African Studies

Mental images of storybook adventures and stereotyped people, on the one hand, and genocides and pandemics, on the other, make it practically impossible for Westerners to see Africa as it really is: a place with generational conflicts, cultural misunderstandings, and power struggles-just like anywhere else-plus the added dilemma of how to deal with the tension between tradition and modernity as the already rapid pace of progress continues to accelerate. Bringing together segments from other episodes in The Call of Africa series, this program strives to build bridges of genuine understanding about human rights, political power structures, the environment, public health, marriage customs, emigration, and many other vital topics through the views of real people living in the real Africa. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 57 minutes)

Beginning at Port Said, Egypt-a busy gateway from the Middle East into Africa-this program explores the many national and cultural identities found along the eastern face of the continent. Journeying down the Suez Canal, through the Red Sea, and into the Indian Ocean, the program documents apparently healthy relations between Sunni Muslims and Orthodox Christians in Massawa, Eritrea; khat distribution and addiction in the Republic of Djibouti; the ins and outs of the booming tea industry in Mombasa, Kenya; and day-to-day survival on the streets of Durban, South Africa-which some see as the New York of the continent, a city where dreams come to flourish or die. Portions are in other languages with English subtitles. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (53 minutes)

The Cape of Good Hope-and a stop in thriving Cape Town, South Africa-begins this eye-opening fact-finding voyage up the western edge of the continent. Presenting information and perspectives on a wide range of cultural and economic landscapes, the program explores the history and aftermath of civil war in Luanda, Angola; bustling street life, including an enterprising witch doctor, in Douala, Cameroon; voodoo fetish and secondhand car trafficking in Cotonou, Benin; the specter of the slave trade at Goree Island in Dakar, Senegal; and the split cultural identity of Tangiers, Morocco-a city as European as it is North African. Portions are in other languages with English subtitles. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (53 minutes)

The world is slowly awakening to a disturbing reality-that the diamond trade is a major source of financing for warfare and brutality in Africa. But diamonds are only one natural resource among many that feed bloody conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Congo, and other countries. This program explores the role of international business interests in fomenting rebellion and arming renegade military forces across the African continent-often as a means of obscuring other, equally nefarious, dealings and activities. Several experts and key players are interviewed, including Daniel Chea Sr., Liberia's Minister of National Defense; Zainab Bangura, director of Sierra Leone's National Accountabiliy Group; Kassim Basma, a diamond exporter; and Major General Patrick Cammaert, UN Division Commander, Eastern Congo. (54 minutes)

Corporate greed and vestigial colonialism are Africa's worst enemies-or is homegrown leadership responsible for the continent's troubles? This program explores that dichotomous question from the vantage point of former Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings and Kenyan law student June Arunga, who undertake a voyage of discovery through Ghana, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Visiting a struggling fishing village, a tribal hunting ground, an AIDS treatment center, an African-owned gold mine, and an eerily preserved site of genocidal slaughter, the program eloquently documents Rawlings' and Arunga's interaction with the socioeconomic dilemmas and everyday realities of African life. A BBCW Production. (60 minutes)

With millions dead of AIDS and millions more infected with HIV, Africa is in danger of becoming little more than a graveyard. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent Dave Marash deliver three successive reports on the AIDS epidemic currently spinning out of control in Zimbabwe. Together they address the hardships of a society composed of mostly the very old and the very young; the wildfire spread of HIV in a culture that supports casual sex; and the grim future facing a nation deprived of its core adult population. Archbishop Desmond Tutu joins in the discussion of this monumental tragedy. (58 minutes)

In sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS is not only a vast humanitarian tragedy, but also a dire threat to regional stability. This Wide Angle documentary explores the role of Angola's military, the only functioning arm of the state, in a nationwide effort to combat the AIDS pandemic. The program identifies what may be the only benefit of Angola's long civil war-specifically, one of the lowest HIV infection rates in southern Africa-although this advantage is now endangered as refugees and soldiers reenter civilian life. Uncompromising in its social and political analysis, this program offers an arresting portrait of a nation and continent ill-equipped to defend against an exploding health crisis. In addition, Stephen Lewis discusses Africa's AIDS crisis with anchor Mishal Husain. (57 minutes)

Suffering from an acute shortage of doctors, Mozambique launched a bold grassroots initiative to combat its high maternal death rate: the training of midwives in surgical delivery-related techniques. In this program, Wide Angle reports from the region with an inspiring profile of a female midwife-in-training and tracks her progress as she learns to counter life-threatening complications of labor such as eclampsia, acute bleeding, and ruptures of the uterus and performs a C-section. Filmed in the operating room and during night shifts in the delivery ward, Birth of a Surgeon illustrates the much greater contribution to maternal and neonatal care that a surgically trained midwife can make in Mozambique. In addition, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan speaks with Aaron Brown about her pledge to give particular attention to the health of women and to healthcare in Africa. Viewer discretion is advised. Original broadcast title: Birth of a Surgeon. (57 minutes)

Precious time has been spent on protracted debate over the term genocide." Meanwhile, regardless of what politicians and activists choose to call it, a colossal tragedy has torn Darfur apart. In March of 2006, NBC's Ann Curry traveled to the border between Chad and Sudan to cover the conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Curry tells the stories of people caught up in the violence: a mother, an orphan, an aid worker, and others who have been largely forgotten as Arab-on-Christian and sometimes Arab-on-Arab killing continues. Curry also talks to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof about Darfur's future and what can be done to shape it. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (30 minutes)"

Exploring Kenya's multifaceted urban and rural settings, this program looks at the various cultures found within the nation today. Viewers will experience the country's spectacular diversity-and the difficulty of providing education and mass communication for a population that speaks well over 40 languages. Highlighting the challenges of conflicting cultural traditions and beliefs, the program looks at the nation's extraordinary efforts in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The economic and sociological dynamics of Kenya are made clear through the interactions of Kenyan students, business people, artists, community leaders, and others. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (24 minutes)

Wide Angle is on the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the country holds its first elections in 46 years. The stakes are high for the Congo-a nation rich in timber, diamonds, and other raw materials, yet reeling from decades of dictatorship and civil war. Can it implement democratic institutions and prosper? This program follows a former school principal running for parliament who sees her Christian faith as the best means for improving living conditions. Further insight into the relationship between democracy and poverty comes from ordinary Congolese citizens, such as a would-be accountant who earns less than a dollar per day sifting through a muddy river bed for diamonds. Presenting a diversity of voices in a country rarely seen on U.S. television, this program immerses viewers in a nation struggling, via embryonic democracy, toward a better future. In addition, anchor Daljit Dhaliwal discusses the significance of the Congolese elections with the former president of the TransAfrica Forum, Bill Fletcher, Jr. (57 minutes)

In Africa-where infant mortality is sky-high, tens of millions have AIDS, and life expectancies can be as meager as 39 years-death is an all-too-frequent presence. This program presents sub-Saharan perspectives on the end of life: lavish Ghanaian funerals involving caskets shaped into whatever is most emblematic of the deceased; funeral rites of the Dogon, in Mali, where alcohol fermentation is attributed to the powers of the departed; the views of the Fulani of the Sahel, who do not believe in life after death; and the roles of the griot's tam-tam drum and fire kindled by a blacksmith's wife in the funeral rites of rural Burkina Faso. In addition, the good works of Sparrow Rainbow Village, in South Africa-the only residential facility in Africa established to meet the needs of terminally ill AIDS patients-are documented. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 50 minutes)

A portrait of the politics and history of Zimbabwe, this program traces Robert Mugabe's rise to power and depicts his 22-year dictatorship in a country where millions rely on food aid to survive, inflation is at 500 percent, and almost three quarters of the country's workforce is unemployed. Also included is rare footage that captures the demand for change and the popular support for the new opposition party, MDC, during the presidential election in 2002. (51 minutes)

East Africa's wild beauty may also be its greatest challenge. This program describes the ecological issues arising when a finite amount of land is needed for ever-growing human and animal populations. Where will Kenya's varied wildlife go when cities expand into age-old migration paths? How will farmers and cattle ranchers protect their land from invading animals? And how can a developing nation boost its much-needed tourist industry without harming its equally valuable natural resources? The program features eye-opening commentary from Professor Wangari Muta Maathai-winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of Kenya's Green Belt Movement. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (18 minutes)

Can killers and survivors coexist in peace? That is the crucial question facing Rwanda a dozen years after the genocide that claimed the lives of approximately 800,000 people-and the subject of this multi-award-winning documentary. Using interviews with Joseph Habineza, Minister of Education and Culture; Freddy Mutanguha, director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center; and numerous survivors, Flowers of Rwanda considers whether forgiveness and reconciliation can truly be achieved so the country can eradicate the ignorance and extremism that paved the way for monumental atrocity. Viewer discretion is advised. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 24 minutes)