Documentary Educational Resources - Geography / Africa / Africa – General / All Films

SanDance!

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 10:15:02 GMT

Set in the transcendent dance culture of Africa’s San First Peoples, SanDance! celebrates humanity’s original essence of dance.

This enchanting film follows San dancers from rehearsals in remote villages in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana to their electrifying performances at the Kuru San Dance Festival in Botswana. Held on full moon, the festival draws San dancers and musicians from across southern Africa to the largest annual gathering of San peoples. The film expresses the hopes and dreams of San dancers as they strive to revitalize their beautiful dance traditions, which are threatened by ongoing marginalization of the San’s fragile hunter-gatherer culture.

Radiating from the Kuru San Dance Festival into the visionary world of the trance-healing dance, SanDance! illuminates the spiritual traditions that underpin ancestral San culture across southern Africa.

Proceeds from SanDance! directly benefit the KDT, and the dance groups featured in this film.

“The film’s immersion into Southern Africa’s indigenous cultures touches on a wide berth of subjects including ancient history, recent history, colonialism, genocide, dance, language, subsistence, ecology, and philosophy. Because of its shorter runtime and mass of content, SanDance! will easily fit into many curricula.” – Frank Gunderson, Yearbook of Traditional Music

“SanDance! is billed as a journey to the heart of Africa’s original dance culture, but it’s much more than that. It opens a door into a segment of African culture that is in danger of dying out... Richard Wicksteed has spent decades filming and working with the San, making at least 10 films of varying length. The level of acceptance and their trust in him is clear from this sensitive and well-paced portrayal of an important culture under threat... I watched [the film] more than once, and still want to watch it again. For the dance. For the music. For the story. For the pleasure.” – Michael Britton, Music in Africa

Selected Screenings & Awards

Best Documentary, Garden Route Int'l Film Festival, South Africa, 2021

Award of Excellence, Documentary Feature, Impact Docs Award, 2021

Globe Award, ARFF, Barcelona, Spain 2021

Best Cinematography, International Feature, Thin Line Festival, USA 2021

International Council for Traditional Music, Ghana, 2023

Award of Excellence - Original Score, Docs Without Borders, USA, 2021

Award of Excellence, IndieFEST Film Awards, USA 2021

Best Cinematography, ABQ Indie Film Fest, USA, 2021

Best Feature - Documentary, Bucharest Film Awards, Romania, 2021

Buenos Aires Film Festival, Brazil, 2021

Osaka International Film Festival, Japan, 2021

Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival, USA, 2021

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Wax Print

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 13:56:54 GMT

Wax Print
Buy Now: $320.00

Wax Print traces the vast and multi-stranded global history of a fabric that has become an iconic symbol of Africa and her children worldwide. This beautiful, transnational two-year journey has taken director Aiwan Obinyan around the world, in search of African wax prints and the untold story of how wax print fabric came to symbolize a continent, its people, and their struggle for freedom.

The film brings forth issues of fast fashion and mass-produced wax print copies, while detailing an Indonesian, English, and Dutch history of the fabric itself and its significance for pan-African identities. As seen in Batik and Kente techniques, bright bold patterns and colors become a significant part of the culture, as well as the identities of the African diaspora that have kept the heritage alive. With names like “The Ungrateful Husband,” which is worn by women to shame their disloyal husbands, each wax print has a pattern and identity embodied in the cloth, and an origin story that is then accepted and integrated into the culture by consumers.

“Obinyan’s enthusiasm for wax print and her excitement at being witness to the process of its making are infectious. [The film] makes poignant observations about counterfeiting and cultural identity… [and] ultimately ties the fabric’s identity to the black experience itself.”

– Debbie Onuoha, Humboldt University, Berlin

Selected Screenings & Awards

Bradford Literature Festival, UK, 2018

Pan African Film Festival, USA, 2019

Africa in Motion, UK, 2019

12°N 61°W Grenadian Film Festival, 2019

Women of the Lens, UK, 2019

African Film Festival New Zealand, 2019

AFRIFF, Nigeria, 2019

Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Nigeria, 2019

San Francisco Black Film Festival, 2019

Wax Print Festival, Ghana, 2019

Berkshire Museum, USA, 2019

Tubman African American Film Festival, USA, 2019

BlackStar Film Festival, USA, 2019

Black History Studies Film Festival, UK, 2019

CinemAfrica Film Festival, Sweden, 2020

Utrecht Centraal Museum: Voices of Fashion Exhibition, Netherlands, 2021

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The Primate Series

Wed, 5 Sep 2018 11:07:00 GMT

The Primate Series
Buy Now: $2,675.00

The Primate Series aims to give a comparative view of a number of different primate species living under various conditions in captivity and in the wild.

The longer films compare some closely related animals, including subspecies, different species living in similar habitats, and animals of different families, such as monkeys and apes. This is done in order to let the observer see similarities caused by a common size, or close genetic relationship and compare these to more distantly related animals.

Having the opportunity to actually see primates moving in their natural habitats highlights the importance of specializations in locomotor systems, such as the long legs of vertical clinging and leaping primates, the long arms of brachiators, and the strong dexterous hands of arboreal quadrupeds.

Furthermore, watching the animals interact with each other emphasizes the subtlety of facial communication and the importance of kinesthetic movement. Does one animal respond to another's approach with retreat, defensiveness, or unconcern? Or, maybe with a groom invitation or a turned back?

The films also address group behavior. When food access is being contested, is the outcome based on individual relationships or on membership in a particular social class such as infant, female or dominant animal? Is food sharing common and peaceful, or involuntary and due to strategy and theft?

The films share an expanse of information, but the way that the videos were shot and edited also provides long uninterrupted sequences of behavior which can be used to study interactions, use of space, facial communication and role behaviors.

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Chimpanzees Today

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 08:16:00 GMT

Chimpanzees Today
Buy Now: $295.00

Chimpanzees Today is an overview of the various roles filled by chimpanzees and the situations in which they currently live. It begins by briefly discussing the precipitous drop in wild populations as well as some of the history of Jane Goodall's research at Gombe, focusing on the discoveries that promoted the use of the chimpanzee model in studying human evolution. It then covers many situations chimpanzee captivity, including the sanctuaries in Africa set up for infant chimpanzees rescued from poachers and some of the zoo habitats in which they are held. It also covers chimps raised as show animals, as pets, as participants in medical research, and as participants in behavioral research such as self-recognition, language-use and in the study of chimpanzee painting. Questioning when and if chimpanzee captivity is necessary, the video discusses the new captive sanctuaries for animals unable to return to the wild: chimpanzees and other primates that have outgrown their usefulness as pets or show animals, and those that have been retired from medical research. Returning to the theme of the use of the chimpanzee model in hominid evolution, the video includes a short segment on captive Bonobos. These are the other species of chimpanzee; a very rare form that may in fact be more similar in behavior to early hominids than are common chimpanzees. It ends with a plea for conservation of wild chimpanzees since without them all the contributions which the captive ones make will no longer be sustainable. Of particular value in the video are the sections on actual footage from a medical research laboratory, mirror self-recognition, and the level of language facility gained by chimpanzees who are not the focus of special language training programs. Anyone watching this video is undoubtedly aware of the social and intellectual kinship between humans and chimpanzees. The question then becomes, 'What are our responsibilities towards them?'

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Dollars and Dreams

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 07:05:00 GMT

Dollars and Dreams
Buy Now: $320.00

Dollars and Dreams is a documentary film focused on the pursuits and challenges of numerous West African immigrants as they confront the idea of the American Dream and the reality of the New York experience. Including additional perspective from scholars, authors, and community leaders, the film creates a vibrant portrait of African achievement throughout the city, while exploring the complicated issues African immigrants face as they balance their deep connections to Africa and their enthusiastic commitments to America.

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Images from the Field: Baboons

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:44:00 GMT

Images from the Field: Baboons
Buy Now: $295.00

In this video we see the savanna baboons of Africa in various regions of their natural habitat, but with an emphasis on woodlands and forested regions since most other baboon films focus on the open savanna. The video emphasizes various roles filled by animals in a troop with particular attention paid to the range of behaviors seen in males. These include consorting, sentry, protection, baby-tending, positive affiliations with females, control and leading the troop. Various common behaviors such as feeding, grooming, locomoting, resting and playing are also portrayed in an attempt to set the roles in a context of group life. The females and their young are revealed to be a focus of attention for the group and many episodes of complex social behaviors are recorded in long sequences to allow the student to practice observation techniques.

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Macaques

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:49:00 GMT

Macaques
Buy Now: $320.00

This video presents an overview of the genus Macaca, beginning with a discussion of their place in the primate order and their adaptability. This potential for eating a wide variety of foods and living in both temperate and tropical environments at a variety of altitudes means they are very similar to humans in their ability to exploit a range of habitats. After the introduction by Professor Zeller, the video covers 6 species of the approximately 18 types of macaques. The groups chosen range from the only Euro/African species (Macaca sylvanus, the Barbary macaque) at the west end of their range to the Japanese macaques at the eastern edge. The common rhesus and long-tailed macaques are included who range very widely across South-east Asia and these are contrasted with 2 species endemic to the island of Sulawasi in Indonesia. One of these is a new species discovered in the 1990's on the southern Sulawasi Island of Buton, (Macaca Brunescens) and the other is the rarely seen Macaca (Cynopithecus) nigra, one of the larger forms. Material on sexual dimorphism, locomotion, male-female relations, infant care, diet, group social patterns, grooming and communication is covered for each group, pointing out the differences and similarities between the species. Footage from free ranging and captive situations is used and the impact of captivity on behaviour is mentioned. This video is useful as an introduction to the genus, as well as providing data for a more complex analysis of behavioral comparisons which might be undertaken by more senior students. One particular area of comparison is the handling of objects by a variety of species and the potential functions of stick and stone use. Commentary about conservation issues and the impact of humans on the animals is also included.

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Primate Patterns II

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 10:58:00 GMT

Primate Patterns II
Buy Now: $295.00

This video compares 3 species of monkey, one prosimian and two types of apes, all living in a zoo setting. These are Japanese macaques, lion tail macaques, mandrills, black lemurs, orangutans and lowland gorillas. Each segment shows several minutes of footage with descriptions of common behavior such as eating, grooming, locomotion, play and social interactions. The narration provides a commentary for each species but the comparisons between them are left to the observer and can occur at several levels. These include comparisons of behavior as it relates to size and sexual dimorphism, or comparisons in terms of phylogenetic level, or comparisons of complexity based on group size or species differences. Because the animals are caged, visibility is better in the wild, but comparisons with some of the other videos taken in natural settings, may allow discussion of the possible influences of captivity on behavior. Of particular interest are the social interactions of adult orangutans.

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African Christianity Rising

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 13:30:00 GMT

African Christianity Rising
Buy Now: $320.00

Christianity's explosive growth in Africa was totally unexpected at the dawn of independence from colonial rule and is part of a startling reversal in world history. Christianity is no longer the religion of the West. Over two-thirds of the world's Christians now live in the global South — with Africa growing the fastest.

With guidance from leading scholars, these films document the vitality and changing nature of Christianity in Africa. They explore the ways in which it is has become increasingly popular by becoming increasingly African — that is, by becoming rooted more authentically in local cultures. In Ghana and Zimbabwe, where we did our principal filming, we saw that this means emphasizing healing, for instance, or dancing as spiritual discipline, or addressing the multiplicity of spirits that are part and parcel of the world most Africans know.

The films include the personal dramas of ordinary people wrestling with unmistakable, and at times gripping, human problems: a young Pentecostal woman struggling to overcome bitterness toward her mother, or a teenager wracked by poverty, depression and guilt, who has been persuaded by a traditional healer that hateful relatives have placed a curse on her life. Her Methodist pastor brings in the church's "prayer group" to pray against any spiritual powers that she, and they, suspect might be at work.

Such stories are illuminated by leading thinkers on the subject, like Archbishop Peter Sarpong of Ghana, a pioneer in introducing African cultures into Christian worship, and Kwame Bediako, one of Africa's leading theologians. Furthermore, filming characters on routine "missions" to North America points to the impact African Christianity is having in the West, at a time when African congregations are taking over old churches in Holland, Norway and Sweden, for example, and the ten largest churches in Britain are African.

The Complete Educational Edition includes 23 Educational Extras providing biographical sketches of key commentators, more detailed portraits of specific church communities, and the daily work of a traditional obosum priestess in Ghana competing for business with a prophet-founded church nearby.

Part One: Stories from Ghana (77 min, 2013)

Educational Extras: Ghana (126 min, 2013)

Part Two: Stories from Zimbabwe (74 min, 2013)

Educational Extras: Zimbabwe (99 min, 2013)

“The most penetrating and informative material I have ever seen on African Christianity, bringing out its vitality & variety without ever sensationalizing or exoticizing.”
— Terence Ranger, Professor of African History, Oxford

“Striking, powerful and clarifying. These films pack more information and present it more tellingly than would vast areas of print.”

—Andrew Walls, Founder, Centre for the Study of World Christianity, Univ. of Edinburgh, & The Journal of Religion in Africa

“Teaching how Africa’s world religions intersect with indigenous belief systems pose daunting pedagogical challenges, especially in the West. Ault’s impressive documentaries effectively challenge the sensationalism notoriously persistent even among intelligent lay learners . . . and are essential teaching tools in African studies.”
—Olufemi Vaughan, Professor Africana Studies, Bowdoin College

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African Dance: Sand, Drum, and Shostakovich

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 13:30:00 GMT

African Dance: Sand, Drum, and Shostakovich
Buy Now: $320.00

This documentary explores African contemporary dance through eight modern dance companies from Africa, Europe and Canada that participated in the Festival International de Nouvelle Danse in Montreal, Canada in 1999. Interviews, including those with dance historians Yacouba Konate and Alponse Tierou, add insight to beautifully-photographed performances.

What emerges is a fascinating diversity of contemporary African dance themes and styles. Exploring the interactions between tradition and modernism, the consequences of colonization and urbanization, the self-expression of women through dance, and the roles of masculinity and family relationships, the film is a unique source of information and inspiration for dancers, dance historians, choreographers, critics, as well as those interested in African culture, past and present.

"More than ever, as a forum for cross-cultural exchanges, this ninth edition of the Festival showcases African dance because it appears to be undergoing a cultural and artistic renaissance nurtured by the contact and clash between tradition and modernity, and by a reevaluation of its global links. The young choreographers visiting us from Abidjan, a dance capital in Central Africa, from Ouagadougou and Johannesburg, are creating their own special vocabularies, with echoes from ancestral lands and sprawling urban centers. In their works, these artists are living Africa's present and future, with all the anxiety or confidence that this may entail."
— Festival International de Nouvelle Danse, Montreal, Canada

"The idea of a developing African dance avant-garde is still unfamiliar in North America, where classes in traditional African dance remain popular, as do touring African dance companies. [The film's] virtue is the cogency with which the choreographers explain their ideas and provide the link between their very different pieces. The basic theme is that modern dance in Africa, even if influenced by the West, remains rooted in Africa because it is danced by Africans."
— Anna Kisselgoff, NY Times, 01/10/03

"…a very important documentation for the development of modern African dance for this period of time!"
— Kajo Nelles, Director of the International Dance Fair, Germany

"It would be excellent to show all of our dance classes, especially our history and performance classes…"
— Gail Hoak, Dance Chair, Mt. San Jacinto College, California

Dance performances and companies featured in the film include:

Incantation, Compagnie Danse Nyata-Nyata, Canada/Congo

Le Coq Est Mort, Compagnie Jant-Bi, Germany/Senegal

Phokwane, Mpheyane, Vincent Mantsoe, South Africa

Figninto, Compagnie Cie Salia ni Seydo, Burkina Faso

Heritage, Compagnie Sylvain Zabli, Ivory CoastUma

Historia Da Duvida, Compagnie Clara Andermatt, Cape Verde/PortugalDimi, Compangnie Tehetche, Ivory CoastPour Antigone, Comagnie Mathilde Monnier, France/Burkina Faso/Mali

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

University of Florida, Movement Revolution Dialogues: Contemporary Performance In and Of Africa, 2004

Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2003

Dance on Camera Film Festival, New York, 2003

Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, Australia, 2003

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