and be heard. HornAfrik operates in a dangerous and volatile climate, and is sometimes attacked by warlords angered by a show's content. The station requires armed guards 24 hours a day, and reporters are often harassed and their cameras confiscated by militias. Despite the perils, the founders of HornAfrik continue their broadcasts, demonstrating a possible role for the media in times of conflict.
Director: Judy Jackson Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Somalia, Mogadishu, radio, television, independent media, civil war, politics
This Crazy Thing Called Grace: Desmond Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [1997]
On Order
Abstract: The main objective of this documentary is to communicate the synthesis Desmond Tutu has made in his own mind of politics, liberation, Africanness and the practice and dedicated interpretation of the Christian faith in the context of a South Africa in full transition, as he took on the role of Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Director: Joëlle Chesselet Distributor:Journeyman Pictures
Keywords: South Africa, Desmond Tutu, TRC, religion, reconciliation
Thomas Sankara: The Upright Man (DVD : 52 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9601
Abstract: A biography of Thomas Sankara, a charismatic army captain who became the first president of Burkina Faso after a popularly-supported coup. During his four years in office before being assassinated, he instituted a wide range of progressive social and economic reforms.
Director: Robin Shuffield Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Upper Volta, Thomas Sankara, politics, development, economics, postcolonialism
Tribal Mind (The) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS. VHS 8933
Abstract: South Africa is struggling to overcome the legacy of racism and ethnic division that plagues so many countries. Against a backdrop of ongoing violence, a new breed of South Africans is struggling to create a real democracy. Is the rest of the world prepared to relinquish its own 'tribes?' Is there enough time?
Director: Torben Schioler, Gwynne Dyer Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, race, ethnicity, politics, democracy
Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela: A Son's Tribute to Unsung Heroes (DVD : 73 min. ) [2006]
DVD 6399
Abstract: Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela provides a rare inside look into the organizational and psychological dynamics of liberation movements in general and the ANC in particular. At the same time its poignant story of the bonds between a son and his father strained by our politically turbulent times has universal resonance.
Director: Thomas Allen Harris Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, liberation movements, ANC, politics, apartheid
Uku hamba 'ze = To Walk Naked (Videocassette : 13 min. ) [1995]
V.CASS. VHS 5937
Abstract: In 1990 a group of South African women protested the destruction of their homes in the squatter camps of Dobsonville by the Afrikaaner National Government. Five years later the women reflect on their experiences and describe the social stigma of stripping themselves naked to protest their oppression.
Director: Jacqueline Maingard with Sheila Meintjes and Heather Thompson Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, women, housing, politics, history
Unbannings and Mandela Freed (The) (Videocassette : 44 min. ) [1992]
V.CASS. VHS 8671
Abstract: Portrays the events surrounding the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa.
Director: NA Distributor:Film Resource Unit, Video Library & Distribution Services
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, politics, history
Unfolding of the Sky (The) (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 3 (PAL format)
Abstract: Features a dialogue between an Afrikaans woman who has reported on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, and an African woman who has been a victim of the apartheid system in South Africa. Part three of the series Landscape of Memory. See also From the Ashes, I Have Seen=Nda Mona, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Antjie Krog and Ronelle Loots Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: South Africa, women, apartheid, reconciliation, history, politics
Warrior Marks (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [1993]
V.CASS. VHS 2831
Abstract: Documentary, written and narrated by Alice Walker, about female genital mutilation in Africa. Includes interviews with victims, activists against female circumcision, and circumcizers.
Director: Pratibha Parmar Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: women, ritual, social conditions, female genital surgeries, activism, politics
Welcome to the Human Race (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 4541
Abstract: In Wolpert's earlier film, Mama I'm Crying, she documented the grassroots suffering and anger during the apartheid years. Now Wolpert follows up on some of the people from the earlier film, several of whom are now in positions of power in the new South Africa. This film shows the extraordinary meeting between two families: the eighteen-year-old son of the Zondos who was executed for planting a bomb which killed the seven-year-old son of the Smits. As the two families mourn together the loss of their children, a poignant and moving reconciliation takes place.
Director: Betty Wolpert, Matthew Wolpert Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: South Africa, politics, history, social life, apartheid
Where Truth Lies (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 8932
Abstract: This moving film is about one of the many terrible cases to come before the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Twenty-two year-old student leader Siphiwo Mtimkulu, and his friend Topsy Madaka, were shot and burned in 1982 by the feared Security Police under the former apartheid government. Gideon Nieuwoudt - nicknamed 'Notorious Nieuwoudt' - was a colonel in the Security Police. He and his colleagues are responsible for the torture, poisoning, and death of numerous black activists, including Steve Biko. In 1995 a group of top Security Police officers got a court order to block Mtimkulu's family from giving evidence before the TRC, threatening to undermine the whole process. Forty-eight hours before the deadline expired, the officers finally applied for amnesty. Filmmaker Mark Kaplan documented the case for three years, during which time Nieuwoudt met with the Mtimkulu family seeking their forgiveness with unexpected and dramatic consequences.
Director: Mark J. Kaplan Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, TRC, politics, apartheid, history, violence
White Man's Country (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9265
Abstract: The first in a three-part series that traces Kenya's history from colonialism to independence, this film deals with the arrival of the first European settlers towards the end of the 19th century and explains how, over a period of time, the African inhabitants were deprived of much of their land. It charts the actions of the Imperial British East Africa Company and uses quotes from both official letters and private journals to reveal the motives of those who sought to make Kenya a white man's country. It also recalls the treatment the Africans received at the hands of their colonial masters and discusses the founding of the first political protest movement, led by Harry Thuku, who is one of the individuals interviewed and whose funeral in 1970 opens and closes the film. The documentary makes good use of a rare collection of photographs of the period. This film is part 1 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: Anthony Howarth, David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, politics, history, colonialism, land
Who's afraid of Ngugi? (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 83 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10266
Abstract: This documentary follows acclaimed author Ngugi wa Thiong'o as he and his political activist wife Njeri journey back to Kenya after years of exile. As they are welcomed home by joyous and hopeful crowds, they also must cope with those who still find their revolutionary words and deeds threatening.
Director: Manthia Diawara Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Kenya, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, literature, politics, exile
Winnie (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [1987]
V. CASS. VHS 1153
Abstract: Presents interviews and scenes from fiery rallies with Winnie Mandela and several of her longtime supporters. Tells how the former pacifist now encourages extreme violence by Blacks against Blacks who collaborate with whites. Shows scenes of two brutal murders inspired by her fanaticism.
Director: NA Distributor:Carousel Film and Video
Keywords: South Africa, W. Mandela, politics
Witness to Truth (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9147
Abstract: WITNESS was invited by the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to produce the first video accompaniment to an official TRC report. Witness to Truth summarizes the key findings and recommendations of the TRC's report -- highlighting the key causes and consequences of the war, raising public awareness of the TRC's efforts at peace-building and encouraging civil society in Sierra Leone and beyond, in order to hold the government accountable for implementing the binding recommendations that will be issued by the TRC.
Director: Gillian Caldwell Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, TRC, civil society, politics, war
Woza Albert! (Motion Picture : 60 min. ) [1982]
MP-16MM 383
Abstract: Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngena, two black former music hall performers, have crafted a series of sketches organized around the premise that Jesus Christ (Morena in Sotho) returns to the self-proclaimed 'Christian' nation of South Africa. As one point, He turns to the audience and calls out 'Woza Albert! Rise up Albert' summoning back to life the spirit of Albert Luthuli and other martyred South African freedom fighters. The film shows the life experiences of writer-actors, the humiliation and terror suffered as well as the resiliency of Blacks in South Africa today. The film includes historical footage on Albert Luthuli.
Director: NA Distributor:Films Incorporated
Keywords: South Africa, theater, politics, Luthuli
Ye Wonz Maibel (Deluge) (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 4103
Abstract: Salem Mekuria looks at her family's history and the history and life of Ethiopia during her life.
Director: Salem Mekuria Distributor:NA
Keywords: Ethiopia, politics, revolution, youth, history
You Have Struck a Rock (Motion Picture : 28 min. ) [1981]
MP-16MM 353
Abstract: Examines the situation of women and political repression in southern Africa.
Director: NA Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, women, politics
Zimbabwe Countdown (DVD : 52 min. ) [2003]
DVD 9101
Abstract: This documentary provides a personal insight into the plight of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) under the brutal regime of Mugabe. The filmmaker, Michael Raeburn, was a white Rhodesian who has spent his life chronicling events there. In 1969, he supported African nationalists in their hopes of ending colonial rule under the racist Ian Smith. Raeburn was expelled from his country and wrote a book applauding Mugabe¹s socialist vision of the future. In this film, Raeburn details how the liberation movement he once admired has been transformed into a reign of terror. To insure his re-election, Mugabe has tortured and murdered the opposition and triggered agricultural chaos and economic ruin. The land and homes of white farmers have been seized by government supporters, and their black farmworkers have been killed. Millions starve as a result of the chaotic land distribution. Zimbabwe had been a model of a postcolonial nation, and Mugabe had pledged to ensure a place for everybody in this country. Today, the optimism of liberation has turned to despair, with rage, riots, killing and starvation rampant throughout the land. And Michael Raeburn has been forced into exile a second time, because of the color of his skin.
Director: Michael Raeburn Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zimbabwe, Mugabe, Ian Smith, colonialism, government, politics, history, race, land
Zimbabwe and South Africa: Still Far From Coexistence (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7507
Abstract: Zimbabwe still reels from the after effects of independence. Former colonials are blamed for failing to work out compensation and land reallocation, and violence against whites is on the increase. South Africa emerged from the evils of apartheid more than a decade ago, and today faces an expanding gap between the rich and poor, increasing interracial conflict, a rising crime rate, and an AIDS epidemic that is decimating the mostly black population. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Somalia: the Neglected Civil War and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Kazuta Hioki Distributor:NA
Keywords: Zimbabwe, South Africa, colonialism, apartheid, HIV/AIDS, land, politics
Page(s): 1
21 Up South Africa (DVD : 68 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9883
Abstract: Featuring scenes shot in 1992, 1999 and 2006, this documentary follows the lives of South African children -- rich and poor, black, white and 'mixed race' -- from all over the country, from the townships to the bushveldt. In the process 21 Up South Africa offers unique insights into the social and political changes occurring throughout the country since the fall of Apartheid. First filmed as 7-year-olds in 1992, these 11 individuals are ordinary South Africans growing up at a time of enormous social change. We see them now at the age of 21 making their way in the new South Africa and, as we roll back time in this unique chronicle of their lives, we also see them aged 14 and 7. We see where they started -- in township slums, old-school mansions and white suburbs -- their world divided along racial lines, as the policy of apartheid begins to crumble. While the fall of apartheid presented them with new opportunities, it also confronted them with new challenges. In successive interview sessions, characterized by disarming honesty, touches of humor and sadness, we see how their attitudes and experiences changed regarding many issues, from race relations and educational opportunities, crime and unemployment, to marriage and the AIDS crisis, which has already claimed the lives of several of the children.
Director: Angus Gibson Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, psychology, child development, history, politics
AIDS in Africa (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1990]
V.CASS. VHS 5118
Abstract: Describes the war on AIDS in Africa, where the disease cuts across the entire population, affecting men and women of reproductive age and their children, striking a continent already wracked by underdevelopment, civil strife and corruption.
Director: Roger Pyke Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, economic conditions, politics
Abolition: Broken Promises (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4420
Abstract: This program presents a grim picture of the black experience after slavery through the eyes of those who experienced it and their progeny. Topics include the Fugitive Slave Law and the Dred Scott decision; Northern political abandonment of blacks; the Ku Klux Klan; failure of the post-war land-distribution act; the role of industry; the deliberately cultivated image of black males as criminals and rapists; and the perpetuation of Jim Crow well into the 1950s.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: African Americans, social conditions, segregation, race, slavery, politics, history
About the United Nations: Africa Recovery (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 1839
Abstract: Africa today is a continent beset by drought, famine, war & debt. In Zambia, a news reporter examines these problems & discusses potential new solutions that might be applicable to the entire continent.
Director: Albert Lin Distributor:United Nations. Department of Public Information
Keywords: Zambia, politics, drought
Aimé Césaire: A Voice for History = Une voix pour l'Histoire (Videocassette : 160 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 2988 V.1-3.
Abstract: This three-part study introduces American audiences to the celebrated Martinican author who coined the term négritude and launched the movement called the A Great Black Cry'. Weaves Césaire's life and poetry into a vast tapestry featuring many of the most important artistic and intellectual figures of the past six decades. In Part I, L'Ile Veilleuse (The Vigilant Island) Césaire shows us his pays natal, its volcano, beaches and colonial towns, a tropical crossroad where Europe, Africa and America meet. From this cultural vortex, Césaire, his wife, Suzanne, and philosopher René Menil founded in 1939 the seminal literary review Tropiques. Discusses the difficulty of balancing the life of a poet with that of a practical politician for over 50 years. Part II, Au rendez-vous de la conquête (Where the Edges of Conquest Meet) moves to Paris in the 1930s where Césaire, Leopold Senghor, first president of Senegal, and the French Guyanese poet, Leon Damas, developed the concept of négritude, a world-wide revindication of African values. In Part III, La force de regarder demain (The Strength to Face Tomorrow), Césaire responds to the disappointments of the post-colonial world, the dangers of neo-colonialism. (3 videocassettes: 54, 56, 50 min.)
Director: Euzhan Palcy Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cesaire, Negritude, literature, politics, diaspora
All About Darfur (DVD : 82 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8064
Abstract: Up until now the perilous situation in Sudan has been seen only from outside the country. All About Darfur offers an opportunity to hear it explained by eloquent, diverse, even contradictory voices from within Sudan. The director talks to ordinary Sudanese in outdoor tea shops, markets, refugee camps and living rooms about how deeply rooted prejudices could suddenly burst into a wild fire of ethnic violence.
Director: Taghreed Elsanhouri Distributor:Taghreed Elsanhouri Productions
Keywords: Sudan, Darfur, genocide, civil war, ethnicity, politics, refugees, violence
Allah Tantou, God's Will Be Done (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [1991]
V. CASS. VHS 2989
Abstract: Through home movies, old newsreels, letters and fictional reconstruction of imprisonment, this film examines the life of the film maker's father, a diplomat under the Sekou Toure regime, who later disappeared into the Guinean gulag. Film reevaluates the turbulent decade of African independence and discusses its relevance to the new political order on the continent.
Director: David Achkar Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Guinea, prisoners, politics and government, drama
Allan Boesak (Motion Picture : 28 min. ) [1984]
MP-16MM 363
Abstract: Depicts Allan Boesak's work against segregation in South Africa.
Director: Hugo Cassirer and Nadine Gordimer Distributor:Felix Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, politics
Amandla!: A Revolution in Four Part Harmony (DVD : 103 min. ) [2002]
DVD 4122
Abstract: Tells the story of black South African freedom music and the central role it played against apartheid. Specifically considers the music that sustained and galvanized blacks for more than 40 years. Focuses on the struggle's spiritual dimension named for the Xhosa word for power. An uplifting story of human courage, resolve and triumph. Individuals featured include: Vusi Mahlasela, Jeremy Cronin, Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Sophie Mgcina, Dolly Rathebe, Sifiso Ntuli, Abdullah Ibrahim and Duma Ka Ndlovu.
Director: Lee Hirsh Distributor:Artisan Home Entertainment
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, nationalism, music, history, popular culture, performance, politics
Angola é A Nossa Terra (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1988]
V. CASS. VHS 6901
Abstract: Angolan women are rarely heard describing the impact of South Africa's undeclared war against their country. This moving documentary, produced in conjunction with the Organization of Angolan Women (OMA), highlights the contribution women make to the reconstruction of a country where war has consumed more than half the national budget and produced at least a million internal refugees.
Director: Jenny Morgan Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Angola, South Africa, war, women, history, politics
Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Bill Moyers (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4863
Abstract: Bill Moyers discusses with Archbishop Desmond Tutu the latter's life and work, in particular the Archbishop's struggle against apartheid.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, Desmond Tutu, history, politics
Bab el-Oued City (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. VHS 4619
Abstract: Bab El-Oued is a working class district of Algiers. A young worker commits an act which puts the entire district in turmoil.
Director: Merzak Allaouche Distributor:www.arabfilm.com
Keywords: Algeria, politics, urban life, feature film
Between Joyce and Remembrance (DVD : 68 min. ) [2004]
DVD 7638
Abstract: This video tells the story of one family, the Mtimkulu family, stretching back over two decades. Through the unfolding of personal narratives, this film raises far reaching questions about the nature of truth, forgiveness and reconciliation. It illustrates the ripple effect of an injustice, the disappearance and murder of Siphiwo Mtimkulu, twenty years ago to show how fragile the 'miracle' of South Africa's transition really is.
Director: Mark Kaplan Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, reconciliation, politics, history
Between War and Peace (DVD : 23 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8909
Abstract: Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, was relatively calm until 1980 when William Tolbert was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe after food price riots. By the late 1980s, arbitrary rule and economic collapse culminated in civil war when dissidents of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front overran much of the countryside and executed Doe. Over half of the population fled their homes in terror during its long and bloody civil war. After 14 years of anarchy, the international community has arrived in force in an attempt to stabilize the country. Many see this as Liberia's last chance. With more than 59,000 fighters (some of them children) demobilized in the last three months and another 15,000 waiting to follow, this Life program reports on Liberia's attempts to find a way of engaging the former fighters in rebuilding their country - to sustain the peace.
Director: Emily Marlow Distributor:Bull Frog films
Keywords: Liberia, conflict management, civil war, government, history, politics, development. children
Birth of a Democracy (Videocassette : 25 min. ) [1991]
VHS 9317
Abstract: On May 26, 1990, Cameroon declared itself a multi-party democracy after 30 years of totalitarian rule. This survey looks at the country's political climate and gathers the thoughts of Cameroonians from all backgrounds. Through their juxtaposed analyses, a revealing collage of the birth of a uniquely African democracy is presented.
Director: Bassek Ba Khobio Distributor:First Run / Icarus Films
Keywords: Cameroon, independence, history, politics, government
Black Man's Land Trilogy (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three films on colonialism, nationalism and revolution in Kenya: White Man's Country; Mau Mau; and Kenyatta. See individual titles for description.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, Mau Mau, Jomo Kenyatta, nationalism, politics
Black Man's Land Trilogy (DVD : 156 min. ) [1986]
Abstract: Three-part series of films consisting of White Man's Country (part 1), Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3); all of the films combine period photographs and contemporary location footage with the testimony of African and European witnesses. The trilogy covers the violence of colonial rule, white settlement and African resistance in the story of Kenya, as the British tried to make it a 'white man's country' like South Africa or New Zealand. Land was allocated, settlers welcomed, and the 'jewel of the British empire' was born. But it was African land that was taken, African labor that was used to develop it, and African taxes that kept the colonial regime solvent. How did Africans confront this process? White Man's Country tells this story. Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Kenyatta offers a biographical account of Jomo Kenyatta, the man who became Kenya's national leader and who eventually led the movement to establish an independent government.
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Facets Multimedia
Keywords: Kenya, history, settler colonialism, land, history, politics
Blood Stained Diamonds: The Diamond Empire (CD-ROM ) [2001]
HD9677 .A2 F59 2001
Abstract: CD-ROM contains both the documentary film The Diamond Empire and the companion e-book Blood Stained Diamonds. Central to the diamond's role as a romantic symbol is the belief that diamonds are one of the rarest, most precious gifts for a loved one. This documentary examines how the great myth about the scarcity of diamonds and their inflated value was created and maintained over the decades by the diamond cartel. The author has spoken publicly about what she sees as the international suppression of both the book and the film due to pressure from De Beers.
Director: Janine Farrell-Roberts Distributor:Impact Media
Keywords: diamonds, mining, politics, economic conditions, human rights
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
Burden on the Land (DVD : 52 min. ) [1991]
DVD 9044
Abstract: Filmed in the face of enormous political and geographical obstacles, Burden on the Land is a comprehensive look at Africa's future as it faces the 21st century. It addresses the root causes of famine and suggests reasons why development efforts in Africa have been so disappointing. Examining the sub-Saharan countries - Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Ivory Coast, Mali, Ethiopia and Uganda - the documentary clarifies the conflicts and interrelated issues of politics, health, environment, and culture. When the colonial powers left Africa, the political vacuum was filled by authoritarian regimes whose armies continue to keep them in power. Frequent tribal wars keep countless people refugees, fleeing from one nation to another. Despite the efforts of international relief agencies, the vast number of refugees have depleted the host countries of resources. The film shows that despite the overwhelming problems there are small successes that improve the quality of life - dams, food processing, reforestation, road building, irrigation, and animal husbandry. But basically, it proposes that Africa's future depends on developing an infrastructure while maintaining the integrity of village life.
Director: Roger Pyke Productions Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: famine, development, colonization, environment, health, politics, history
Ceddo (Videocassette : 112 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6978
Abstract: An historical epic set loosely in the 19th century, the film examines the confrontation between opposing forces in the face of Moslem expansion in Africa.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Islam, slavery, religion, politics, feature film
Chef! (Chief!) & La Tête dans les nuages (Head in the Clouds) (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4854
Abstract: In Chef!, director Jean-Marie Teno locates the roots of Africa's authoritarian regimes in the patriarchal family, reinforced by traditional kingship and the colonial experience. Teno insists that this film was not planned but imposed itself on him during a visit to his ancestral village, Bandjoun, in the Ghomala speaking region of Western Cameroon. He had gone to film dances dedicating a monument to King Kamga Joseph II, the filmmakers' great grand uncle, but the ceremony soon turned into a celebration of one-man rule, in particular Cameroonian President Paul Biya's. In La Tête dans les nuages, Teno investigates the ties between unaccountable government and an unproductive economy. Kleptocracy has become an accepted fact of Cameroonian life described by the proverb: 'The goat grazes where it is tied.' The government controlled formal sector, like its colonial predecessor, is essentially parasitical. An informal sector has emerged parallel to it which increasingly supplies the daily subsistence needs of the people. Irene, for example, works at the Ministry of Education for an unreliable and inadequate salary; she earns the money she needs to eat from selling beignets in the market. She also belongs to a tontine or 'credit union' which offers its members a pool of capital to draw on for business ventures. Such clubs, ubiquitous among African market women, help fill the economic and social vacuum left by the decay of traditional society and the unresponsiveness of the formal banking sector.
Director: Jean-Marie Téno Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cameroon, politics, history, economy, education
Chronicle of a Genocide Foretold (Videocassette : 141 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3789
Abstract: Explores the 1994 massacre of 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda. Written and directed by Danièle Lacourse, Yvan Patry. Produced by Alter-Cinè
Director: Danièle Lacourse, Yvan Patry Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, ethnicity, history, politics
Clando (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 4466
Abstract: Sobgui, a former computer programmer, drives a 'clando' cab in Douala, Cameroon's streets. He is clandestine, not just because his cab is unlicensed, but because he is hiding from his past. When a radical political group involves him in a revenge slaying of an informer, Sobgui knows that it is time to get out of Douala. He gets his chance when he is asked to find a wealthy villager's son in Germany. The film represents a dilemma facing educated Africans: whether to work to change the autocratic regimes at home or seek their fortunes abroad.
Director: Jean-Marie Téno Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cameroon, politics, feature film
Congo, Heart of Darkness (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 108 min. ) [2002]
DVD 1382
Abstract: The war in Congo is a tragedy of historic proportions, a war that has claimed more lives than all other current wars around the world. But outside of Africa, no one seems to have noticed. This 5-part series documents the scope of human suffering that the war is causing. Originally shown on Nightline; with Ted Koppel.
Director: George Murphy Distributor:ABC News Productions
Keywords: Congo, history, war, politics, refugees
Continent that Overslept: Africa, The (DVD : 58 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8285
Abstract: The award-winning investigative team of Heilbuth and Bulow (Battle of the Titans) produced this thoroughly researched program with a bold disregard for political correctness. They met with a new generation of African businessmen and intellectuals who addressed the appalling lack of progress. These Africans are outraged at the widening gap between the rich heads of state and poor subjects; the lack of a work ethic among African workers; and the fact that famine still claims so many lives when Africa could easily feed itself. The film shows that Africa is a rich area: it has 70% of the world's cobalt reserves; 46% of its diamonds; 44% of its chrome; and great hydroelectric power potential. Contrary to popular belief, Africa is not densely populated. The young, educated Africans feel that colonialism and the rich countries of the world can no longer be blamed for all the ills of Africa. As one African journalist says, 'It is unfortunate and shameful to see Africa with all her potential, always turning to the West and saying 'Give us this, give us that.' A young Kenyan businessman says he is embarrassed by an economy built on aid. Yet, he believes that a change is taking place across Africa and 'we have to take our place amongst the nations.'
Director: Poul Erik Heilbuth and Hans Bulow Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: economy, politics, government, development
Controlling Interest: the World of the Multinational Corporation (Motion Picture : 45 min. ) [1978]
MP-16MM 219
Abstract: Examines the scale and underlying dynamics of multinational corporate expansion, and shows the deleterious social and economic effects of the multinationals' power in both the U.S. and the Third World. Includes interviews with several corporate executives and with workers in a small New England city faced with the threat of a runaway shop. Investigates the role of the multi-nationals in influencing U.S. government policy in underdeveloped nations.
Director: Larry Adelman Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: economics, politics, business, development
Countdown to Freedom: 10 Days that Changed South Africa (Videocassette : 97 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS. VHS 8541
Abstract: Examines a critical moment of South African history in the days leading up to the country's first multi-racial democratic election, from April 23 to May 2, 1994, and the election of Nelson Mandela as President, with background on key people and historical events.
Director: Danny Schechter Distributor:Globalvision
Keywords: South Africa, politics, elections, Nelson Mandela, history
Curse of Congo (The): A Story of Wealth, Exploitation, and Ruin (DVD : 57 min. ) [2002]
DVD 8650
Abstract: Reports on the bleak prospects of the noncombatant Congolese population, caught in the crossfire of opposing armies, decimated by disease and malnutrition, and exploited by the greed of others for their nation's valuable natural resources.
Director: hosted by Ted Koppel Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Congo, history, war, health, economics, politics
Daresalam (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 7168
Abstract: This feature film focuses on two young men caught up in the civil war in Chad. It begins in the 1970s with the story of Koni and Djimi as the central government invades their village and insists on buying the farmer's millet at below market price and then browbeats the villagers into paying taxes to help fight the war. When they resist the government burns the village and massacres the inhabitants. Djimi, wounded, remains behind with the hard-liners, while Koni joins a faction which supports compromise with the government.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Daresalam (DVD : 105 min. ) [2000]
DVD7329
Abstract: Daresalam is the first African feature film to focus on the civil wars convulsing the continent from Sierra Leone to Somalia. It provides compelling insights into how ordinary people around the world get swept up in extraordinary events. Its timeless story of two childhood friends turned into political foes personalizes the terrible costs of internecine strife.
Director: Issa Serge Coelo Distributor:Kino International & California Newsreel
Keywords: Chad, civil war, friendship, history, politics, feature film
Day with the President (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3253
Abstract: The camera accompanies Nelson Mandela throughout his extremely busy work day as he meets the challenges facing the new South Africa. To mark the anniversary of Nelson Mandela's inauguration as President of South Africa, Weekly Mail Television filmed this special edition of Ordinary People. Filmmakers spent 19 hours with President Mandela in four cities. He is shown at work, at his official residence and with various persons who work closely with him.
Director: N. Hofmeyer Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, government, politics
Deadline, The (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1996]
VHS 9184
Abstract: Filmed during the closing stages of South Africa's Constitutional Assembly, The Deadline is an inside look at the 'realpolitik' negotiations. May 10th, 1996 was chosen by the major South African political parties as the deadline for the new constitution. Following the first democratic elections (April, 1994), the ANC-led parliament set about the two-year task of creating a blue-print for an apartheid-free society, a blueprint that was to include a set of inalienable rights. By the final four weeks most of the Constitution had been written, but disputes over a few key issues - property rights, labor rights, education, and language - remained. Tension grew as the deadline loomed, and the playful camaraderie that had characterized much of the negotiations gave way to open antagonism, accusations, and counter-accusations. A deadlock over outstanding issues continued until the final night, threatening to derail the transition to democracy. The Deadline, commissioned by the Constitutional Assembly, provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at one of the most historic and dramatic constitutional processes of the 20th century.
Director: Harriet Gavshon Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, African National Congress, South African constitution, history, law, politics
Debt of Dictators (The) (DVD : 46 min. ) [2005]
DVD 9422
Abstract: The Debt of Dictators is the first film to expose the nefarious lending of billions of dollars by multinational banks and international financial institutions to brutal dictators throughout the world. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, asserts that transnational banks 'know the price of everything, but have no values.' The Debt of Dictators reveals the impoverishment resulting from the odious debts incurred to multinational lending institutions by these dictators. The film transports viewers to Argentina, South Africa, and the Philippines, where they come face to face with those suffering from the sacrifice of essential social services in order to repay these illegitimate debts.
Director: Erling Borgen Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, debt, economics, dictatorship, politics, poverty, development
Deniers Colons (Les) = Last Colonials (The) (Videocassette : 61 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3249
Abstract: Visits with the last of the white population living in Zaire. They are managers, missionaries, businessmen and land owners who have chosen to settle in the heart of Africa, and who remain there in spite of the violence and danger. They reminisce on the 'good old days of the colonial era' and reveal shattered dreams in a country they thought might have been the new El Dorado.
Director: Thierry Michel Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo, politics, government, colonialism, social conditions, history
Diamond Life (The) (Videocassette : 7 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8973
Abstract: The Revolutionary United Front's (RUF) attack on Freetown in January of 1999 was the culmination of a decade-long and bloody struggle between the RUF and the government of Sierra Leone. The rebel forces, bolstered by the former Sierra Leonean Army, which had turned on the government, swept into the city, killing, mutilating, and raping thousands in the continuing war over the control of the country's rich diamond fields. RUF units burned houses with civilians inside, shot and raped people at random, killing an estimated 6,000 people in the span of three weeks. Since 1990, half the country's population of five million has been displaced. Today, Sierra Leone produces more refugees than any other country in Africa. The country is full of war victims, whose amputated limbs serve as living testimony to the brutality of the rebels. The Diamond Life provides a disturbing glimpse into the greed and violence that fuels the Sierra Leone region's brutal diamond war.
Director: Stephen Marshall, Josh Shore Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, violence, politics, history, refugees
Diamonds and Rust (Videocassette : 74 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7190
Abstract: On a trawler moored off the coast of Namibia, diamond mining goes on around the clock, but the extraction is muddied by politics, and fraught with racial tension. The crew is made up of white South Africans spouting racist jokes, Cubans who write poetry and speak of love, an Israeli security manager who makes himself the enemy, and Namibian deckhands who find themselves colonized off the coast of their own country. Obtrusively, without commentary, Diamonds and Rust takes us into the daily life of this international crew working in the service of a faceless mining conglomerate. As they battle with the failing mechanisms of the rusty old ship, the men are drawn into contemplation of their situation and its dubious rewards. Directors Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz received permission to film everyday life on the Spirit of Namibia from diamond exporter De Beers, the result-which shows fraying tempers, racist attitudes, a deteriorating vessel and front office indifference-hardly flatters the company.
Director: Adi Barash, Ruthie Shatz Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Namibia, mining, economy, labor, race, feature film
Domestic Differences (Videocassette : 47 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 6440
Abstract: Depicts South African society during the ten days leading up to the 1994 election through a comparison of the lives and views of a prosperous white family in a a residential suburb of Cape Town and their maid and her family in Transkei.
Director: Nanette Burstein Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, elections, politics, history, race, social conditions
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
Drilling Fields (The) (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 5034
Abstract: Looks at the land rights dispute in the Niger Delta area between the Nigerian government, the indigenous Ogoni people and the Shell Oil Company (Part of the Cutting Edge series).
Director: Glenn Ellis Distributor:Catma Films
Keywords: Nigeria, Ogoni, human rights, pollution, environment, politics and government, history
Emitaï (Videocassette : 96 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6976
Abstract: Depicts the clash between French colonialists and the Dyulas, an African people, in the closing days of World War II. Depicts the history and myths of this Senegalese people.
Director: Ousmane Sembêne Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, Dyula, colonialism, World War II, history, politics, feature film
Facing the Truth (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 4865 Pt.1 & Pt. 2
Abstract: Bill Moyers describes the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), providing footage of TRC hearings and interviews with apartheid victims and others. (2 videocassettes: 60 min. each)
Director: Gail Pellet Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, politics, apartheid, TRC
Fela: musique au poing = Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: Music is the Weapon (DVD : 53 min. ) [2004]
DVD 5064
Abstract: Filmed in 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria, the documentary mixes footage of Fela Anikulapo Kuti performing at his Shrine nightclub. Interviews with the controversial musician, glimpses of life at his not-so-palatial Kalakuta Republic compound, and scenes of Lagos street life.
Director: Stéphane Tchal-Gaddjieff Distributor:Geffen Records, Santa Monica, CA
Keywords: Nigeria, Lagos, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, afro-beat, biography, music performance, popular culture, politics
Finye =The Wind (Videocassette : 105 min. ) [1982]
VHS 9315
Abstract: Vivid social satire with overtones of Romeo and Juliet, Finye (The Wind) tackles the generation gap in post-colonial West Africa. Its heroine is the pot smoking daughter of a provincial military governor who falls in love with a fellow university student, the descendent of one of Mali's chiefs of an earlier age. Both families object to the union and to the lover's growing involvement in student strikes against the corrupt government. A mix of politics, romance and social commentary, Finye casts a critical eye on both the ancient and modern values.
Director: Souleymane Cissé Distributor:Kine International
Keywords: Mali, West Africa, feature film
Flame (Videocassette : 85 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3794
Abstract: Feature film depicting the role of women fighters in the Zimbabwean liberation struggle.
Director: Ingrid Sinclair Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Zimbabwe, women, national liberation movements, politics, feature film
Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict ( A) (Videocassette : 174 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6141 Parts 1-6
Abstract: This six-part series tells one of the 20th century's most important and least-known stories-- how nonviolent power overcame oppression and authoritarian rule. In South Africa in 1907, Mohandas Gandhi led Indian immigrants in a nonviolent fight for rights denied them by white rulers. The power that Gandhi pioneered has been used by underdogs on every continent and in every decade of the 20th century, to fight for their rights and freedom. Includes segments on South Africa, India, Denmark, Poland, Chile, and the U.S.
Director: Steve York Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, nonviolence, Gandhi, politics
Forsaken Cries: the Story of Rwanda (Videocassette : 35 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 3838
Abstract: In 1994, close to one million people were killed in Rwanda. This documentary examines Rwanda as a case study of the human rights challenge of the 21st century. Incorporates historical footage, interviews, analyses. Produced by: Amnesty International, USA.
Director: NA Distributor:Amnesty International
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, history, politics, ethnicity
Freedom Now, 1947 (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4210
Abstract: In 1947, 160 years of British rule came to an end as India became the world's largest democracy, inspiring the fight for freedom on another continent. This film talks with the people who witnessed and participated in the struggle for independence in India and Africa. While Mohandas Gandhi showed the world how the masses could successfully defy their imperial masters, his example spurred others on: European empires in Africa and Asia began to crumble, and in short order, Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, and dozens more would win their freedom.
Director: Jennifer Clayton Distributor:WGBH Boston Video
Keywords: Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Mozambique, history, Gandhi, politics, colonialism
From the Ashes (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 1 (PAL format)
Abstract: Shows how people in a small Mozambican village are working towards reconciliation following the civil war. Part one of the series Landscape of Memory. See also I Have Seen=Nda Mona,'The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Mozambique, civil war, reconciliation, history, politics
Geldoff in Africa (DVD : 240 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5559
Abstract: If Bob Geldof had never seen news footage of the horrific famine in Ethiopia back in the mid-'80s, he might have carried on in relative obscurity, making so-so records with his band the Boomtown Rats. But see it he did, which led to Band Aid (and 'Do They Know It's Christmas' ), Live Aid, Live 8, knighthood, and now Geldof in Africa, a profound, provocative, beautifully made six-part series that aired in 2005 on Britain's BBC. Sir Bob, who narrates both on- and off-screen, visited many parts of what he calls the Luminous Continent (as opposed to the Dark Continent moniker that was ironically bestowed on Africa by Europeans whose own countries were often gray and grim), including Somaliland, a sort of non-country whose very existence isn't acknowledged by any other nation; Ghana, from which slaves were once shipped to America and elsewhere; the Congo, the true heart of darkness, which still bears the ugly scars of Belgian colonization; the Sahara desert, where 'you discover the absolute insignificance of you'; Uganda, where a brutal 'rebel leader' abducts children and turns them into sex slaves and soldiers; and Ethiopia, where it all started for Geldof (and where conditions are actually improving). But Geldof and producer-director John Maguire's film is not a travelogue. Nor is it a scientific documentary, although we learn something about geography, anthropology, meteorology, geology, agriculture, history, religion, and, inevitably, politics. What distinguishes Geldof in Africa is the presence of Geldof himself. An excellent writer and articulate speaker, he brings a decidedly subjective point of view to the work. 'I can't do slick television,' he admits; neither cynical nor naïve, he says exactly what he thinks, and expresses his wonder, fascination, rage, grief, sympathy, blame, and hope with a quiet passion that compels the viewer to feel those things as well. The camera work is flawless throughout, with shot after shot of breathtaking beauty, and Pete Briquette's music provides graceful accompaniment. Extras include audio commentary by Geldof and Maguire, deleted scenes, photos, and a Geldof interview. --Sam Graham
Director: John Maguire Distributor:BBC/Warner Vision International
Keywords: Africa, Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, charity, development, NGO, travel
Generations of Resistance (Motion Picture : 53 min. ) [1979]
MP-16MM 220
Abstract: Rare archival footage combined with eye witness accounts documents the rise of black nationalism in South Africa in the 20th century.
Director: Peter Davis Distributor:Villon Films
Keywords: South Africa, politics, nationalism
Gerrie and Louise (Videocassette : 75 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4558
Abstract: This documentary film focuses on newlyweds Gerrie and Louise. Gerrie Hugo is a former member of the South African military and was involved in operations in support of apartheid, including operations where civilians in opposition to apartheid were tortured. Louise Flanagan is a former journalist who covered the protests leading to the fall of apartheid and then became the principal investigator for South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Using interviews and documentary footage, the film looks at some of the operations Gerrie played a part in, and at some of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposing the actions of former government officials involved in maintaining apartheid.
Director: Sturla Gunnarsson. Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, politics, history, TRC
Guelwaar (Videocassette : 115 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 4487
Abstract: When Guelwaar, a political activist and a Christian, is mistakenly buried in a Muslim cemetery, family members, political and religious leaders become embroiled in the dispute.
Director: Ousmane Sembène Distributor:New Yorker Films
Keywords: Senegal, social relations, religion, politics, feature film
Guimba the Tyrant (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 2991
Abstract: This epic in the legendary past of Mali (West Africa) provides an allegory of present-day African politics. This is the story of the downfall of Guimba the tyrant. Producer/ Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko.
Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mali, Bambara, language, history, fiction, feature film
Have You Heard From Johannesburg?: Apartheid and the Club of the West (DVD : 90 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9477
Abstract: Six documentary stories chronicling the history of the global anti-apartheid movement that took on both the South African government and its international supporters, who considered South Africa an ally in the Cold War.
Director: Connie Field Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, history, politics
Heart of Soweto (The) (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Four-part series examines social life, politics and history in late-apartheid era Soweto. Examines motherhood, political imprisonment, soccer and the legacy of the Freedom Charter.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, sport, political movements, apartheid
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 1: Everything I Never Had (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Rebecca Molete and Eugenia Twala are two of over one thousand mothers who gave birth in Soweto in October 1990. Eugenia wants her baby to have everything she never had, and visits an expensive private clinic. Rebecca is cared for by a local state clinic. The film documents the weeks leading up to her giving birth and provides a portrait of the two women's lifestyle, attitudes and hopes.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, health, political movements
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 2: When You Come Back Home (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Florence Williams and Nombulelo are mothers waiting for the return of their children, one from political imprisonment, the other from exile. Mrs. Williams has been waiting for months, highly expectant since De Klerk's announcement that all political prisoners will be released. Her daughter, Pumla, is in Pretoria Central Prison.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, political movements
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 3: Klip (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Soweto is famous as the place where the Freedom Charter was adopted in 1955. In 1991, a large informal settlement lives in an area near the Freedom Charter site where the progressive vision of the Freedom Charter stands in contrast to the living conditions of the people. However, in spite of its poverty, this community has maintained a vibrant culture and strong political will of throughout the years. This documentary is creatively produced wth cheerful puppetry scenes.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, motherhood, politics, history, sport, political movements
Heart of Soweto (The), Part 4: Once a Pirate (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1991]
ON-ORDER
Abstract: Soccer is the favorite sport among South Africans. In the dark show of apartheid, soccer has become much more than just a football game. It is a way of life. The vibrancy, dynamic images, creative songs and electrifying atmosphere characterize every game. The Orlando Pirates is one of South Africa's oldest, biggest and most celebrated clubs, and, as its fans have come to believe, once a pirate, always a pirate.
Director: NA Distributor:Video News Services Double Exposure
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, social life, politics, history, sport, political movements
Himba of Namibia (The) (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS. VHS 7220
Abstract: Focusing on the death of headman Vetamuna Tjambirua Uoherero, this program explores life among the Himba as they struggle with their sorrow and the volatile question of who will be the next headman.
Director: Wayne Derrick Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Namibia, Himba, politics
I Have Seen= Nda Mona (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 2 (PAL format)
Abstract: Looks at the question of reconciliation faced by victims of war crimes committed by members of the national liberation movement in Namibia, who are now governing and want the past to be forgotten and forgiven. Part 2 of the series Landscape of Memory. See also From the Ashes, The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Richard Pakleppa Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Namibia, SWAPO, war, politics, reconciliation
Images in Struggle: South African Photographers Speak (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [1990]
V. CASS. VHS 6442
Abstract: South African photographers speak about their work and aspirations. All are concerned to document the developing liberation struggle, as well as the lives and hopes of the South African people. Discusses the challenges to the development of the medium and the nature of their work in the 1990s. Interviews with Omar Badsha, Lesley Lawson, Rashid Lombard, Santu Mofokeng, Cedric Nunn, Zubeida Vallie, Paul Weinberg.
Director: Barry Feinberg Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, photography, apartheid, politics, history
In Search of Bin Laden (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6528
Abstract: Investigates Osama bin Laden, his followers, and the bombings of two United States embassies in Africa in 1998. This special edition of the television show Frontline has been updated to cover the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, of which bin Laden is also accused.
Director: Martin Smith Distributor:PBS Video
Keywords: Kenya, Tanzania, terrorists, bombings, politics, history
In a Time of Violence (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 151 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 2797 v. 1-3
Abstract: The most controversial program broadcast on South African television, this film provides fascinating insights into the lingering divisions confronting the country as it attempts to forge a new post-apartheid national identity. A story concerning changing values, violent cultural and political clashes and conflict among black families in Johannesburg, South Africa. Writer: Oliver Schmitz. Three episodes: The Line, All on Edge, Fire with Fire.
Director: Brian Tilley Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, politics, social change, popular culture
In the Wake of War (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [2004]
V.CASS. VHS 8988
Abstract: Philippe Mvuyekure has spent the last five years living in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Now, he's on his way home. He's among thousands of refugees convinced that the bitter, 10-year civil war that decimated his homeland of Burundi may be coming to an end. The civil war here between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army uprooted over a million people and killed more than 300,000. But the benefits of a peace process are finally beginning to emerge. Using traditional mediation systems and peacemakers, Burundi is introducing innovative peace and reconciliation projects. The aim is to start a grass roots movement to bring a lasting peace to Burundi and its long-suffering citizens. This program examines the future for Burundi, for power sharing and for a rapprochement between warring factions.
Director: James Heer Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Tanzania, Burundi, Hutu, Tutsi, war, refugees, conflict resolution, politics
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
Isitwanlandwe (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 6443
Abstract: Historical documentary tells the story of the adoption of the South African Freedom Charter (6/26/55). Includes documentary footage and photos of the Congress and a depiction of the government's response. Contemporary interviews with leaders of the African National Congress and other organizations speak to the relevance and importance of the Freedom Charter today.
Director: Barry Feinberg Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, nationalism, civil rights, history, politics, race
J'y Crois: La Route de la Décentralisation au Mali = I Believe in It: The Path to Decentralization in Mali (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8765
Abstract: Since the 1990s, Mali has been trying to transfer political and economic power to democratically elected political bodies in decentralized communities. The film looks at the reforms from the perspective of all the Malians involved, as the government seeks to convince the people of the necessity and fairness of these policies and attempts to increase people's participation.
Director: Emile van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal, Maarten van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal Distributor:FirstRun/Icarus Films
Keywords: Mali, politics, decentralization, democracy
Kafi's Story (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7170
Abstract: This film captures Nuba life just at the moment before it was engulfed in the Sudanese civil war in 1989. The Nubian native Kafi narrates his journey to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, from his village Torogi in the Nuba Mountains.Torogi is in the middle of Sudan's encroaching civil war, between the Muslim North and the Christian South. Torogi itself is neither Muslim nor Christian and is trying to remain neutral. See also Nuba Conversations for a return ten years later. Inquiries about the film can be directed to Amy Hardie Amy Hardie at a.hardie@eca.ac.uk
Director: Arthur Howes, Amy Hardie Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, history
Keeping a Live Voice: 15 Years of Democracy in Zimbabwe (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3793
Abstract: Collects the views, opinions and reminiscences of a wide cross section of Zimbabweans on the first 15 years of their nation's independence. Writer: Edwina Spicer.
Director: Edwina Spicer Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Zimbabwe, politics, government, history
Ken Saro-Wiwa: An African Martyr (Videocassette : 23 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3900
Abstract: Ken Saro-Wiwa, the celebrated Ogoni writer and political activist, was hanged in November 1995 by the Nigerian military dictatorship. Saro-Wiwa had been campaigning for the rights of Nigeria's Ogoni people, who have suffered fromdecades of resource exploitation by foreign oil companies and oppression by the Nigerian military government. This program tells Saro-Wiwa's story through his own words and those of his wife and features the only in-depth interview he gave before his death.
Director: Mark Johnson Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Nigeria, Ogoni, politics, environment, prisoners, industry, human rights
Kenyatta (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1979]
V.CASS. VHS 8855/ DVD 9267
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in DVD format (DVD 9267). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:Bellwether Group
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, history, settler colonialism, politics, nationalism, biography
Kenyatta (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9267/ VHS 8855
Abstract: Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978 brought to an end a political career that encompassed more than 50 years of African history. Kenyatta entered politics in the mid-1920s and then spent 17 years in exile in Europe. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and in 1947 took over leadership of the Kenya African Union. Arrested and imprisoned in 1952 in the wake of the mau mau uprising, he was released in 1961 and two years later became Kenya's first Prime Minister. In power, the man whom Europeans had once reviled as 'the leader to darkness and death' was eulogized by them as a pillar of stability. This film weaves archival and contemporary images with interviews with friends and relatives, comrades and opponents to create a biographical portrait of a key figure in 20th century politics, and a case study of nationalism as a political force in Africa. Also available in videocassette format (VHS 8855). This film is part 3 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Mau Mau (part 2).
Director: Anthony Howarth and David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, politics, history, biography, colonialism, nationalism
Kits and Cards (DVD : 53 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9036
Abstract: For forty-five years the Congo waited for free elections. But before the election, several important items had to be in place, namely, an electoral register and voters' cards. And these things presented huge problems in a country with limited infrastructure and security. With the help of the United Nations, the European Union and advisors from Belgium, it has been accomplished. A Belgian firm shipped the computers, printers, photographic equipment, and its experts were on call. Delivering the necessary electronic kits for printing the voters' cards to a safe holding area was also a tremendous problem. The trucks were in disrepair, and their low-paid drivers did not have enough food, drink, or sleep. But with the dream of democracy near at hand, and good spirits, the people pulled together.
Director: Philippe Dutilleul Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Congo, elections, government, politics
Kuxa Kanema: La Naissance du Cinéma = Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 7888
Abstract: Discusses the history of Mozambique's National Institute of Cinema's weekly newsreel entitled Kuxa kanema. Shows the relationship between the films and President Samora Machel and FRELIMO (Mozambique Liberation Front). The original filmmakers discuss their work as a testimonial to the country, its struggles and wars.
Director: Margarida Cordoso Distributor:First Run/Icarus Film
Keywords: Mozambique, history, film, journalism, politics
Land Affairs (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1995]
VHS 9197
Abstract: Hundreds of thousands of rural South Africans, displaced during the apartheid years, want land --land which white farmers now own. On the day of two meetings held in rural Natal, one with black farmers who want land, and one with white farmers who want to keep it, Weekly Mail Television filmed a white farmer, a displaced black tenant farmer, and Derek Hanekom, the Minister of Land Affairs. An important look at still unresolved tensions facing rural South Africa.
Director: Guy Spiller Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films, NY
Keywords: South Africa, Natal, agriculture, apartheid, displacement, land affairs, politics, race relations
Landscape and Memory: Martinican Land - People - History (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8985
Abstract: French West Indies' most renowned identity theoreticians - Jean Bernabé, Patrick Chamoiseau, and Raphaël Confiant - investigate the different ways in which France, as a colonial power, marks colonized lands and peoples. In five different sections, the writers examine the possibilities of landscape as a repository for a forgotten past, Martinique's economic dependence on France, the recent 'cementification' of Martinique, the politics of commemoration, and the possibilities for Creole culture.
Director: Renée Gosson, Eric Faden Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Martinique, France, African diaspora, cultural identity, colonialism, landscape, history, economy, creolization
Landscape of Memory (Videocassette : 104 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 1-4 (PAL format)
Abstract: A documentary series of four films created as a regional project about truth and reconciliation in Southern Africa. Filmmakers from four different countries show how people are dealing with the need to reconcile themselves to the violent past each country has recently emerged from. The series includes From the Ashes, I Have Seen=Nda Mona, The Unfolding Sky, and Soul in Torment. (4 videocassettes: 104 min.)
Director: Karen Boswall, Antjie Krog, Ronelle Loots, Richard Pakleppa, Prudence Uriri Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, history, war, reconciliation, race, apartheid, politics
Last grave at Dimbaza (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2006]
VHS 9290
Abstract: Shot illegally in the Republic of South Africa, this documentary exposes the oppression of Blacks and other people designated as 'coloured' under apartheid rule in South Africa. The film contrasts the lives of black and white South Africans, focusing on inequities in housing, education, wages and health care. This is a digitally remastered version of the original 1973 film.
Director: Chris Curling and Pascoe MacFarlane Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, economy, apartheid, race, history, politics
Liberia: America's Stepchild (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7693
Abstract: Documentary follows the parallel stories of the relationship between the United States and the African republic of Liberia. Founded as a home for freed Blacks and former slaves, the American Colonization Society also gave support to the bond between the two countries. The 1997 election of Charles Taylor to the presidency and his corrupt administration is also explored as well as the reasons for the turmoil that has destroyed Liberia since 1980. Educator's resources at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/liberia/index.html
Director: Nancee Oku Bright Distributor:PBS Home Video
Keywords: Liberia, United States, history, Charles Taylor, politics, civil war
Liberia: The Promised Land (Videocassette : 43 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 4537
Abstract: Provides an exposé of the long involvement of the U.S. in Liberia, and the events which led to the downfall of this once promising nation. Original footage and interviews document the rise and fall of successive cruel dictatorships propped up by America.
Director: NA Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Liberia, history, politics and government
Long Night's Journey Into Day (Videocassette : 95 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS VHS 5503
Abstract: For over forty years, South Africa was governed by the most notorious form of racial domination since Nazi Germany. When it finally collapsed, those who had enforced apartheid's rule wanted amnesty for their crimes. Their victims wanted justice. As a compromise, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed. As it investigated the crimes of apartheid, the Commission brought together victims and perpetrators to relive South Africa's brutal history. By revealing the past instead of burying it, the TRC hoped to pave the way to a peaceful future.
Director: Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, politics, apartheid, history, TRC
Long Walk of Nelson Mandela (The) (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 6115
Abstract: This film biography of Mandela tells the story of his life through interviews with intimates, from his most trusted associates to his jailers on Robben Island, the prison where he was held for 27 years. This film offers an insider'saccount of his extraordinary will to lead and of the great risk and personal sacrifice he endured to achieve democracy and equality for the people of his nation.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:PBS Home Video
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, biography, politics, history
Love Stories (Videocassette : 72 min. ) [2000]
See individual titles
Abstract: South Africa's extraordinary history has produced a wealth of stories. Among the heroic tales of sacrifice in the struggle against apartheid are the love stories of ordinary people, people with fascinating, hidden worlds that were often shattered by politics. Now, from South Africa's leading documentary production company, and made by three different South African filmmakers, the Love Stories series documents three remarkable love affairs. These stories are not sweet or sentimental - they are very much of the world. Although these stories are not overtly 'political' or 'sociological,' while watching them we learn about South Africa past, and its heart. See individual titles for details: The Moon in my Pocket (Kgomotso Matsunyane), Bubbles and Me (Mary Human) and White Girl in Search of the Party (Pat van Heerden). Love Stories is a series produced by Harriet Gavshon & David Jammy.
Director: Kgomotso Matsunyane, Mary Human, Pat van Heerden Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, race relations, love narratives, romance
Lumumba (Videocassette : 115 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 6818
Abstract: Dramatizes the life of Congolese revolutionary, Patrice Lumumba, who led his country to independence from Belgium in 1960. He served for less than a year as the first elected prime minister, until he was brutally assassinated.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:Zeitgeist Films
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Lumumba: La mort du prophète (Videocassette : 69 min. ) [1992]
V. CASS. VHS 2990
Abstract: This film recounts Lumumba's 200 day rule culminating with his assassination. Reveals how a weakened democratic movement succumbed to the only well-financed and organized force in the country---the military. Producer: Raoul Peck.
Director: Raoul Peck Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Congo, Lumumba, assassination, civil war, history, politics, feature film
Make Believe (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1993]
VHS 9200
Abstract: In August 1993, Ordinary People (a South African television series) visited the town of Schweizer-Reineke and its neighboring township, Ipelegeng, to observe two contrasting but simultaneous ceremonies - one held for the African National Congress, the other for the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB). When the conservative white town council decided to give the 'freedom of the city' to Eugene Terre Blanche and the Wenkommando, the AWB's paramilitary group, the neighboring black township chose to honor Joe Modise, commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the ANC's armed wing. As these two diametrically opposed events are witnessed through the eyes of three of the town's children, Make Believe reveals, through their hopes and their misgivings, the future of a country where children grow up entrenched in hatred and fear. Adri supports the AWB in what she sees as a God-ordained quest against communism. Kenny, a member of the ANC's Young Pioneers, hates AWB leader Eugene Terre Blanche, but is prepared to talk to his children about a non-racial future. Niels is not taking sides, but believes that God's will will prevail. Amidst the sharply contrasting festivities, the children demonstrate their innocence as they grapple with long standing prejudices and hatreds that they do not fully comprehend. As they speak, it becomes evident that the attitudes which children like them will develop toward each other may determine South Africa's future.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus Film
Keywords: South Africa, Afrikaner Resistance Movement, apartheid, African National Congress, children, politics, race relations
Mama Awethu! (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1993]
VHS 9202
Abstract: Mama Awethu! follows the day-to-day lives of five black South African women in the townships around Cape Town, revealing the inhuman legacy of the apartheid system. Evelyn, once an African National Congress branch secretary, lives in a squatter location called Philippi and works as a cleaning woman. Iris, also from Philippi, is a member of the ANC Women's League who is involved in community politics. Sheila, a resident of Khayaletisha, is a committed activist; Dinah is new to politics; and Nopopi focuses on issues affecting women. As they share their lives with the camera, the film reveals how township life has necessitated their involvement in the struggle for better living conditions and equal rights. Although set in South Africa, the inspiring voices heard in Mama Awethu! are a call to empowerment for all women. They speak eloquently of hope in the midst of immense violence and killing. Much more than a record of South African women, Mama Awethu! is a song about life and the courage to live.
Director: Bethany Yarrow Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, Cape Town, African National Congress, apartheid, social situation, women
Mandela's Fight for Freedom (Videocassette : 145 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 6498 (2 videos- pt. 1, pt. 2)
Abstract: Part George Washington, part Abraham Lincoln, part Gandhi, South Africa's Nelson Mandela occupies a unique position in the history of the human spirit. From youthful protester, to political prisoner, to the president of a newly free nation, Nelson Mandela embodies the ideals of freedom as no other man of this time. Through a combination of moral strength, political cunning, and sheer luck, he brought about the dismantling of the hated policy of racial apartheid, without the bloodbath many feared.
Director: Mick Gold Distributor:Discovery Channel Video
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, apartheid, politics, history, biography
Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation (Videocassette : 120 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 6703
Abstract: This candid and provocative portrait of Nelson Mandela takes you to the very heart of the struggle for majority rule in South Africa.
Director: Jo Menell Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, history, apartheid, politics
Mandela: the Man (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS. 2260
Abstract: This hour long presentation offers viewers a unique perspective into the life of Nelson Mandela.
Director: NA Distributor:Library Distributors of America
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, politics, race, history, apartheid
Mau Mau (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9266
Abstract: In October 1952 the British government declared a State of Emergency in Kenya in order to defeat Mau Mau. In the war that followed, fewer than 40 of 40,000 white settlers were killed while more than 15,000 Africans lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more were arrested and subjected to a humiliating and often brutal process of 'rehabilitation.' Mau Mau traces the history of the state of emergency declared by the British Colonial government of Kenya in 1952 in an attempt to subdue the movement among black Kenyans for political and civil rights. Reveals the secret society known as Mau Mau to have been an attempt by the white minority to discredit the rising tide of black nationalism. Using newsreel and previously inaccessible archive footage, and drawing on interviews with participants on both sides, this film examines the myth and reality of Africa's first modern guerrilla war. This film is part 2 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also White Man's Country (part 1) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: David Koff, Anthony Howarth Distributor:NA
Keywords: Kenya, Mau Mau, history, colonialism, politics, settlers, nationalism, violence, war
Mobutu, King of Zaire: an African tragedy (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 7971 1-3
Abstract: The definitive visual record of the rise and fall of Joseph Désiré Mobutu, ruler of Zaire (the Congo) for over 30 years. Drawing upon 140 hours of rare archival material found in Kinshasa, and 50 hours of interviews with those once close to him, it tells the story of the man at the heart of Central Africa's post-colonial history. Part 1. The quest for power, Part 2. The upper hand, Part 3. The end of a reign. (3 Videocassettes)
Director: Michel Thierry Distributor:Icarus/First Run
Keywords: Congo (Democratic Republic), Mobutu, history, politics
Money Lender (The): Updated for year 2000 (Videocassette : 86 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 7436
Abstract: Updated with scenes from April 2000, a documentary with criticisms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two of the most powerful financial institutions in the world. Five country case studies (Bolivia, Ghana, Brazil, Thailand, and the Philippines) are presented, discussing loans given to those countries, how the money was used and the consequences of the loans on the average citizens. Contents: 'Bolivia: Debt, Drugs and Democracy'; 'Ghana: The Model of Success'; 'Brazil: Debt, Damage and Politics'; 'Thailand: Dams and Dislocation'; 'Philippines: The Debt Fighters.'
Director: Robert Richter Distributor:Richter Productions
Keywords: Ghana, Bolivia, Brazil, Thailand, Philippines, IMF, World Bank, debt, poverty, politics, economy
Nelson Mandela: the Struggle is My Life (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [1986]
V.CASS. VHS 7986
Abstract: A documentary on the life and political career of Nelson Mandela, including interviews with persons who have known him well and footage of some of the significant newsworthy events of the South African apartheid era.
Director: Lionel Ngakane Distributor:Impact Video
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, Nelson Mandela, history, politics
Nigeria's Oil War (DVD : 24 min. ) [2006]
DVD 8737
Abstract: The Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force is a well organized crime gang that has become a key player in the world's most strategically important industry -- oil. The vast Niger Delta holds an estimated three percent of the world's oil, and to the U.S., it's a vital alternative to the oilfields of the Middle East - worth $30 billion per year. The Force wants a share of this oil revenue for the people of the Niger Delta. As their leader, Al Haji Asari Dokubo, admitted in the film, the gang has brazenly stolen oil straight out of pipelines owned by some of the world's biggest multinationals. Called 'bunkering,' the practice is costing Western oil companies hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue each year. If gangs like the Force are threatened, they can disrupt Nigeria's oil supply with ease. This could lead to economic repercussions around the world. Not that the government of Nigeria seems overly concerned about cleaning up the industry, or using its massive oil wealth to help the people - some believe that they are the biggest gang of all. 'People have now gotten to the point where they don't believe anything that the government stands for,' Nigerian human rights lawyer Ledum Mittee says. 'Instead of the oil becoming a blessing, it now becomes a curse.'
Director: Mary Ann Jolley Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Nigeria, Niger River Delta, petroleum industry, insurgency, politics, government, economy
No Easy Walk (Videocassette : 53 min. ) [1987]
V. CASS. VHS 3974 v. 1-3
Abstract: Chronicles how Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe were subdued by colonial powers and later achieved independence from their oppressors.
Director: Bernard Odjija Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, colonialism, history, politics
Nuba Conversations (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7171
Abstract: Ten years after filming Kafi's Story, British filmmaker Arthur Howes re-entered the Sudan clandestinely to find out what had happened to the Nuba of Torogi. Everywhere he encountered the jihad or holy war. The fundamentalist Sudanese regime is pursuing its policy of forced assimilation through a systematic disruption of the Nuba people, by killing their cattle and burning their villages. While Nuban women hide in caves 60,000 Nuba children have been abducted to camps where they are forcibly converted to Islam. Howes estimates that 40% of the Sudanese Army is now composed of Nuba men. See also Kafi's Story.
Director: Arthur Howes Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, jihad, civil war, Islam, politics, history
O Testamento do Senhor Napumoceno = Napumoceno's Will (Videocassette : 106 min. ) [1998]
V. CASS. VHS 4623
Abstract: The film is an epic farce from one of the world's least known but most culturally complex societies --Cape Verde. This classic tale of the hollowness at the core of provincial bourgeois life introduces English-speaking audiences to Germano Almeida, one of the outstanding writers in Portuguese today. With its novelistic breadth, the film offers a bildungsroman of a man and a society so caught up in the pursuit of conventional success and prestige it overlooks its true self almost until it is too late. Producer/Director: Francisco Manso.
Director: Francisco Manso Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Cape Verde, social life, politics, colonialism, class, feature film
On Tiptoe: The Music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 7172
Abstract: Tells the inspiring story of the group that introduced South African music to the world, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The film recounts how a music affirming its deeply traditional roots has been passed down and popularized under the most hostile circumstances.
Director: Eric Simonson Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, music, apartheid, popular culture, politics
On the Rumba River (DVD : 86 min. ) [2007]
DVD 8519
Abstract: Documentary about the history and continuing popularity of Congolese Rumba with legendary Congolese musician Wendo Kolosoy, affectionately known as 'Papa Wendo,' and members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki players. This is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades, and emphasizes the importance of music in this war-torn society. On the Rumba River introduces us to this legendary musician, along with veteran members of his band, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki Players -- including Antoine Moundanda (thumb piano), Joseph Munange (saxophone), Mukubuele Nzoku (guitar), and Alphonse Biolo Batilangandi (trumpet) -- who recount their own musical experiences and attest to their personal and professional respect for Wendo. The film also treats us to musical performances by the group, in rehearsals, impromptu jam sessions, and lively public performances. The film's exploration of the history and continuing popularity of Congolese rumba is set against a backdrop of political turmoil that has afflicted this African nation for decades, from the repressive regime (1965-1997) of Mobutu Sese Seko, an ongoing civil war, and a fragile contemporary peace. Extended views of Kinshasa slums and the rusted hulks of sunken boats along the Congo River reveal the physical devastation and grinding poverty of the Congo, and Wendo, in a reflective moment, laments the sad state of his country brought about by greedy politicians and fratricidal warfare.
Director: Jacques Sarasin Distributor:First Run Icarus Films
Keywords: Congo, Kinshasa, Congolese rumba, music, popular culture, performance, history, politics
Ordinary People: Following On (Videocassette : 27 min. ) [1996]
On Order
Abstract: The first chapters of Ordinary People, created in 1993, were produced in a starkly different South Africa. Amidst social and political turmoil and strife, leaders were deep in negotiations for a new order and the ramifications were being felt throughout the country's social structure. In this, the final episode of the 1995 season, Following On revisits a number of the men, women, and children featured in the inaugural series. Intercut with scenes from the first shows more than two years after they were assembled, this program reveals the repercussions that the events chronicled in five of those programs (The Peacemakers; The Lawyer, The Farmer, and The Clerk; The Tooth of the Times; The Penalty Area; and Make Believe -- see individual titles in catalogue) have had on the their subjects as they share the personal tolls the new South Africa has taken on their lives. The end result is a film which presents far more than just nostalgia and reflection as it bears witness to perhaps the most enormously tumultuous period of change in South Africa's history.
Director: Harriet Gavshon Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, human rights, sociology, politics, history
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography (Videocassette : 241 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS. Ten videocassettes (volumes five through seven concern African nations): (v. 1) Central America: Costa Rica; (v. 2) Central America: Cuba; (v. 3) South America: Brazil; (v. 4) South America: Paraguay; (v. 5) Africa: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt; (v. 6) Africa: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya; (v. 7) Africa: Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho; (v. 8) Asia: Mongolia, China, Nepal; (v. 9) Asia: Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam; (v. 10) South Pacific/Oceania: The Philippines, Kiribati.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Costa Rica, Cuba, Brazil, Paraguay, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Mongolia, China, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Oceania, the Philippines, Kiribati, politics, history, economics
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography: Vol. 5 Africa: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, politics, history, economics
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography: Vol. 6. Africa: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, politics, history, economics
Our Developing World: Studies in Regional Political Geography: Vol. 7 Africa: Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho (Videocassette : 29 min. ) [1996]
IN-PROCESS
Abstract: Each video of this series presents the political geography of a certain region. Topics frequently reviewed for each region are economic development, education, politics, cultural geography, and other subject areas. Produced by the Information Department of the United Nations Developmental Programme with the support of UNICEF and PROWESS.
Director: Josy Dubie Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, politics, history, economics
Our Friends at the Bank (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4693
Abstract: Filmed over a period of 14 months, documents the negotiations between the World Bank and Uganda in an attempt to understand and describe the relationship and its implications for Uganda. Describes the activities of James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, and Yoweri Museveni, leader of Uganda.
Director: Peter Chappell Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Uganda, World Bank, aid and development, economy, politics
Passing the Message (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1981]
VHS 9401
Abstract: Black workers under South Africa's system of apartheid produce that nation's wealth, while enjoying little of it. Passing the Message is a film about the struggle to organize trade unions for black majority in the face of a vast entanglement of repressive government policies. Three black union activists who we follow through their grassroots organizing efforts tell this story of courage and hope. Black trade unions, although legal since 1979, have had to register and operate under state control. Some unions have refused to comply. These unions have been opening a new chapter in the struggle for justice in South Africa, a chapter revealed in Passing the Message.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, labor unions, apartheid, politics, race, economy
Patient Abuse: TAC's Struggle for Treatment Access (Videocassette : 59 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7173
Abstract: The film presents the early missteps by the South African government health officials concerning AIDS. Film follows the controversial statements made by current President Thabo Mbeki which advance doubts that HIV is the cause of AIDS. Treatment Action Campaign challenges pharmaceutical companies for charging high prices for AIDS drugs. Efforts of Zackie Achmat highlighted.
Director: Jack Lewis Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, HIV/AIDS, medical care, health, politics
Paying the Price (Videocassette : 27 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7421
Abstract: Paying the Price investigates the history of AIDS treatment in Africa. It details Uganda's success with a UN-sponsored program of price reduction and medical education, and South Africa's refusal to begin a national AIDS treatment program despite defeating a drug company court challenge to the government's import and manufacture of generic anti-retroviral drugs. Finally, it looks at the success of smaller local programs that are bringing hope for the future to many infected Africans. Additional materials available at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1171
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, South Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, politics, drugs
Peacemakers (The) (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1993]
VHS 9199
Abstract: This inaugural episode of Ordinary People (a South African television series) visits the 1993 rallies in Vosloorus township commemorating the Sharpeville massacre of 1961. Historically an occasion for demonstrations of unity and resistance to apartheid, this day became more dramatic when separate opposing assemblies were convened by both the Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress. The Peacemakers introduces four people at Vosloorus: Gertrude, an Inkatha-supporting peace monitor; Faith, her ANC counterpart; David, an organizer for the regional peace committee; and Clive, a policeman. As the day progresses, the truce between the warring parties is continually tested, even while all work determinedly to keep at bay the violence that has marked the conflict between these parties.
Director: Clifford Bestall Distributor:First Run/Icarus Films
Keywords: South Africa, African National Congress, apartheid, commemoration, Inkatha Freedom Party, politics, race relations
Prime Time South Africa (Videocassette : 108 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3797
Abstract: Consists of six segments from South African Broadcasting Corporation television programming. The segments were chosen to demonstrate the variety of ways the media is portraying South Africa's new, post-apartheid society. Segments include commercials and excerpts from programs entitled Soul City, Local Voter, Rhythm and Rights, Generations, and Going Up.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, media, popular culture, politics, social life
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
Race Against Time: The AIDS Crisis in Africa (DVD : 48 min. ) [2002]
DVD 8057
Abstract: The AIDS crisis in Africa is an epidemic of staggering proportions. Thirty-six million people are infected with the HIV virus worldwide, with over 25 million of them in Africa, and a staggering number of Africans -- 17 million -- have died. This film is about the inspiring work of Canadian Stephen Lewis, the United Nations Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa as he searches for solutions to the pandemic ravaging the continent. Lewis describes the 'Herculean effort' that has begun to relieve the suffering. A global trust fund has been set up through the United Nations, which has grown to $1.5 billion. Drug companies have slashed their prices for anti-viral drugs for Africans, and there is now hope for the dying. After years of denial, there is now a new willingness on the part of African leaders to confront the disease. Lewis travels to Zambia and Kenya witnessing the challenges first hand as he talks to widows of AIDS victims, who are often infected themselves. In many instances, these ill women must care for their deceased relatives' children as well as their own, despite their desperate financial situation. On the plus side, he finds many creative, community-based educational programs that feature preventive 'safe sex' songs, dances and dramas.
Director: Stephen Lewis Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Kenya, Zambia, HIV/AIDS, United Nations, politics, health, performance
Red Dust (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 110 min. ) [2004]
DVD 9029
Abstract: A political thriller set in a small South African town during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. Human rights lawyer Sarah Barcant must represent Alex Mpondo, a former political activist, who was held captive and sadistically tortured by a police officer under the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Director: Tom Hooper Distributor:HBO Video
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, thriller, reconciliation, human rights, politics, feature film
Red Hat, Where Are You Going? = Bonnet rouge, où vas-tu? (Videocassette : 47 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8123
Abstract: An analysis of the socio-political position of traditional chiefs in Burkina Faso, this film examines the role of Mossi chiefs in the West African nation. Using interviews with chiefs and their critics, and archival footage, the film looks at how the chiefs have navigated political change, and at how they interact with both the government and people today.
Director: E. Adriaan Rouveroy Van Nieuwaal Distributor:First Run/Icarus Film
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Mossi, politics and government, chieftaincy, history
Reel Voices Video Collection (DVD : 53 min. ) [2004]
DVD 3719
Abstract: Contains three short films about the lives of African immigrants living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On one DVD. See individual titles for description: Stop Killing Taxi Drivers, In Their Own Voices, Rencontrer (To Meet).
Director: Filmon Mebrahtu Distributor:Reel Voices
Keywords: United States, diaspora, immigrantion, politics, art, labor
Regopstaan's Dream (Videocassette : 24 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8927
Abstract: On March 21st, 1999, at a ceremony in the Kalahari desert, a community of 300 Bushmen were granted 125,000 acres of their own land for the first time by the South African government. Twenty-five years earlier, they had been evicted from the Kalahari by the previous, apartheid government of South Africa who said that they were 'too westernized' to cohabit with the wild animals in the National Park. Forced to live in shanty conditions on a patch of land just outside the park, their eviction was just one more chapter in a history of violence and exploitation dating from the beginnings of Dutch settlement. Regopstaan Krupier was an elder in the #Khomani clan of the Bushmen who initiated the fight to regain control of their ancestral lands. Regopstaan's Dream follows the story of his son, Dawid Krupier's campaign to make the dream come true by making sure that the South African government honors their agreement to allow him and his extended family the right to live in their Kalahari home.
Director: Chris Walker Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, Kalahari, Bushmen, San, national parks, apartheid, politics, conservation, land
Regopstaan's Dream (DVD : 24 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8128
Abstract: In 1974, the South African apartheid government evicted the Bushmen inhabiting areas of the Kalahari Desert as part of an ongoing genocide against these people, which had gone on for generations. Forced to live in shanty conditions on the edge of their own land, the Khomani clan of the Bushmen initiated a fight to regain control of their ancestral lands. On 21st March 1999, at a ceremony in the Kalahari Desert, 300 of the world's remaining Bushmen were granted 125,000 acres of land by the new South African government. Regopstaan Krupier was an elder in the #Khomani clan of the Bushmen who initiated the fight to regain control of their ancestral lands. Regopstaan's Dream follows the story of his son, Dawid Krupier's campaign to make the dream come true by making sure that the South African government honors their agreement to allow him and his extended family the right to live in their Kalahari home.
Director: Chris Walker Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, Kalahari, Bushmen, San, national parks, apartheid, politics, conservation, land
Remember Mandela! (Videocassette : 31 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 1108
Abstract: A portrait of the world's most famous political prisoner, who has been in jail since 1962. It outlines his career, and shows why he was such a threat to white rule, through personal accounts.
Director: NA Distributor:Villon Films
Keywords: South Africa, Mandela, apartheid, politics, history
Republic Gone Mad: Rwanda 1894-1994 (A) (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3790
Abstract: Recounts Rwanda's history from the 1885 partitioning of Africa that made it a German colony, to Belgian conquest decline, World War I, the creation of a republic under Kayibanda in 1961, and the ultimately catastrophic regime of Habyarimana. Provides background necessary to understand the recent massacres.
Director: Luc de Heusch & Kathleen de Bethune. Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Rwanda, genocide, history, politics, ethnicity
Right to be Nuba (The) (Videocassette : 45 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 3881
Abstract: Film maker/anthropologist Hugo D'aybaury presents the struggles felt by the Nuba people, caught in the middle of Sudan's civil war between the northern Islamic Khartoum and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army rebel forces. Writer, director, co-producer: Hugo D'aybaury.
Director: Hugo D'aybaury Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Sudan, Nuba, civil war, politics, religion, human rights
Ronde Voudou (Le) = Voodoo Dance (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [1989]
V.CASS. VHS 8974
Abstract: Documents the significant role of Voodoo in Haitian culture from the perspectives of Voodoo priests, government officials, historians, and politicians.
Director: Elsie Haas Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Haiti, African diaspora, Voudou, dance, religion, politics
Rostov-Luanda (Videocassette : 60 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4628
Abstract: Mauritanian director Sissako spent a year in Rostov on the Don and there became friends with a young man from Angola. This film chronicles the director's search for a friend of the past. In this personal retrospective, Sissako encounters present-day Angola and traces the great lines of Africa's recent history.
Director: Abderrahmane Sissako Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Angola, Mauritania, history, civil war, politics, social life
Sankara (Videocassette : 20 min. ) [1991]
VHS 9318
Abstract: Thomas Sankara, the late President of Burkina Faso, emerged as an idealist in a generation of young African leaders more concerned with material wealth. In office, he engineered drastic improvements, from the symbolic change of the country's name from the colonial Upper Volta to Burkina Faso ('The Country of Free and Dignified People'), to providing real health care for the country's children. On October 15, 1987, Sankara fell prey to violent African politics when he was assassinated by troops loyal to Blaise Campaore, his second in command - and life long friend.
Director: Balufa Bakupa-Kanyinda Distributor:First Run Icarus Films
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Upper Volta, history, government, politics
Setting the Grass Roots on Fire (DVD : 56 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8935
Abstract: Dr. Norman Borlaug, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, has spent his life battling against hunger and poverty in developing countries. With characteristic energy and a sense or urgency, he is setting the agenda for a 'Green Revolution' in sub-Saharan Africa as population increases overwhelm production. Borlaug grew up on a small farm in Iowa during the Depression years and trained as an agricultural scientist. He developed a lifelong determination to use science for the benefit of subsistence farmers. The film charts his struggle against third world poverty, using footage shot in Africa and Mexico over the last thirty years. In Mexico after World War II, Borlaug designed a simple approach for intensifying traditional agriculture that had dramatic results. It saved India and Pakistan from a repetition of the dreadful famine of the 1960's. Often embroiled in politics in his determination to put agriculture at the top of the agenda, he has also crossed swords with some environmentalists, who he felt had little understanding of life in developing countries. His faith has always been in small-scale farmers who are 'setting the grassroots on fire.'
Director: Tony Freeth Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Nobel Peace Prize, poverty, hunger, development, agriculture, environment
Six Days in Soweto (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1977]
V. CASS. VHS 1801
Abstract: The violent Soweto student strike of June 17, 1976 is re-lived by residents of Soweto.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, politics, history
Slavery and the Making of America. Volume 4: The Challenge of Freedom (DVD : 60 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5288 PT. 4
Abstract: The series' fourth program follows the life of Robert Smalls as it takes viewers through the Civil War, the Reconstruction and beyond. A South Carolina slave who rode a stolen Confederate ship to freedom, Smalls became a sailor in the Union Navy, bought the mansion in which he had been enslaved, and went on to a long, successful career in politics. The program follows the transformation of the Civil War from a conflict intended to restore the Union to a conflict over slavery. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves under the control of the Confederate government. The Reconstruction period that followed offered much promise to the newly freed slaves, but by the 1876 Presidential election the North had tired of dealing with civil rights and decided to leave the issue of the treatment of the freed slaves to the Southern states, where many former Confederate leaders had taken the helm of government. With Smalls' story as a framework, this final installment looks at the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and militant opposition to black rights, the end of the Reconstruction and its replacement with a whole new kind of legalized oppression. This volume is part of the Slavery and the Making of America series.
Director: Leslie Farrell Distributor:Ambrose Video Publishing
Keywords: America, Africa, overview, history, slavery, emancipation, civil war
Somalia: the Neglected Civil War (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7506
Abstract: Independent since 1960, Somalia has seen virtually constant political upheaval. Some eighty percent of the nation is under the power of guerillas and local warlords. Recently, Somalia has become a target in the post-Afghanistan 'war against terrorism'. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Zimbabwe & South Africa: Still Far from Coexistence and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Seijun Hata Distributor:Filmakers Library, Inc.
Keywords: Somalia, civil war, guerillas, politics
Songololo: Voices of Change (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 54 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 3228
Abstract: Examines the role of black resistance to apartheid in South Africa through a look at two of the nation's leading cultural activists and popular performers, poet Mzwakhe Mbuli and writer/performer Gcina Mhlophe. Through their poetry, music and storytelling, they show us the important role culture played in changing South Africa. In addition to interviews with, and dynamic performances by, both Mbuli and Mhlophe, the film includes rousing scenes of hostel dancing,church singing, township jazz and freedom songs.
Director: Marianne Kaplan Distributor:Cinema Guild
Keywords: South Africa, apartheid, intellectual life, social conditions, politics and government, music, theater, poetry, popular culture, performance
Soul In Torment (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 4 (PAL format)
Abstract: Deals with the massacres carried out in Zimbabwe after independence in 1980, featuring a member of the 5th Brigade whose deeds still torment him although he has tried the channels of official restitution. Part four of the Series Landscape of Memory. See also From the Ashes, I Have Seen=Nda Mona, and The Unfolding Sky.
Director: Prudence Uriri Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: Zimbabwe, independence struggles, history, politics, reconciliation
Soweto: A History (Videocassette : 156 min. ) [1994]
V. CASS VHS 7521
Abstract: Completed on the eve of South Africa's first democratic election, a groundbreaking six part documentary series [each part is 26 minutes in length] which reclaims the untold story of South Africa's largest city. A wealth of extraordinary archive footage, personal and documentary photographs evoke the drama of daily life in Soweto. The six parts are: Building Matchbox City, Divide and Rule, Best of the Worst, This is Our Day, By War-the Era of the Comrades, End Beginnings. Accompanies the book by the the same name by P. Bonner and L. Seagal.
Director: Angus Gibson Distributor:Film Resource Unit, Johannesburg
Keywords: South Africa, Soweto, anti-apartheid movements, politics, history
Speaking Out: Women, AIDS, and Hope in Mali (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7703
Abstract: Profiles a remarkable HIV and AIDS support project in Bamako, Mali, and three brave women who work tirelessly on behalf of the infected community. Through their work they offer inspiration and support to persons afflicted with AIDS but especially to widows and children. They hope that through their work the government of Mali will become more active at all levels in helping to combat this disease in their country.
Director: Joanne Burke Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Mali, HIV/AIDS, women, activism, politics
Stop Killing Taxi Drivers (DVD : 7 min. ) [2001]
DVD 3719
Abstract: The Philadelphia Taxi Association hastily organizes a demonstration in August 2001 to respond to the shooting death of an African immigrant taxi driver, the fourth taxi driver fatality since the beginning of the year. Fellow African immigrant drivers express their sadness, frustrations and appeal to the City of Philadelphia for protection.
Director: Filmon Mebrahtu Distributor:Reel Voices
Keywords: United States, diaspora, immigration, politics, violence, labor
Stories My Country Told Me: Tutu and the Rainbow Nation (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS. VHS 6134
Abstract: 'You'll never be free until we are free,' said Archbishop Desmond Tutu to the white citizens of South Africa, and thanks to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, blacks and whites alike are finally free to put down the burden of guilt and come together as one people. This program follows a busy day in the life of Nobel Laureate Tutu in 1996, which begins with a tour through his Cape Town diocese and ends with a trip to Johannesburg to greet his mentor, Trevor Huddleston, on his return to South Africa.
Director: Tim May Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: South Africa, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Desmond Tutu, history, politics, apartheid
Sugar: The Rules of the Game (Videocassette : 33 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8699
Abstract: Examines the major players in the sugar industry--European and African farmers, major sugar production companies, experts and officials. The report shows how decisions made at distant international meetings affect the lives of individuals. Antonio Maolela cuts sugar cane on a plantation in Mozambique. He earns about two euros a day. Honorio Valdunciel is a farmer from Zamora, Spain, whose main source of income comes from growing sugar beet. Though he makes a decent income, it requires hard work and much investment. The future of both men is tied to the controversial price of sugar in world markets. Sugar prices in the European Union and the U.S. are highly protected by tariffs which block competition. Narration in English with interviews in Portuguese and Spanish subtitled in English.
Director: Meritxell Ribas Distributor:Filmmakers Library
Keywords: Mozambique, Spain, sugar, economy. agriculture, politics, globalization
Sultan's Burden, The (DVD : 50 min. ) [1994]
DVD 9086
Abstract: Sultan Issa Maigari is the ruler of the northern Cameroon province of Adamawa, an area the size of England. Served by a liveried bodyguard of servants and slaves, he lives in an extraordinary thatched palace with his harem of wives and concubines and his thirty children. We are in a world of heraldry and magic, an ancient world fast disintegrating under the pressures of contempory political forces. In 1992, the Sultan allowed anthropologist Lisbet Holtedahl and award-winning director Jon Jerstad to film his life. Never before had a traditional Islamic leader granted such access to a world that seems straight out of the Arabian Nights. We see the many problems besetting the Sultan, ranging from the threat of an armed rebellion among the peasant farmers, to his impossible task of justifying support for the national Christian government to his local Moslem subjects. His courtiers criticize his rule. His own praisesinger (surely the worst praisesinger in Africa) contributes a bitter diatribe against the Sultan for his lack of generosity. The intrigues of the court are reminiscent of Shakespearean drama. Filmed as the first democratic elections in Cameroon were about to be held, The Sultan's Burden captures the myriad political and ethnic rivalries which occur all over Africa as it emerges from a colonial past.
Director: Jon Jerstad Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Cameroon, government, religion, elections, politics
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
Talk Mogadishu: Media under Fire (Videocassette : 50 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 8929
Abstract: Documents the operation of the independent, non-partisan radio and television station, HornAfrik, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The station's very popular talk shows allow marginalized groups, such as human rights advocates and women's groups, to speak out and be heard. HornAfrik operates in a dangerous and volatile climate, and is sometimes attacked by warlords angered by a show's content. The station requires armed guards 24 hours a day, and reporters are often harassed and their cameras confiscated by militias. Despite the perils, the founders of HornAfrik continue their broadcasts, demonstrating a possible role for the media in times of conflict.
Director: Judy Jackson Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Somalia, Mogadishu, radio, television, independent media, civil war, politics
This Crazy Thing Called Grace: Desmond Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [1997]
On Order
Abstract: The main objective of this documentary is to communicate the synthesis Desmond Tutu has made in his own mind of politics, liberation, Africanness and the practice and dedicated interpretation of the Christian faith in the context of a South Africa in full transition, as he took on the role of Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Director: Joëlle Chesselet Distributor:Journeyman Pictures
Keywords: South Africa, Desmond Tutu, TRC, religion, reconciliation
Thomas Sankara: The Upright Man (DVD : 52 min. ) [2006]
DVD 9601
Abstract: A biography of Thomas Sankara, a charismatic army captain who became the first president of Burkina Faso after a popularly-supported coup. During his four years in office before being assassinated, he instituted a wide range of progressive social and economic reforms.
Director: Robin Shuffield Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Burkina Faso, Upper Volta, Thomas Sankara, politics, development, economics, postcolonialism
Tribal Mind (The) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1994]
V.CASS. VHS 8933
Abstract: South Africa is struggling to overcome the legacy of racism and ethnic division that plagues so many countries. Against a backdrop of ongoing violence, a new breed of South Africans is struggling to create a real democracy. Is the rest of the world prepared to relinquish its own 'tribes?' Is there enough time?
Director: Torben Schioler, Gwynne Dyer Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, race, ethnicity, politics, democracy
Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela: A Son's Tribute to Unsung Heroes (DVD : 73 min. ) [2006]
DVD 6399
Abstract: Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela provides a rare inside look into the organizational and psychological dynamics of liberation movements in general and the ANC in particular. At the same time its poignant story of the bonds between a son and his father strained by our politically turbulent times has universal resonance.
Director: Thomas Allen Harris Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, liberation movements, ANC, politics, apartheid
Uku hamba 'ze = To Walk Naked (Videocassette : 13 min. ) [1995]
V.CASS. VHS 5937
Abstract: In 1990 a group of South African women protested the destruction of their homes in the squatter camps of Dobsonville by the Afrikaaner National Government. Five years later the women reflect on their experiences and describe the social stigma of stripping themselves naked to protest their oppression.
Director: Jacqueline Maingard with Sheila Meintjes and Heather Thompson Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: South Africa, women, housing, politics, history
Unbannings and Mandela Freed (The) (Videocassette : 44 min. ) [1992]
V.CASS. VHS 8671
Abstract: Portrays the events surrounding the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa.
Director: NA Distributor:Film Resource Unit, Video Library & Distribution Services
Keywords: South Africa, Nelson Mandela, politics, history
Unfolding of the Sky (The) (Videocassette : 26 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 7479 Pt. 3 (PAL format)
Abstract: Features a dialogue between an Afrikaans woman who has reported on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, and an African woman who has been a victim of the apartheid system in South Africa. Part three of the series Landscape of Memory. See also From the Ashes, I Have Seen=Nda Mona, and Soul in Torment.
Director: Antjie Krog and Ronelle Loots Distributor:Film Resource Unit [www.fru.co.za]
Keywords: South Africa, women, apartheid, reconciliation, history, politics
Warrior Marks (Videocassette : 54 min. ) [1993]
V.CASS. VHS 2831
Abstract: Documentary, written and narrated by Alice Walker, about female genital mutilation in Africa. Includes interviews with victims, activists against female circumcision, and circumcizers.
Director: Pratibha Parmar Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: women, ritual, social conditions, female genital surgeries, activism, politics
Welcome to the Human Race (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 4541
Abstract: In Wolpert's earlier film, Mama I'm Crying, she documented the grassroots suffering and anger during the apartheid years. Now Wolpert follows up on some of the people from the earlier film, several of whom are now in positions of power in the new South Africa. This film shows the extraordinary meeting between two families: the eighteen-year-old son of the Zondos who was executed for planting a bomb which killed the seven-year-old son of the Smits. As the two families mourn together the loss of their children, a poignant and moving reconciliation takes place.
Director: Betty Wolpert, Matthew Wolpert Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: South Africa, politics, history, social life, apartheid
Where Truth Lies (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 8932
Abstract: This moving film is about one of the many terrible cases to come before the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Twenty-two year-old student leader Siphiwo Mtimkulu, and his friend Topsy Madaka, were shot and burned in 1982 by the feared Security Police under the former apartheid government. Gideon Nieuwoudt - nicknamed 'Notorious Nieuwoudt' - was a colonel in the Security Police. He and his colleagues are responsible for the torture, poisoning, and death of numerous black activists, including Steve Biko. In 1995 a group of top Security Police officers got a court order to block Mtimkulu's family from giving evidence before the TRC, threatening to undermine the whole process. Forty-eight hours before the deadline expired, the officers finally applied for amnesty. Filmmaker Mark Kaplan documented the case for three years, during which time Nieuwoudt met with the Mtimkulu family seeking their forgiveness with unexpected and dramatic consequences.
Director: Mark J. Kaplan Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, TRC, politics, apartheid, history, violence
White Man's Country (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 52 min. ) [1973]
DVD 9265
Abstract: The first in a three-part series that traces Kenya's history from colonialism to independence, this film deals with the arrival of the first European settlers towards the end of the 19th century and explains how, over a period of time, the African inhabitants were deprived of much of their land. It charts the actions of the Imperial British East Africa Company and uses quotes from both official letters and private journals to reveal the motives of those who sought to make Kenya a white man's country. It also recalls the treatment the Africans received at the hands of their colonial masters and discusses the founding of the first political protest movement, led by Harry Thuku, who is one of the individuals interviewed and whose funeral in 1970 opens and closes the film. The documentary makes good use of a rare collection of photographs of the period. This film is part 1 of the Black Man's Land trilogy; see also Mau Mau (part 2) and Kenyatta (part 3).
Director: Anthony Howarth, David Koff Distributor:Cinemagician Productions
Keywords: Kenya, politics, history, colonialism, land
Who's afraid of Ngugi? (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 83 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10266
Abstract: This documentary follows acclaimed author Ngugi wa Thiong'o as he and his political activist wife Njeri journey back to Kenya after years of exile. As they are welcomed home by joyous and hopeful crowds, they also must cope with those who still find their revolutionary words and deeds threatening.
Director: Manthia Diawara Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Kenya, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, literature, politics, exile
Winnie (Videocassette : 15 min. ) [1987]
V. CASS. VHS 1153
Abstract: Presents interviews and scenes from fiery rallies with Winnie Mandela and several of her longtime supporters. Tells how the former pacifist now encourages extreme violence by Blacks against Blacks who collaborate with whites. Shows scenes of two brutal murders inspired by her fanaticism.
Director: NA Distributor:Carousel Film and Video
Keywords: South Africa, W. Mandela, politics
Witness to Truth (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [2004]
VHS 9147
Abstract: WITNESS was invited by the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to produce the first video accompaniment to an official TRC report. Witness to Truth summarizes the key findings and recommendations of the TRC's report -- highlighting the key causes and consequences of the war, raising public awareness of the TRC's efforts at peace-building and encouraging civil society in Sierra Leone and beyond, in order to hold the government accountable for implementing the binding recommendations that will be issued by the TRC.
Director: Gillian Caldwell Distributor:Witness
Keywords: Sierra Leone, civil war, TRC, civil society, politics, war
Woza Albert! (Motion Picture : 60 min. ) [1982]
MP-16MM 383
Abstract: Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngena, two black former music hall performers, have crafted a series of sketches organized around the premise that Jesus Christ (Morena in Sotho) returns to the self-proclaimed 'Christian' nation of South Africa. As one point, He turns to the audience and calls out 'Woza Albert! Rise up Albert' summoning back to life the spirit of Albert Luthuli and other martyred South African freedom fighters. The film shows the life experiences of writer-actors, the humiliation and terror suffered as well as the resiliency of Blacks in South Africa today. The film includes historical footage on Albert Luthuli.
Director: NA Distributor:Films Incorporated
Keywords: South Africa, theater, politics, Luthuli
Ye Wonz Maibel (Deluge) (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 4103
Abstract: Salem Mekuria looks at her family's history and the history and life of Ethiopia during her life.
Director: Salem Mekuria Distributor:NA
Keywords: Ethiopia, politics, revolution, youth, history
You Have Struck a Rock (Motion Picture : 28 min. ) [1981]
MP-16MM 353
Abstract: Examines the situation of women and political repression in southern Africa.
Director: NA Distributor:NA
Keywords: South Africa, women, politics
Zimbabwe Countdown (DVD : 52 min. ) [2003]
DVD 9101
Abstract: This documentary provides a personal insight into the plight of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) under the brutal regime of Mugabe. The filmmaker, Michael Raeburn, was a white Rhodesian who has spent his life chronicling events there. In 1969, he supported African nationalists in their hopes of ending colonial rule under the racist Ian Smith. Raeburn was expelled from his country and wrote a book applauding Mugabe¹s socialist vision of the future. In this film, Raeburn details how the liberation movement he once admired has been transformed into a reign of terror. To insure his re-election, Mugabe has tortured and murdered the opposition and triggered agricultural chaos and economic ruin. The land and homes of white farmers have been seized by government supporters, and their black farmworkers have been killed. Millions starve as a result of the chaotic land distribution. Zimbabwe had been a model of a postcolonial nation, and Mugabe had pledged to ensure a place for everybody in this country. Today, the optimism of liberation has turned to despair, with rage, riots, killing and starvation rampant throughout the land. And Michael Raeburn has been forced into exile a second time, because of the color of his skin.
Director: Michael Raeburn Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zimbabwe, Mugabe, Ian Smith, colonialism, government, politics, history, race, land
Zimbabwe and South Africa: Still Far From Coexistence (Videocassette : 49 min. ) [2002]
V. CASS VHS 7507
Abstract: Zimbabwe still reels from the after effects of independence. Former colonials are blamed for failing to work out compensation and land reallocation, and violence against whites is on the increase. South Africa emerged from the evils of apartheid more than a decade ago, and today faces an expanding gap between the rich and poor, increasing interracial conflict, a rising crime rate, and an AIDS epidemic that is decimating the mostly black population. Part of a three part series entitled Africa in the 21st Century, see also Somalia: the Neglected Civil War and Mali and Senegal: The Power of Islam.
Director: Kazuta Hioki Distributor:NA
Keywords: Zimbabwe, South Africa, colonialism, apartheid, HIV/AIDS, land, politics
September 16, 2008: Geoffrey Nyarota
