African Studies Media Catalog
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Act of Faith (An): The Phelophepa Health Train (Videocassette : 25 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8923
Abstract: A group of health professionals spends nine months of each year touring the poorest and most remote areas of South Africa. This program catches up with the train in the province of KwaZulu Natal, where there's just one doctor for every 4,000 people. With a full contingent of volunteer doctors, dentists, optometrists, and health educators on board, the 'good clean health train' delivers quality health care to deprived rural communities.
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, Natal, health care, poverty
Africa, Africas (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8686
Abstract: Three short segments present different facets of contemporary African life. Fantococà (23 min.) presents the cultural phenomenon of skin bleaching in Cameroon and the challenge it is now posing on notions of black pride and identity. Director: Agnès Ndibi. From The Other Side Of The River (18 min.) documents the effects of war on a community of Ethiopian women and children who were forcibly relocated into refugee camps. Director: Moji-da Abdi. Laafi Bala (20 min.) demonstrates the causes of wide-spread unemployment and poverty in Burkina Faso, where few institutional resources and government support are available, and the debilitating effects this is having on women and youth. Director: Fanta Regina Nacro
Director: Moji-da Abdi, Fanta Regina Nacro and Agnès Ndibi Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, women, gender, beauty, war, refugees, youth, poverty
Aiming High (DVD : 26 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8462
Abstract: This film focuses on Uganda's successful economic recovery in the wake of Idi Amin's regime.
Director: Ashley Bruce Distributor:Bull Frog
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin, poverty, government policy, development, economy
Child Brides (The) (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 5783
Abstract: In many parts of Africa, Asia, and South America, young girls are often engaged by the age of eight, and leave their homes to join their husbands by twelve. In many cases, the younger the girl, the more her family receives in the form of a dowry. This program travels to the most rural and poverty-stricken regions of Ethiopia to expose the common practice of child brides and the consequences for the young girls who often give birth before they are out of childhood.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Ethiopia, marriage, ritual, gender
Coffee-Go-Round, The (DVD : 26 min. ) [2005]
DVD 7920
Abstract: Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world - a major cash crop for many poor, developing countries trying to trade their way out of poverty. Coffee promises to increase developing countries' share of income from agricultural products on world markets - in line with Millennium Development Goal No 8's commitment to a global partnership for development. But for the last 10 years the international coffee industry has been in crisis - and many coffee-producing countries are facing disaster. The world's 25 million coffee farmers receive less than one per cent of the price of a cup of coffee sold in a coffee bar. Life visits Ethiopia, the cradle of coffee cultivation, and speaks to players in the international coffee trade to find out how individual coffee growers can survive the boom and bust of the global coffee market.
Director: Joost de Haas Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Ethiopia, coffee, industry, agriculture, development, economy, trade
Cultivating Opportunity: Self-Help Solutions to Poverty in the U.S. and Africa (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [1997]
VHS 9327
Abstract: Willie Head, Jr. is struggling to hold on to his farm-70 acres in southeast Georgia. Willie is one of the remaining 18,000 African Americans who are losing their land at the rate of a thousand acres a day. Teresa Massango, a farmer in Mozambique in southeast Africa, is among the 80 percent of Mozambicans who depend on their land to feed themselves. They've faced war and famine, and are now threatened by investors wanting to profit from Mozambique's cheap land and labor. Cultivating Opportunity tells the inspiring story of how poor communities in Mozambique and the United States are creating opportunities to better their lives. Their work is a road map to ending hunger and poverty, a journey that begins within the communities themselves. In Cultivating Opportunity communities in vastly different parts of the world demonstrate surprising similarities in the self-help solutions they champion to fight poverty. The video shows how these communities are creating the opportunities they need. Willie says, 'I don't care what profession you're in; to just work hard doesn't do it. To just be committed doesn't do it. The opportunity must be there...'
Director: Michael Sheridan Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Mozambique, Georgia, development, farming, poverty
Dancing on the Edge (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8245
Abstract: This narrative documentary is set in rural Mozambique, where gender roles and poverty influence the fight to contain the spread of AIDS. A young HIV positive mother, Antonietta, who works as an AIDS counselor takes her healthy daughter to a remote village for initiation into sexuality. Antonietta struggles with the contradictions of maintaining traditional values while adapting to the reality of the modern world devastated by AIDS. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of IV/AIDS (Volume 6).
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mozambique, HIV/AIDS, gender, ritual, rural life, Steps for the Future
Dead Mums Don't Cry (DVD : 49 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7635
Abstract: Becoming a mother in Africa can be among the most frightening and dangerous jobs in the world. This program investigates why more than half a million women die every year in pregnancy and childbirth. Dead Mums Don't Cry documents one woman's remarkable struggle to stop mothers in her country from dying. She's Grace Kodindo - an obstetrician in the poverty-stricken central African country of Chad. Women in Chad have a 1 in 11 chance of dying during pregnancy or in childbirth. The risk for women in the UK is 1 in 5100. Cutting maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 was one of the eight Millennium Development Goals set by 189 countries in 2000. Five years on, progress is far behind schedule - and this film reveals it's slowest on the goals that affect women and children. But Dead Mums Don't Cry shows there is reason for hope. A few poor countries have succeeded in saving mothers' lives. BBC reporter Steve Bradshaw and Grace Kodindo travel to Honduras, which has cut maternal mortality far faster than some wealthier neighbors. A key reason is that influential men and women cared enough to make the issue a priority.
Director: Grace Kodindo, Tristan Quinn Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Chad, pregnancy, motherhood, health, development
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
Dolé (Videocassette : 80 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7175
Abstract: The action takes place in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. This is where Mougler and his friends Baby Lee, Joker, Akson and Bezingo, four fifteen-year-old boys, live. These boys have to fend for themselves, except for Mougler who lives with Maradou, his mother. The gang is tired of thieving and is full of dreams of more ambitious jobs. The opportunity is given to them with the extremely popular betting kiosks in Dôlè. The temptation is great, and so are the risks.
Director: Imunga Ivanga Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Gabon, youth, poverty, feature film
Egypt: the Struggle for Stability (Motion Picture : 28 min. ) [1976]
MP-16MM 197
Abstract: Documents modern-day Egypt, pointing out its contrasts and conflicts. Shows both wheels and massive hydroelectric power facilities; describes the great potential natural resources and a level of poverty among the worst in the world.
Director: NA Distributor:Learning Corporation of America
Keywords: Egypt, power facilities, development
Extra Bitter: The Legacy of the Chocolate Islands (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 9188
Abstract: The invention of a recipe for the chocolate bar in 1879 would have far-reaching consequences for two tiny islands off the west coast of Africa, Sao Tome and Principe. In this documentary filmed on the two formerly Portuguese colonies known as the Chocolate Islands and in Portugal, fascinating archival film and interviews with historians, writers and the inhabitants create a rich portrait of a little-known country and its history. 'Money grew on trees' from two crops on the Islands: cocoa and coffee, but the ugly side of the plantation system was slavery. Historian Carlos Neves describes the terrible conditions common on these plantations. In England, William Cadbury set up factories producing chocolate bars and, being a Quaker, ran them in a progressive style. His cocoa was supplied by the Portuguese. Hearing that slaves were being used to produce the cocoa he needed, he traveled to the Chocolate Island to investigate. There he found a system he called slavery in disguise. He insisted that any Africans could return to their homeland if they wished, or he would cancel the cocoa contracts with the Portuguese. Although the Islands still produce some cocoa, grinding poverty prevails. The Chocolate Islands stand as a sad example of post-colonial decay.
Director: Derek Vertongen Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY [www.filmakers.com]
Keywords: West Africa, Sao Tome and Principe, chocolate, economics, global trade, history, slavery
Faraw!: Une Mère des Sables = Mother of the Dunes (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [1997]
V.CASS. VHS 8414
Abstract: With three difficult children, a crippled, mentally unbalanced husband and no steady income, Zamiatou is the poorest woman in an impoverished desert village in Mali. She could have plenty of money to survive if she would sell her daughter as a prostitute to nearby French settlers, but she refuses to do so. Unfortunately, her family situation continues to spiral downward and she is finally forced to seek outside help.
Director: Abbdoulaye Ascofaré Distributor:ArtMattan Productions
Keywords: Mali, women, social conditions, poverty, feature film
Gospel of AIDS, or, Dying Is Not a Sin (Videocassette : 57 min. ) [1993]
HEALTH: WC 503 C68 1993 AV
Abstract: Examines conditions affecting the spread of AIDS in (pre-genocide) Rwanda and public response to those infected with the disease.
Director: Gil Courtemanche Distributor:Alter-Ciné
Keywords: Rwanda, HIV/AIDS, poverty, epidemiology, public health
Guimba (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1995]
VHS2991
Abstract: This epic allegory contrasts Africa's tremendous wealth and potential with its present poverty and plunder. The film's narrative embodies the process of revealing the truth from behind the facade of Guuimba's despotic power. Using a combination of sorcery and cruelty, he terrorizes people into submission. His one weakness is his son, Janguine, a randy, perverse dwarf who spends his days satisfying every appetite. Janguine is betrothed to the beautiful Kani, but prefers her more voluptuous mother Meya. Guimba supports his son's obsession by exiling Meya's husband. It is a decision he will come to regret.
Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko Distributor:Kino Video
Keywords: government, despotism, feature film
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
Hyenas (Videocassette : 146 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 2574
Abstract: This Senegalese film is based on the play The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt. The Wolof-language film satirizes the influence of Western materialism on traditional Africa as Linguerre, a Senegalese woman, returns to her village after a life in exile. Thirty years earlier, she became pregnant by a local merchant. The man denied her claims that he was the child's father and went further to accuse her of adultery with other men from the village. The woman's life in exile has actually been quite prosperous, while her village is in a state of poverty. Linguerre is wealthy and is willing to bail the village out of its financial misfortune -- in exchange for the life of the man who betrayed her decades earlier. The film holds a sharply critical view of capitalism and its effect on traditional values.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, development, capitalism, feature film
Hyenas (DVD ) [1992]
DVD 7510
Abstract: This Senegalese film is based on the play The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt. The Wolof-language film satirizes the influence of Western materialism on traditional Africa as Linguerre, a Senegalese woman, returns to her village after a life in exile. Thirty years earlier, she became pregnant by a local merchant. The man denied her claims that he was the child's father and went further to accuse her of adultery with other men from the village. The woman's life in exile has actually been quite prosperous, while her village is in a state of poverty. Linguerre is wealthy and is willing to bail the village out of its financial misfortune -- in exchange for the life of the man who betrayed her decades earlier. The film holds a sharply critical view of capitalism and its effect on traditional values.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, development, capitalism, feature film
Left Behind (Videocassette : 36 min. ) [2002]
VHS 9155
Abstract: Left Behind is a 36-minute documentary that reveals the devastating effects of AIDS on Kenya's children by exploring the lives of HIV-positive orphans at Nyumbani Children's Home; why the virus spreads in the poverty-ridden slum of Kibera; and the struggle for survival of homeless children in nearby Dagoretti who lost their parents to AIDS. Through the eyes and voices of the children themselves, as well as prostitutes, slum dwellers and those infected with HIV, Left Behind dramatically exposes the enormity of the challenge that faces all those who seek to help the victims and prevent the collapse of a continent.
Director: Christof Putzel Distributor:www.films.com
Keywords: Kenya, HIV/AIDS, children, orphans, homelessness
Living With Hunger (DVD : 50 min. ) [2004]
DVD 8602
Abstract: In an unprecedented mission, Sorious Samura moves into a remote village in Ethiopia. Between August and September 2003 Sorious lived in a hut and survived on the same meagre diet as the rest of the villagers. As well as this remarkable film, the DVD includes specially commissioned interviews with Sorious Samura, the film's director, Charlotte Metcalf and the film's editor, Richard Guard. See also Living with Illegals, Living with Refugees and Living with AIDS.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News TV
Keywords: Ethiopia, hunger, food, development, poverty
Living with AIDS (DVD : 49 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5584
Abstract: In the third of his Living with... series, Sorious Samura works as an orderly in a hospital in Zambia , where the majority of the patients are HIV positive. Confronted on a daily basis with death, he describes his workplace as being like a frontline in a war zone. The staff works under horrendous conditions where protective gloves are a luxury and shrouds for the dead are stained with the blood of previous corpses. In this film, Samura exposes the untold story of AIDS -- how poverty and the complex nature of African culture and sexuality are hampering efforts to eradicate this horrifying disease. He meets characters like Joshua and Lawson who continue to practice unprotected sex despite their HIV positive status, and Precious and Nancy, AIDS orphans who fend for themselves in a world where sex 'flesh to flesh' pays well and offers an easy short term solution. Samura also meets heroines such as Bitonda, who at sixteen is in sole charge of her dying 14 year old brother, an AIDS orphaned cousin as well as her own child. After one month, Samura is left with the realization that for the war against HIV in Africa to be won, poverty, ignorance and African sexual attitudes have to be tackled head on. See also Living with Hunger, Living with Refugees and Living with Illegals.
Director: Sorious Samura, Claudio von Planta Distributor:Insight News Television
Keywords: Zambia, children, HIV/AIDS, journalism, orphans, health, medicine
Living with Illegals (DVD : 60 min. ) [2006]
DVD 8601
Abstract: In Living with Illegals, award-winning journalist Sorious Samura becomes an illegal immigrant. His journey is epic as he travels from Morocco into Europe through Spain and France, finally crossing the English Channel to Britain. Samura wants to understand the reality of being an illegal immigrant, so he lives in the exact same conditions and experiences the same gruelling hardships as his companions. The story begins in Northern Morocco, where hundreds of illegal immigrants live in forests waiting for their chance to break into the enclave of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Africa. All that separates them from Ceuta and Europe is a 50 km, 6 m fence, around which they camp. Huddled together in cold, flimsy tents and hounded by daily police raids, the immigrants struggle to survive with no food, money or peace of mind, but their determination to reach the promised land is unyielding. Samura meets Gus and Theo who have decided to swim around the fence and thus into Europe, an extremely dangerous method of entry which many have paid for with their lives. The next day, news arrives that only Theo made it to other side. Gus was captured. Samura leaves the Moroccan forest and meets with Theo in Ceuta. Together they try to earn some money parking cars. Samura soon discovers a derelict factory known as the 'Longhouse' where those on the run from immigration authorities live. The conditions are horrifying. For these people, the dream of Europe has already turned into a nightmare. Samura travels through several cities of mainland Spain where he begs, sleeps rough, performs odd jobs and learns inside tricks to survive as an immigrant. Through a 'connection man,' Samura crosses the Spanish/ French border, and onwards by train he reaches Calais. This is the hub for all immigrants trying to enter the UK. Samura is surprised to find living conditions and scenes of desperation as bad as those in Morocco. In the end, through astonishing circumstances, both Sorious and his companion Arick do reach their final destination. It has been an incredible journey, but was all the suffering really worth it? Living with Illegals is an extraordinary documentary. Offering unprecedented access and unique insights into the world of African illegal immigration, it raises important questions about the rights of individuals to seek a better life free of poverty and war. See also Living with Hunger, Living with Refugees and Living with AIDS.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News TV
Keywords: Morocco, Spain, Europe, immigration, unemployment, poverty, law, human rights
Missing Out: Anemia Threatens the Populations of Niger and Tanzania (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7417
Abstract: In Niger, malnutrition remains the main cause of maternal and infant mortality, and well over half of all pregnant women suffer from iron deficiency anemia. In Tanzania, malaria is blamed for the increase in anemia. In some areas, 93 percent of children suffer from the condition. UNICEF believes that micromultinutrient pills that contain iron folate and other vitamins are the way forward. But is this a sustainable solution for these countries? This program follows two traditional birth attendants as they try to persuade women to take iron folate supplements and visit hospitals, which are often prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, the possibility that donors may pull out of distribution programs is high. Additional material at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1150
Director: Di Tatham Distributor:Bullfrogs Films
Keywords: Niger, Tanzania, women, health, pregnancy, nutrition, poverty, malaria, anemia
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
Mseyas (The) (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 53 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9607
Abstract: AIDS kills more than two million people every year in Africa. As a result of this epidemic, there are more than 11 million orphans. This documentary is the story of the Mseyas, AIDS orphans from Iringa, Tanzania. Alberina, Maria, Amos and Orsolina live on their own and face a life of struggle without resources.
Director: Gustavo Vizoso Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Tanzania, HIV/AIDS, orphans, street children, poverty
Namibia: Africa's Last Colony (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1984]
V. CASS. 283
Abstract: Nora Chase of the Namibian Council of Churches describes how occupying countries have enriched themselves off her country's vast mineral resources, while the indigenous people have been condemned to poverty.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, colonialism, economy, history
O Jardim do Outro Homem = Another Man's Garden (DVD : 80 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10219
Abstract: For a young girl who wants to study medicine in Mozambique, the obstacles extend far beyond the distractions of her boyfriend and her family. A moment of weakness or an error in judgment can cost her a place at the university, an irretrievable loss in a country with so few opportunities for women.
Director: Sol de Carvalho Distributor:Icarus Films
Keywords: Mozambique, gender, education, poverty, feature film
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
Orphans of Mathare (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 7911
Abstract: Documents the lives of former street children, many orphaned by HIV/AIDS, now living at the Good Samaritan Children's Home, an orphanage and school run by Mercy Thuo in the Mathare Slum of Nairobi, Kenya. By following the lives of several orphans, the film lays bare the complicated relationship between poverty, violence, disease, Christianity, tradition and the orphan crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reveals that global AIDS is not simply a medical crisis but a socio-cultural one as well that threatens to create a generation of children without parents.
Director: Randy Bell Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, HIV/AIDS, orphans, poverty
Perfect Famine (The) (Videocassette ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8134
Abstract: Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. In Malawi bad weather, poor governance and profiteering have combined to create famine. This segment looks at the causes of, and solutions to this famine. Although many have thought foreign aid would lift the world's poor out of poverty, there is now a growing consensus that the policies of poor countries and ineffectual bureaucracies can be major obstacles to sustainable development.
Director: Steve Bradshaw Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Malawi, famine, economic development, globalization
Population 6 Billion (Videocassette : 58 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 6140
Abstract: Discusses problems created by the growing human population, which surpassed the six billion mark in 1999. Covers topics such as poverty, illiteracy, the toll on the environment, and water, food and other resource shortages. Addresses the grim realities of life in Third World nations while discussing population control initiatives in Vietnam, Uganda, and Mexico that include family planning, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, sex education, and efforts to improve the economic status of women.
Director: Sam Shinn, Jonathan Silvers Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Uganda, population, development, environment, poverty
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
Spectre of Hope (The) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS VHS 8159
Abstract: Noted Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado and art critic John Berger pore over Salgado's photographic collection Migrations, six years and 43 countries in the making (ranging across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America). Migrations contains photographs of people pushed from their homes and traditions to cities and their margins -- slums and refugee camps. Here their intimate conversation, intercut with photographs from Migrations, combines a discussion of Salgado's work with their critique of globalization, creating a wide-ranging investigation of the power of the image. With Sebastiao Salgado and John Berger.
Director: Paul Carlin Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: refugees, land, dislocation, poverty, globalization, photography, Sebastiao Salgado, John Berger
T-Shirt Travels (DVD : 57 min. ) [2001]
DVD 8789
Abstract: What happens to all those old clothes you bring to the Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries? This comprehensive program is about Third World debt and secondhand clothes. The filmmaker travelled to Zambia and was amazed to find almost everyone wearing Calvin Klein, MTV and James Dean t-shirts! Huge bales of American secondhand clothing are sold to African importers, putting the African manufacturers out of business. We see a secondhand clothing dealer in Zambia carefully select a bale among dozens, bundled and shipped from abroad. He pays for the used clothing and then transports it by bus ten hours to a market. His meager profits support his entire extended family who subsist in shanty towns miles from the market. Their lives exemplify the poverty plaguing Africa today. They have virtually no possibility of advancing themselves and their children. Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard University Center for International Studies and other experts discuss the history of colonialism, slavery and the depletion of Africa's natural resources. They draw the connection between this shameful legacy and the current huge debt. As the African governments service their debts according to an IMF/World Bank policy known as 'structural adjustment lending,' people's benefits are slashed drastically, resulting in terrible suffering from malnutrition, poor healthcare, inadequate schools and a crumbling infra-structure. Our old t-shirts come with a high price-tag.
Director: Shantha Bloemen Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zambia, trade, economy, clothing, poverty, history, government, development
TemeTTeme (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1998]
VHS 9348
Abstract: Set in the beautiful drylands region of northern Ethiopia, TemeTTeme is a moving parable about progress and the values of family life. TemeTTeme tells the story of 12-year-old Belete who runs away from his father's desertified farm to pursue an education in the city of Addis Ababa. The story illustrates the African proverb, 'begezza rasu 'bab TemeTTeme', which means, 'by his own doing, he wrapped a snake around himself.' It reveals hope and resourcefulness in the midst of social and economic problems in rural and urban Ethiopia. The young actors in this film and many of the production team are street children in Addis Ababa. This film is dedicated to them and to the thousands of children whose talent and potential lies wasting and unseen on the streets of towns and cities throughout the world.
Director: Richard Duplock Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Ethiopia, youth, desertification, rural-urban migration, street children, poverty, family
Their Brothers' Keepers: Orphaned by AIDS (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 8942
Abstract: Examines the lives and struggles of Zambian children orphaned by AIDS, who must now act as parents for their siblings and peers. Filmed over a seven-month period, Their Brothers' Keepers goes inside Chazanga Compound, a shantytown in Lusaka, Zambia, and follows the day-to-day struggles of two child-headed families. We see how Benny, Dorris and Paul cope with a lack of food, water, health care, and schooling. They scramble for piecework to buy mealie-meal for their younger siblings. Local aid and community workers give support but lack the necessary resources. Foreign aid is too thin to trickle down. The film alternates between the broader view and the personal detail, between tragedy and hope. Stunning photography and an exquisite musical score contrast with the surreal lives of these heroic kids.
Director: Catherine Mullins Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Zambia, Lusaka, children, youth, poverty, HIV/AIDS, orphans, economy
Through My Eyes (DVD : 44 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7689
Abstract: Through My Eyes follows Rwandan youths who use the arts to help move the country forward ten years after the genocide. By expressing themselves through dance, poetry, music and painting, the teens, many of whom lost parents and family members during the conflict, are able to deal with the emotional and physical trauma they endured. The film documents how--through organizations and group activities--these creative talents not only honor those who perished but also confront new problems affecting the country such as poverty and AIDS. By focusing on what they can accomplish by working together in creative endeavors, the youth of Rwanda prove that art can not only benefit those around them but ensure that future generations have a brighter future.
Director: Hawa Essuman Distributor:NA
Keywords: Rwanda, youth, art, music, poverty, HIV/AIDS, genocide
Touki Bouki (DVD : 85 min. ) [1973]
DVD 7517
Abstract: Two youngsters attempt to escape what they perceive to be the poverty and backwardness of their native Senegal. In this movie, a boy and a girl try to gather the funds and connections to enable them to move to France. They believe they will find better wages and a better life there. The boy engages in a number of petty thefts to finance his ambitions, but in the end, cannot leave without a fetish amulet, which he has lost somewhere. The girl fares better.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety Distributor:Kino International
Keywords: Senegal, neo-colonial attitudes, poverty, immigration, feature film
Tsotsi (DVD : 94 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7818
Abstract: A young man running with a criminal gang on the streets of Johannesburg, Tsotsi - a nickname meaning thug - is immersed in a world of violence that seems to leave him unaffected, until he discovers an infant in the backseat of a car he has stolen.
Director: Gavin Hood Distributor:Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Keywords: South Africa, Johannesburg, criminals, gangs, youth, poverty, feature film
Two Dollars With or Without A Condom (DVD : 40 min. ) [1997]
DVD 8758
Abstract: Ethiopia has become to the Arab world what Thailand is to European tourists. Prostitution in Ethiopia has increased incredibly in recent years. In one section of Addis Ababa, some 130,000 girls support themselves by selling their bodies. Most of them are under eighteen, and many even under fourteen. In this probing documentary, we meet the victims, girls that have been orphaned, or thrown out by their family, or are hoping to find a better life. They are compelled to turn to prostitution to survive. The young ones, like nine-year-old Yashwarek, don't even earn enough money to buy food. The older ones earn more, about $2 a night, but yearn to work the luxury hotels as high-class prostitutes. Virtually all the girls are HIV positive. Condoms are seldom used, even though they are distributed free in many places. Customers, believing the youngest girls are HIV-free, seek them out, which in turn keeps lowering the age of girls becoming HIV-infected. Some attempts by agencies are being made to help these girls, but they face heavy odds.
Director: Leyla Assaf-Tengroth Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, prostitution, orphans, HIV/AIDS, women, youth, economy, poverty
Uganda: A Different Drummer (Videocassette : 34 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7444
Abstract: Uganda has begun eradicating poverty with a unique approach. Gone is the old way of government telling the poor what's good for them. Instead--via community meetings around the country-- the poor are telling government what they want. The results so far: better healthcare, free elementary education, new roads and agricultural extension programs. The government is further helping with poverty reduction by working with the International Monetary Fund for debt relief. Electronic access at: http://www.imf.org/external/mmedia/view1.asp?eventId=54&file=1
Director: Frances Anne Hardin Distributor:International Monetary Fund
Keywords: Uganda, poverty, IMF, development, democracy
Way to Move On (A): Women's Savings Associations in Dakar (DVD : 23 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8048
Abstract: Senegal went through an economic crisis in the l980's, and cut off from government support, many women emerged from their domestic roles to become breadwinners for their families. They formed collectives, called Roscas, which act like credit unions with an emotional component. Participants contribute a predetermined sum which gets redistributed to members who need short term loans to run their business. The women are able to raise their families' standard of living by raising and selling food crops, or making handicrafts. They meet regularly, share problems and help one another out. It is a cooperative very much in keeping with the African sense of community. The Rosca movement may be a key out of poverty.
Director: Elisa Mereghetti and Francesca Lulli Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Senegal, Dakar, women, cooperative societies, credit unions, economy
Witchdoctors: a Day in the Other Africa (DVD : 55 min. ) [2007]
DVD 10030
Abstract: Film by Brooklyn librarian/documentary filmmaker Boniface Wewe that aims to show viewers the other Africa full of life and culture, as opposed to the stereotyped images of poverty and corruption often presented on the evening news. Filmed in West Central and South Africa, the film offers a first-hand look at some of the people and the professions that play a role in African cultures and lives. Highlights indigenous professions from palm wine tapping in Santa, Cameroon; thumb piano ( ndenge ) playing in Bali, Cameroon; Zulu singing ( isicathamiya ) by the award-winning Hlahlindlela High School choir; and an interview with the Prime Minister to the King of the Zulu Nation. The bulk of the program, however, is comprised of a day spent with a community of traditional healers ( sangoma ) in Kwangcolosi Village in the Valley of 1000 Hills, South Africa, who train together in an apprentice system under an experienced practitioner. The chief sangoma , Ma Nokusho Bhengu, has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal for her collaboration with President Bush and an American program which sees a partnership between Western and traditional doctors in South Africa. We meet a variety of people who have trained under Ma Bhengu as the viewer becomes acquainted with the criteria for becoming a sangoma , sample medications (muti) and their cures, the initiation of a young sangoma and esoteric dances punctuated with hallucinating growls when the ancestors are invoked. A traditional African blessing and prayer to the ancestors concludes the day.
Director: Boniface Ndemping Wewe Distributor:African Artistic Videos
Keywords: Cameroon, South Africa, healing, music, religion
You Can't Eat Potential: Breaking Africa's Cycle of Poverty (DVD : 57 min. ) [1996]
DVD 9104
Abstract: The world faces an impending catastrophe if nothing is done. In the context of the steepest rises of population in human history, world food security is an increasingly urgent issue. The film focuses on Africa, south of the Sahara, the region of the world most under threat of food shortages and where absolute poverty is increasing at an alarming rate. The key issue is the development of agriculture in this severely disadvantaged region. How this situation can be reversed is highlighted primarily by the experience in Tanzania, Ghana and Benin. The film explores the critical changes needed to reduce poverty and protect the environment in sub-Saharan Africa -- for example tackling the massive 'mining' of soil nutrients. Expert testimony is provided by Dr. Norman Borlaug (Nobel Peace Prize winner) as well as other distinguished agricultural scientists, and on the political front by Frederick Sumaye (Prime Minister of Tanzania) and Ibrahim Adam (Minister of Food and Agriculture in Ghana). The problems are huge, the situation is urgent, but there is vast untapped potential in the people and environments of the region. The right policies can avert a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions.
Director: Tony Freeth Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Tanzania, Ghana, Benin, poverty, food, development, agriculture, famine, environment, government
Zulu Love Affairs (DVD : 52 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8049
Abstract: Set in the verdant hills of Kwa-Zulu Natal, this is an intimate and spontaneous depiction of the lives of women left behind while their husbands, migrant laborers, work in the mines far away. By turns sad, touching or amusing, this film bears eloquent testimony to the ravages of an economic system which tears families apart to feed South Africa's insatiable mines. These women raise huge families, tend the fields, herd the cattle, and generally run village affairs. One says defiantly 'I'm the man of the house.' As they talk with each other and the filmmaker one hears many of the same joys and sorrows, angers and hopes as one would anywhere in the world. But here life is shaped by the absence of men, who seem to come home only to make children and contribute paltry pay to the subsistence of their families. Some women treasure their rare nights of passion with their husbands, while others resent their being left to languish in loneliness and sexual frustration. The filmmaker, a Western woman married to a Zulu musician has lived in the society. Her film captures the warmth and humor of the Zulu women, which they retain despite the challenges of their lives.
Director: Emmanuelle Bidou Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, women, poverty, marriage, gender, migrant labor, economy, work
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Act of Faith (An): The Phelophepa Health Train (Videocassette : 25 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 8923
Abstract: A group of health professionals spends nine months of each year touring the poorest and most remote areas of South Africa. This program catches up with the train in the province of KwaZulu Natal, where there's just one doctor for every 4,000 people. With a full contingent of volunteer doctors, dentists, optometrists, and health educators on board, the 'good clean health train' delivers quality health care to deprived rural communities.
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: South Africa, Natal, health care, poverty
Africa, Africas (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8686
Abstract: Three short segments present different facets of contemporary African life. Fantococà (23 min.) presents the cultural phenomenon of skin bleaching in Cameroon and the challenge it is now posing on notions of black pride and identity. Director: Agnès Ndibi. From The Other Side Of The River (18 min.) documents the effects of war on a community of Ethiopian women and children who were forcibly relocated into refugee camps. Director: Moji-da Abdi. Laafi Bala (20 min.) demonstrates the causes of wide-spread unemployment and poverty in Burkina Faso, where few institutional resources and government support are available, and the debilitating effects this is having on women and youth. Director: Fanta Regina Nacro
Director: Moji-da Abdi, Fanta Regina Nacro and Agnès Ndibi Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, women, gender, beauty, war, refugees, youth, poverty
Aiming High (DVD : 26 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8462
Abstract: This film focuses on Uganda's successful economic recovery in the wake of Idi Amin's regime.
Director: Ashley Bruce Distributor:Bull Frog
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin, poverty, government policy, development, economy
Child Brides (The) (Videocassette : 51 min. ) [1999]
V. CASS. VHS 5783
Abstract: In many parts of Africa, Asia, and South America, young girls are often engaged by the age of eight, and leave their homes to join their husbands by twelve. In many cases, the younger the girl, the more her family receives in the form of a dowry. This program travels to the most rural and poverty-stricken regions of Ethiopia to expose the common practice of child brides and the consequences for the young girls who often give birth before they are out of childhood.
Director: NA Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: Ethiopia, marriage, ritual, gender
Coffee-Go-Round, The (DVD : 26 min. ) [2005]
DVD 7920
Abstract: Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world - a major cash crop for many poor, developing countries trying to trade their way out of poverty. Coffee promises to increase developing countries' share of income from agricultural products on world markets - in line with Millennium Development Goal No 8's commitment to a global partnership for development. But for the last 10 years the international coffee industry has been in crisis - and many coffee-producing countries are facing disaster. The world's 25 million coffee farmers receive less than one per cent of the price of a cup of coffee sold in a coffee bar. Life visits Ethiopia, the cradle of coffee cultivation, and speaks to players in the international coffee trade to find out how individual coffee growers can survive the boom and bust of the global coffee market.
Director: Joost de Haas Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Ethiopia, coffee, industry, agriculture, development, economy, trade
Cultivating Opportunity: Self-Help Solutions to Poverty in the U.S. and Africa (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [1997]
VHS 9327
Abstract: Willie Head, Jr. is struggling to hold on to his farm-70 acres in southeast Georgia. Willie is one of the remaining 18,000 African Americans who are losing their land at the rate of a thousand acres a day. Teresa Massango, a farmer in Mozambique in southeast Africa, is among the 80 percent of Mozambicans who depend on their land to feed themselves. They've faced war and famine, and are now threatened by investors wanting to profit from Mozambique's cheap land and labor. Cultivating Opportunity tells the inspiring story of how poor communities in Mozambique and the United States are creating opportunities to better their lives. Their work is a road map to ending hunger and poverty, a journey that begins within the communities themselves. In Cultivating Opportunity communities in vastly different parts of the world demonstrate surprising similarities in the self-help solutions they champion to fight poverty. The video shows how these communities are creating the opportunities they need. Willie says, 'I don't care what profession you're in; to just work hard doesn't do it. To just be committed doesn't do it. The opportunity must be there...'
Director: Michael Sheridan Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Mozambique, Georgia, development, farming, poverty
Dancing on the Edge (Videocassette : 40 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 8245
Abstract: This narrative documentary is set in rural Mozambique, where gender roles and poverty influence the fight to contain the spread of AIDS. A young HIV positive mother, Antonietta, who works as an AIDS counselor takes her healthy daughter to a remote village for initiation into sexuality. Antonietta struggles with the contradictions of maintaining traditional values while adapting to the reality of the modern world devastated by AIDS. Part of Steps for the Future, a unique collection of documentaries and short films from Southern Africa about life in the time of IV/AIDS (Volume 6).
Director: Karen Boswall Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Mozambique, HIV/AIDS, gender, ritual, rural life, Steps for the Future
Dead Mums Don't Cry (DVD : 49 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7635
Abstract: Becoming a mother in Africa can be among the most frightening and dangerous jobs in the world. This program investigates why more than half a million women die every year in pregnancy and childbirth. Dead Mums Don't Cry documents one woman's remarkable struggle to stop mothers in her country from dying. She's Grace Kodindo - an obstetrician in the poverty-stricken central African country of Chad. Women in Chad have a 1 in 11 chance of dying during pregnancy or in childbirth. The risk for women in the UK is 1 in 5100. Cutting maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 was one of the eight Millennium Development Goals set by 189 countries in 2000. Five years on, progress is far behind schedule - and this film reveals it's slowest on the goals that affect women and children. But Dead Mums Don't Cry shows there is reason for hope. A few poor countries have succeeded in saving mothers' lives. BBC reporter Steve Bradshaw and Grace Kodindo travel to Honduras, which has cut maternal mortality far faster than some wealthier neighbors. A key reason is that influential men and women cared enough to make the issue a priority.
Director: Grace Kodindo, Tristan Quinn Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Chad, pregnancy, motherhood, health, development
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
Dolé (Videocassette : 80 min. ) [2001]
V. CASS. VHS 7175
Abstract: The action takes place in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. This is where Mougler and his friends Baby Lee, Joker, Akson and Bezingo, four fifteen-year-old boys, live. These boys have to fend for themselves, except for Mougler who lives with Maradou, his mother. The gang is tired of thieving and is full of dreams of more ambitious jobs. The opportunity is given to them with the extremely popular betting kiosks in Dôlè. The temptation is great, and so are the risks.
Director: Imunga Ivanga Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Gabon, youth, poverty, feature film
Egypt: the Struggle for Stability (Motion Picture : 28 min. ) [1976]
MP-16MM 197
Abstract: Documents modern-day Egypt, pointing out its contrasts and conflicts. Shows both wheels and massive hydroelectric power facilities; describes the great potential natural resources and a level of poverty among the worst in the world.
Director: NA Distributor:Learning Corporation of America
Keywords: Egypt, power facilities, development
Extra Bitter: The Legacy of the Chocolate Islands (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 9188
Abstract: The invention of a recipe for the chocolate bar in 1879 would have far-reaching consequences for two tiny islands off the west coast of Africa, Sao Tome and Principe. In this documentary filmed on the two formerly Portuguese colonies known as the Chocolate Islands and in Portugal, fascinating archival film and interviews with historians, writers and the inhabitants create a rich portrait of a little-known country and its history. 'Money grew on trees' from two crops on the Islands: cocoa and coffee, but the ugly side of the plantation system was slavery. Historian Carlos Neves describes the terrible conditions common on these plantations. In England, William Cadbury set up factories producing chocolate bars and, being a Quaker, ran them in a progressive style. His cocoa was supplied by the Portuguese. Hearing that slaves were being used to produce the cocoa he needed, he traveled to the Chocolate Island to investigate. There he found a system he called slavery in disguise. He insisted that any Africans could return to their homeland if they wished, or he would cancel the cocoa contracts with the Portuguese. Although the Islands still produce some cocoa, grinding poverty prevails. The Chocolate Islands stand as a sad example of post-colonial decay.
Director: Derek Vertongen Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY [www.filmakers.com]
Keywords: West Africa, Sao Tome and Principe, chocolate, economics, global trade, history, slavery
Faraw!: Une Mère des Sables = Mother of the Dunes (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [1997]
V.CASS. VHS 8414
Abstract: With three difficult children, a crippled, mentally unbalanced husband and no steady income, Zamiatou is the poorest woman in an impoverished desert village in Mali. She could have plenty of money to survive if she would sell her daughter as a prostitute to nearby French settlers, but she refuses to do so. Unfortunately, her family situation continues to spiral downward and she is finally forced to seek outside help.
Director: Abbdoulaye Ascofaré Distributor:ArtMattan Productions
Keywords: Mali, women, social conditions, poverty, feature film
Gospel of AIDS, or, Dying Is Not a Sin (Videocassette : 57 min. ) [1993]
HEALTH: WC 503 C68 1993 AV
Abstract: Examines conditions affecting the spread of AIDS in (pre-genocide) Rwanda and public response to those infected with the disease.
Director: Gil Courtemanche Distributor:Alter-Ciné
Keywords: Rwanda, HIV/AIDS, poverty, epidemiology, public health
Guimba (Videocassette : 93 min. ) [1995]
VHS2991
Abstract: This epic allegory contrasts Africa's tremendous wealth and potential with its present poverty and plunder. The film's narrative embodies the process of revealing the truth from behind the facade of Guuimba's despotic power. Using a combination of sorcery and cruelty, he terrorizes people into submission. His one weakness is his son, Janguine, a randy, perverse dwarf who spends his days satisfying every appetite. Janguine is betrothed to the beautiful Kani, but prefers her more voluptuous mother Meya. Guimba supports his son's obsession by exiling Meya's husband. It is a decision he will come to regret.
Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko Distributor:Kino Video
Keywords: government, despotism, feature film
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
Hyenas (Videocassette : 146 min. ) [1993]
V. CASS. VHS 2574
Abstract: This Senegalese film is based on the play The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt. The Wolof-language film satirizes the influence of Western materialism on traditional Africa as Linguerre, a Senegalese woman, returns to her village after a life in exile. Thirty years earlier, she became pregnant by a local merchant. The man denied her claims that he was the child's father and went further to accuse her of adultery with other men from the village. The woman's life in exile has actually been quite prosperous, while her village is in a state of poverty. Linguerre is wealthy and is willing to bail the village out of its financial misfortune -- in exchange for the life of the man who betrayed her decades earlier. The film holds a sharply critical view of capitalism and its effect on traditional values.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, development, capitalism, feature film
Hyenas (DVD ) [1992]
DVD 7510
Abstract: This Senegalese film is based on the play The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt. The Wolof-language film satirizes the influence of Western materialism on traditional Africa as Linguerre, a Senegalese woman, returns to her village after a life in exile. Thirty years earlier, she became pregnant by a local merchant. The man denied her claims that he was the child's father and went further to accuse her of adultery with other men from the village. The woman's life in exile has actually been quite prosperous, while her village is in a state of poverty. Linguerre is wealthy and is willing to bail the village out of its financial misfortune -- in exchange for the life of the man who betrayed her decades earlier. The film holds a sharply critical view of capitalism and its effect on traditional values.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Senegal, development, capitalism, feature film
Left Behind (Videocassette : 36 min. ) [2002]
VHS 9155
Abstract: Left Behind is a 36-minute documentary that reveals the devastating effects of AIDS on Kenya's children by exploring the lives of HIV-positive orphans at Nyumbani Children's Home; why the virus spreads in the poverty-ridden slum of Kibera; and the struggle for survival of homeless children in nearby Dagoretti who lost their parents to AIDS. Through the eyes and voices of the children themselves, as well as prostitutes, slum dwellers and those infected with HIV, Left Behind dramatically exposes the enormity of the challenge that faces all those who seek to help the victims and prevent the collapse of a continent.
Director: Christof Putzel Distributor:www.films.com
Keywords: Kenya, HIV/AIDS, children, orphans, homelessness
Living With Hunger (DVD : 50 min. ) [2004]
DVD 8602
Abstract: In an unprecedented mission, Sorious Samura moves into a remote village in Ethiopia. Between August and September 2003 Sorious lived in a hut and survived on the same meagre diet as the rest of the villagers. As well as this remarkable film, the DVD includes specially commissioned interviews with Sorious Samura, the film's director, Charlotte Metcalf and the film's editor, Richard Guard. See also Living with Illegals, Living with Refugees and Living with AIDS.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News TV
Keywords: Ethiopia, hunger, food, development, poverty
Living with AIDS (DVD : 49 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5584
Abstract: In the third of his Living with... series, Sorious Samura works as an orderly in a hospital in Zambia , where the majority of the patients are HIV positive. Confronted on a daily basis with death, he describes his workplace as being like a frontline in a war zone. The staff works under horrendous conditions where protective gloves are a luxury and shrouds for the dead are stained with the blood of previous corpses. In this film, Samura exposes the untold story of AIDS -- how poverty and the complex nature of African culture and sexuality are hampering efforts to eradicate this horrifying disease. He meets characters like Joshua and Lawson who continue to practice unprotected sex despite their HIV positive status, and Precious and Nancy, AIDS orphans who fend for themselves in a world where sex 'flesh to flesh' pays well and offers an easy short term solution. Samura also meets heroines such as Bitonda, who at sixteen is in sole charge of her dying 14 year old brother, an AIDS orphaned cousin as well as her own child. After one month, Samura is left with the realization that for the war against HIV in Africa to be won, poverty, ignorance and African sexual attitudes have to be tackled head on. See also Living with Hunger, Living with Refugees and Living with Illegals.
Director: Sorious Samura, Claudio von Planta Distributor:Insight News Television
Keywords: Zambia, children, HIV/AIDS, journalism, orphans, health, medicine
Living with Illegals (DVD : 60 min. ) [2006]
DVD 8601
Abstract: In Living with Illegals, award-winning journalist Sorious Samura becomes an illegal immigrant. His journey is epic as he travels from Morocco into Europe through Spain and France, finally crossing the English Channel to Britain. Samura wants to understand the reality of being an illegal immigrant, so he lives in the exact same conditions and experiences the same gruelling hardships as his companions. The story begins in Northern Morocco, where hundreds of illegal immigrants live in forests waiting for their chance to break into the enclave of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Africa. All that separates them from Ceuta and Europe is a 50 km, 6 m fence, around which they camp. Huddled together in cold, flimsy tents and hounded by daily police raids, the immigrants struggle to survive with no food, money or peace of mind, but their determination to reach the promised land is unyielding. Samura meets Gus and Theo who have decided to swim around the fence and thus into Europe, an extremely dangerous method of entry which many have paid for with their lives. The next day, news arrives that only Theo made it to other side. Gus was captured. Samura leaves the Moroccan forest and meets with Theo in Ceuta. Together they try to earn some money parking cars. Samura soon discovers a derelict factory known as the 'Longhouse' where those on the run from immigration authorities live. The conditions are horrifying. For these people, the dream of Europe has already turned into a nightmare. Samura travels through several cities of mainland Spain where he begs, sleeps rough, performs odd jobs and learns inside tricks to survive as an immigrant. Through a 'connection man,' Samura crosses the Spanish/ French border, and onwards by train he reaches Calais. This is the hub for all immigrants trying to enter the UK. Samura is surprised to find living conditions and scenes of desperation as bad as those in Morocco. In the end, through astonishing circumstances, both Sorious and his companion Arick do reach their final destination. It has been an incredible journey, but was all the suffering really worth it? Living with Illegals is an extraordinary documentary. Offering unprecedented access and unique insights into the world of African illegal immigration, it raises important questions about the rights of individuals to seek a better life free of poverty and war. See also Living with Hunger, Living with Refugees and Living with AIDS.
Director: Sorious Samura Distributor:Insight News TV
Keywords: Morocco, Spain, Europe, immigration, unemployment, poverty, law, human rights
Missing Out: Anemia Threatens the Populations of Niger and Tanzania (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7417
Abstract: In Niger, malnutrition remains the main cause of maternal and infant mortality, and well over half of all pregnant women suffer from iron deficiency anemia. In Tanzania, malaria is blamed for the increase in anemia. In some areas, 93 percent of children suffer from the condition. UNICEF believes that micromultinutrient pills that contain iron folate and other vitamins are the way forward. But is this a sustainable solution for these countries? This program follows two traditional birth attendants as they try to persuade women to take iron folate supplements and visit hospitals, which are often prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, the possibility that donors may pull out of distribution programs is high. Additional material at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1150
Director: Di Tatham Distributor:Bullfrogs Films
Keywords: Niger, Tanzania, women, health, pregnancy, nutrition, poverty, malaria, anemia
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
Mseyas (The) (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 53 min. ) [2007]
DVD 9607
Abstract: AIDS kills more than two million people every year in Africa. As a result of this epidemic, there are more than 11 million orphans. This documentary is the story of the Mseyas, AIDS orphans from Iringa, Tanzania. Alberina, Maria, Amos and Orsolina live on their own and face a life of struggle without resources.
Director: Gustavo Vizoso Distributor:Third World Newsreel
Keywords: Tanzania, HIV/AIDS, orphans, street children, poverty
Namibia: Africa's Last Colony (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1984]
V. CASS. 283
Abstract: Nora Chase of the Namibian Council of Churches describes how occupying countries have enriched themselves off her country's vast mineral resources, while the indigenous people have been condemned to poverty.
Director: NA Distributor:California Newsreel
Keywords: Namibia, colonialism, economy, history
O Jardim do Outro Homem = Another Man's Garden (DVD : 80 min. ) [2006]
DVD 10219
Abstract: For a young girl who wants to study medicine in Mozambique, the obstacles extend far beyond the distractions of her boyfriend and her family. A moment of weakness or an error in judgment can cost her a place at the university, an irretrievable loss in a country with so few opportunities for women.
Director: Sol de Carvalho Distributor:Icarus Films
Keywords: Mozambique, gender, education, poverty, feature film
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
Orphans of Mathare (Videocassette : 62 min. ) [2003]
V.CASS. VHS 7911
Abstract: Documents the lives of former street children, many orphaned by HIV/AIDS, now living at the Good Samaritan Children's Home, an orphanage and school run by Mercy Thuo in the Mathare Slum of Nairobi, Kenya. By following the lives of several orphans, the film lays bare the complicated relationship between poverty, violence, disease, Christianity, tradition and the orphan crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reveals that global AIDS is not simply a medical crisis but a socio-cultural one as well that threatens to create a generation of children without parents.
Director: Randy Bell Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Kenya, HIV/AIDS, orphans, poverty
Perfect Famine (The) (Videocassette ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8134
Abstract: Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. In Malawi bad weather, poor governance and profiteering have combined to create famine. This segment looks at the causes of, and solutions to this famine. Although many have thought foreign aid would lift the world's poor out of poverty, there is now a growing consensus that the policies of poor countries and ineffectual bureaucracies can be major obstacles to sustainable development.
Director: Steve Bradshaw Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Malawi, famine, economic development, globalization
Population 6 Billion (Videocassette : 58 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 6140
Abstract: Discusses problems created by the growing human population, which surpassed the six billion mark in 1999. Covers topics such as poverty, illiteracy, the toll on the environment, and water, food and other resource shortages. Addresses the grim realities of life in Third World nations while discussing population control initiatives in Vietnam, Uganda, and Mexico that include family planning, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, sex education, and efforts to improve the economic status of women.
Director: Sam Shinn, Jonathan Silvers Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Uganda, population, development, environment, poverty
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
Spectre of Hope (The) (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2000]
V. CASS VHS 8159
Abstract: Noted Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado and art critic John Berger pore over Salgado's photographic collection Migrations, six years and 43 countries in the making (ranging across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America). Migrations contains photographs of people pushed from their homes and traditions to cities and their margins -- slums and refugee camps. Here their intimate conversation, intercut with photographs from Migrations, combines a discussion of Salgado's work with their critique of globalization, creating a wide-ranging investigation of the power of the image. With Sebastiao Salgado and John Berger.
Director: Paul Carlin Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: refugees, land, dislocation, poverty, globalization, photography, Sebastiao Salgado, John Berger
T-Shirt Travels (DVD : 57 min. ) [2001]
DVD 8789
Abstract: What happens to all those old clothes you bring to the Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries? This comprehensive program is about Third World debt and secondhand clothes. The filmmaker travelled to Zambia and was amazed to find almost everyone wearing Calvin Klein, MTV and James Dean t-shirts! Huge bales of American secondhand clothing are sold to African importers, putting the African manufacturers out of business. We see a secondhand clothing dealer in Zambia carefully select a bale among dozens, bundled and shipped from abroad. He pays for the used clothing and then transports it by bus ten hours to a market. His meager profits support his entire extended family who subsist in shanty towns miles from the market. Their lives exemplify the poverty plaguing Africa today. They have virtually no possibility of advancing themselves and their children. Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard University Center for International Studies and other experts discuss the history of colonialism, slavery and the depletion of Africa's natural resources. They draw the connection between this shameful legacy and the current huge debt. As the African governments service their debts according to an IMF/World Bank policy known as 'structural adjustment lending,' people's benefits are slashed drastically, resulting in terrible suffering from malnutrition, poor healthcare, inadequate schools and a crumbling infra-structure. Our old t-shirts come with a high price-tag.
Director: Shantha Bloemen Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Zambia, trade, economy, clothing, poverty, history, government, development
TemeTTeme (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1998]
VHS 9348
Abstract: Set in the beautiful drylands region of northern Ethiopia, TemeTTeme is a moving parable about progress and the values of family life. TemeTTeme tells the story of 12-year-old Belete who runs away from his father's desertified farm to pursue an education in the city of Addis Ababa. The story illustrates the African proverb, 'begezza rasu 'bab TemeTTeme', which means, 'by his own doing, he wrapped a snake around himself.' It reveals hope and resourcefulness in the midst of social and economic problems in rural and urban Ethiopia. The young actors in this film and many of the production team are street children in Addis Ababa. This film is dedicated to them and to the thousands of children whose talent and potential lies wasting and unseen on the streets of towns and cities throughout the world.
Director: Richard Duplock Distributor:Bull Frog Films
Keywords: Ethiopia, youth, desertification, rural-urban migration, street children, poverty, family
Their Brothers' Keepers: Orphaned by AIDS (Videocassette : 56 min. ) [2005]
V.CASS. VHS 8942
Abstract: Examines the lives and struggles of Zambian children orphaned by AIDS, who must now act as parents for their siblings and peers. Filmed over a seven-month period, Their Brothers' Keepers goes inside Chazanga Compound, a shantytown in Lusaka, Zambia, and follows the day-to-day struggles of two child-headed families. We see how Benny, Dorris and Paul cope with a lack of food, water, health care, and schooling. They scramble for piecework to buy mealie-meal for their younger siblings. Local aid and community workers give support but lack the necessary resources. Foreign aid is too thin to trickle down. The film alternates between the broader view and the personal detail, between tragedy and hope. Stunning photography and an exquisite musical score contrast with the surreal lives of these heroic kids.
Director: Catherine Mullins Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Zambia, Lusaka, children, youth, poverty, HIV/AIDS, orphans, economy
Through My Eyes (DVD : 44 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7689
Abstract: Through My Eyes follows Rwandan youths who use the arts to help move the country forward ten years after the genocide. By expressing themselves through dance, poetry, music and painting, the teens, many of whom lost parents and family members during the conflict, are able to deal with the emotional and physical trauma they endured. The film documents how--through organizations and group activities--these creative talents not only honor those who perished but also confront new problems affecting the country such as poverty and AIDS. By focusing on what they can accomplish by working together in creative endeavors, the youth of Rwanda prove that art can not only benefit those around them but ensure that future generations have a brighter future.
Director: Hawa Essuman Distributor:NA
Keywords: Rwanda, youth, art, music, poverty, HIV/AIDS, genocide
Touki Bouki (DVD : 85 min. ) [1973]
DVD 7517
Abstract: Two youngsters attempt to escape what they perceive to be the poverty and backwardness of their native Senegal. In this movie, a boy and a girl try to gather the funds and connections to enable them to move to France. They believe they will find better wages and a better life there. The boy engages in a number of petty thefts to finance his ambitions, but in the end, cannot leave without a fetish amulet, which he has lost somewhere. The girl fares better.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety Distributor:Kino International
Keywords: Senegal, neo-colonial attitudes, poverty, immigration, feature film
Tsotsi (DVD : 94 min. ) [2006]
DVD 7818
Abstract: A young man running with a criminal gang on the streets of Johannesburg, Tsotsi - a nickname meaning thug - is immersed in a world of violence that seems to leave him unaffected, until he discovers an infant in the backseat of a car he has stolen.
Director: Gavin Hood Distributor:Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Keywords: South Africa, Johannesburg, criminals, gangs, youth, poverty, feature film
Two Dollars With or Without A Condom (DVD : 40 min. ) [1997]
DVD 8758
Abstract: Ethiopia has become to the Arab world what Thailand is to European tourists. Prostitution in Ethiopia has increased incredibly in recent years. In one section of Addis Ababa, some 130,000 girls support themselves by selling their bodies. Most of them are under eighteen, and many even under fourteen. In this probing documentary, we meet the victims, girls that have been orphaned, or thrown out by their family, or are hoping to find a better life. They are compelled to turn to prostitution to survive. The young ones, like nine-year-old Yashwarek, don't even earn enough money to buy food. The older ones earn more, about $2 a night, but yearn to work the luxury hotels as high-class prostitutes. Virtually all the girls are HIV positive. Condoms are seldom used, even though they are distributed free in many places. Customers, believing the youngest girls are HIV-free, seek them out, which in turn keeps lowering the age of girls becoming HIV-infected. Some attempts by agencies are being made to help these girls, but they face heavy odds.
Director: Leyla Assaf-Tengroth Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Ethiopia, prostitution, orphans, HIV/AIDS, women, youth, economy, poverty
Uganda: A Different Drummer (Videocassette : 34 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7444
Abstract: Uganda has begun eradicating poverty with a unique approach. Gone is the old way of government telling the poor what's good for them. Instead--via community meetings around the country-- the poor are telling government what they want. The results so far: better healthcare, free elementary education, new roads and agricultural extension programs. The government is further helping with poverty reduction by working with the International Monetary Fund for debt relief. Electronic access at: http://www.imf.org/external/mmedia/view1.asp?eventId=54&file=1
Director: Frances Anne Hardin Distributor:International Monetary Fund
Keywords: Uganda, poverty, IMF, development, democracy
Way to Move On (A): Women's Savings Associations in Dakar (DVD : 23 min. ) [2000]
DVD 8048
Abstract: Senegal went through an economic crisis in the l980's, and cut off from government support, many women emerged from their domestic roles to become breadwinners for their families. They formed collectives, called Roscas, which act like credit unions with an emotional component. Participants contribute a predetermined sum which gets redistributed to members who need short term loans to run their business. The women are able to raise their families' standard of living by raising and selling food crops, or making handicrafts. They meet regularly, share problems and help one another out. It is a cooperative very much in keeping with the African sense of community. The Rosca movement may be a key out of poverty.
Director: Elisa Mereghetti and Francesca Lulli Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Senegal, Dakar, women, cooperative societies, credit unions, economy
Witchdoctors: a Day in the Other Africa (DVD : 55 min. ) [2007]
DVD 10030
Abstract: Film by Brooklyn librarian/documentary filmmaker Boniface Wewe that aims to show viewers the other Africa full of life and culture, as opposed to the stereotyped images of poverty and corruption often presented on the evening news. Filmed in West Central and South Africa, the film offers a first-hand look at some of the people and the professions that play a role in African cultures and lives. Highlights indigenous professions from palm wine tapping in Santa, Cameroon; thumb piano ( ndenge ) playing in Bali, Cameroon; Zulu singing ( isicathamiya ) by the award-winning Hlahlindlela High School choir; and an interview with the Prime Minister to the King of the Zulu Nation. The bulk of the program, however, is comprised of a day spent with a community of traditional healers ( sangoma ) in Kwangcolosi Village in the Valley of 1000 Hills, South Africa, who train together in an apprentice system under an experienced practitioner. The chief sangoma , Ma Nokusho Bhengu, has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal for her collaboration with President Bush and an American program which sees a partnership between Western and traditional doctors in South Africa. We meet a variety of people who have trained under Ma Bhengu as the viewer becomes acquainted with the criteria for becoming a sangoma , sample medications (muti) and their cures, the initiation of a young sangoma and esoteric dances punctuated with hallucinating growls when the ancestors are invoked. A traditional African blessing and prayer to the ancestors concludes the day.
Director: Boniface Ndemping Wewe Distributor:African Artistic Videos
Keywords: Cameroon, South Africa, healing, music, religion
You Can't Eat Potential: Breaking Africa's Cycle of Poverty (DVD : 57 min. ) [1996]
DVD 9104
Abstract: The world faces an impending catastrophe if nothing is done. In the context of the steepest rises of population in human history, world food security is an increasingly urgent issue. The film focuses on Africa, south of the Sahara, the region of the world most under threat of food shortages and where absolute poverty is increasing at an alarming rate. The key issue is the development of agriculture in this severely disadvantaged region. How this situation can be reversed is highlighted primarily by the experience in Tanzania, Ghana and Benin. The film explores the critical changes needed to reduce poverty and protect the environment in sub-Saharan Africa -- for example tackling the massive 'mining' of soil nutrients. Expert testimony is provided by Dr. Norman Borlaug (Nobel Peace Prize winner) as well as other distinguished agricultural scientists, and on the political front by Frederick Sumaye (Prime Minister of Tanzania) and Ibrahim Adam (Minister of Food and Agriculture in Ghana). The problems are huge, the situation is urgent, but there is vast untapped potential in the people and environments of the region. The right policies can avert a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions.
Director: Tony Freeth Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: Tanzania, Ghana, Benin, poverty, food, development, agriculture, famine, environment, government
Zulu Love Affairs (DVD : 52 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8049
Abstract: Set in the verdant hills of Kwa-Zulu Natal, this is an intimate and spontaneous depiction of the lives of women left behind while their husbands, migrant laborers, work in the mines far away. By turns sad, touching or amusing, this film bears eloquent testimony to the ravages of an economic system which tears families apart to feed South Africa's insatiable mines. These women raise huge families, tend the fields, herd the cattle, and generally run village affairs. One says defiantly 'I'm the man of the house.' As they talk with each other and the filmmaker one hears many of the same joys and sorrows, angers and hopes as one would anywhere in the world. But here life is shaped by the absence of men, who seem to come home only to make children and contribute paltry pay to the subsistence of their families. Some women treasure their rare nights of passion with their husbands, while others resent their being left to languish in loneliness and sexual frustration. The filmmaker, a Western woman married to a Zulu musician has lived in the society. Her film captures the warmth and humor of the Zulu women, which they retain despite the challenges of their lives.
Director: Emmanuelle Bidou Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: South Africa, Zulu, women, poverty, marriage, gender, migrant labor, economy, work
September 16, 2008: Geoffrey Nyarota
