Africana Studies Research Guide

​This artfully told story follows two sets of ancestors from the Woodlands Plantation in Bamburg, SC in order to how the Afro- and Euro- American descendants of the plantation residents, brought together by an interest in their families’ histories, are negotiating an understanding of their separate yet interdependent past.

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).

Before reaching the plantations, before even reaching the ships that would sail them into bondage, future slaves were forced to endure unspeakable treatment at European coastal outposts in Africa. This ABC News program joins several African-Americans in a profound journey of discovery as they travel to what was once known as the Gold Coast to see for themselves the infamous dungeons. Their tour takes them to Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, places that still resonate with inhumanity. "It just tears your soul up to know that possibly your ancestors came through this very same thing," says one member of the group. "Those dungeons were part of hell." (13 minutes)

Documents economic and social conditions in Malawi, where 3 million of a 12 million population live in abject poverty. During the 1990s, non-governmental organizations such as the World Food Program distributed seeds and farm tools to the poor, and the government allowed them to live and farm on public land. The program's subsidies supported the farmers during poor growing seasons. The World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund have forced the Malawi government to stop the subsidies, starving millions. AIDS is so pervasive in Malawi that many widows prefer starvation for themselves and their families to seeking a new mate. Due to AIDS and food shortages, there are more than one million orphans in Malawi.

The day-to-day struggle for dignity and survival that goes on in refugee camps remains invisible to most of the world. In this ABC News program, actor Don Cheadle travels to Uganda to focus media attention on the plight of innocent people -- especially children -- displaced and endangered by war. Cheadle visits a rehabilitation center for boys and girls kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army, the militia that has battled the Ugandan government for 20 years, and sheds light on the rebels' practice of enslavement and forced prostitution. A camp for "night commuters," or young people who sleep away from their homes to avoid capture, further emphasizes Africa's crisis.

Examines new challenges in central and eastern Africa, reporting on the instability created by Hutu guerillas known as the FDLR. Also analyzes successes and failures that have occurred as Rwanda tries to heal. Revisiting the shores of Lake Kivu, where vast numbers of refugees died during the violence of the mid-1990s, this program studies the efforts of the International Crisis Group to address vestiges of the tragedy and remove the FDLR -- giving the world a second chance to pay attention.

The custom of female circumcision faces growing opposition in Africa. This program presents multiple perspectives on the issue, interviewing health care personnel, professional circumcisers, women who have undergone the ritual, and men who are against it. Examining medical and emotional problems that follow genital mutiliation, the video also features signs of positive change, including a Nigerian drama troupe that stages anti-circumcision productions and groups like UNICEF, CARE Austria, and the Girls' Power Initiative that campaign in areas where the ritual's effects are most profound.

The hostilities ripping apart the Sudanese region of Darfur have created a humanitarian crisis which the international community is only beginning to address. This ABC News program serves as a starting point for analyzing the situation, shedding light on how the conflict spiraled out of control and led to the deaths of thousands and the displacement of far more. Focusing on the efforts of relief organizations to shelter, feed, and care for a tidal wave of refugees -- and the political, logistical, and geographic obstacles that have made such efforts nearly impossible -- the video assesses the accuracy of the term "genocide" in describing the conflict's ethnically driven atrocities.

Use this program to increase viewer awareness of a heartbreaking but undeniable truth, that slavery is alive and well in the 21st century. Shows how caste systems and other archaic traditions have perpetuated slavery in some poor countries, and points to the complacency of wealthier nations regarding this ongoing tragedy. Highlights the work of Nigerien anti-slavery activists, including the imprisoned Ilguilas Weila of the human rights group Timidria, also features commentary from Amnesty International USA Executive Director William Schulz, who emphasizes the need for more action from the Western world.

The years 1960 through 1994 were a time of terror in South Africa. With the destruction of the yoke of apartheid in 1994, South Africa had to come to terms with its oppressive past: recrimination or punishment, or forgiveness? This compelling program describes the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to investigate human rights violations and to help South Africa in its process of reinvention.

A group of longtime Chicago residents returns to Greenville, Mississippi for a reunion with family and friends. Participants talk about their lives and their reasons for moving north. Includes historical footage of Mississippi and Chicago.

Lt. General Roméo Dallaire was the commander of the UN peacekeeping troops in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide which claimed 800,000 lives. This film follows Dallaire back to Rwanda ten years after the massacre in order for him to come to terms with the atrocities he witnessed there. Dallaire describes his experiences while in Rwanda and how they have since effected him.

Throughout Africa, democracy has long been touted as the cure for the continent's ongoing unrest. But can such a form of government flourish in countries where extreme poverty is the norm and violence is the chief tool of statecraft? Spanning the continent from Libya to South Africa, this program seeks to understand Africa's complex political situations, addressing the 'Big Man' syndrome and the one-party state, the destabilizing effects of armed conflict, the mismanagement of industry and natural resources, and strained relations with the industrialized world.

Africans who have immigrated from Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda talk about their beliefs, experiences, and living in America.

Alhaji has taken five wives; one dies, he divorced another and lives with the remaining three. This program travels to Nigeria to examine the impact of polygamy and divorce on the country's population demographics, focusing on a case study of one family to highlight trends and concerns. The connection between religious values and family planning becomes apparent in interviews with various people in the community. The program also visits a school for women who have been divorced or widowed and want to learn a skill or receive a basic education.

Discusses nationalism in black Africa through the experiences of the Gold Coast, French Guinea, and the Belgian Congo, the first colonies to gain independence after World War II. Also considers the effects on Africa of the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union.

Tells the story of black South African freedom music and the central role it played against apartheid. Specifically considers the music that sustained and galvanized blacks for more than 40 years. Focuses on the struggle's spiritural dimension named for the Xhosa word for "power". An uplifting story of human courage, resolve and triumph.

Under Islamic law, the bearing of a child out of wedlock is a capital offense--and the instrument of death is stoning, as done since time immemorial. Set in Nigeria, this ABC News program uses the harrowing case of Amina Lawal as a platform to discuss the concepts of justice and punishment as they relate to human rights. Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic studies and professor of international relations at American University, and Ayesha Imam, founding director of a human rights agency that assisted in Ms. Lawal's defense, are featured.

Shows the bleak prospects of the Congolese population, caught between opposing armies, disease and malnutrition, and exploited by the greed of others for their nation's valuable natural resources.

Documentary of two 1968 events in the civil rights movement-- the sanitation workers strike in Memphis, Tennessee and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Shows how the Black community, local civil rights leaders, and AFSCME mobilized behind the strikers in mass demonstrations and a boycott of downtown businesses.

This program examines the issue of color consciousness within the Black community. This film explores a caste system based on how closely skin color, hair texture and facial features conform to a European ideal. A variety of African Americans give their experiences and attitudes towards the question of color.