Customer Reviews

Wonders Of The African World With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. [VHS]

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It's sad that there are so few good documentaries on the African continent. Histories of Africa tend to be politicized either by Americans who have a slavery agenda, by white Africans who want to exclude the history of black Africa, or by various religious groups who want to exclude the accomplishments or sometimes the existence of other religious groups.

Unfortunately, this series falls into the first category. It would have been more properly titled "Slavery Quest in Africa". The first two tapes are full of Gates talking about slavery. He specifically visits villages where African chiefs sold others into slavery and makes it a point to tell them that his family were slaves and were probably sold by their ancestors. This gets old quickly, as he completely leaves out some great African wonders to spend time on his personal agenda.

Other problems with the series include exclusion of north African culture, leaving out countries such as Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. This tape only covers Africa south of the Sahara (including bits of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia).

The third tape is better than the first two, covering the great university at Timbuktu and lost cities in South Africa and Zimbabwe that the Afrikaners tried to explain away during Apartheid as being created by other, non-black cultures.

Perhaps I bought this video looking for something else. I wanted to learn more about some of the wonders of the African continent, and instead I found a series that is 80% preaching and 20% content. I do believe, however, that this series would be very good for people to watch who don't believe there's anything the African cultures have to offer the western world.

In this enlightening series that first aired on PBS and BBC, Gates goes a long way to publicize aspects of African history that are a surprise to many. For instance, he explores how Christianity existed in Ethiopia long before it did in Western Europe. He explains that though Timbuktu is now synonomous with isolation, it was once a great center of Islamic scholarship. Gates shows Africa's legacy of monumental architecture. And, he gets in touch with the whole truth of Africa's history of slavery.

Much of this travelogue is cast within the light of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s personal experiences. This is most definately a strength to this series, as not only do we get to know this fascinating character with a witty personality, we're directed to points of significance for the African-American experience. This thread by no means overshadows the importance of African history itself, but is rather an important and interesting secondary theme.

Much work is yet to be done in bringing the richness of African history into the mainstream of American culture. Gates, however, has taken a huge step in that direction with this powerful series and its equally excellent companion book by the same title.

I love this video! Wonders of the African World opens a window on a part of the world that is too often neglected and forgotten. No where else will you have such an intimate look at the vibrant cultures and breathtaking landscapes of Africa.

That being said, I was dissapointed with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as a host. It would have been better had Gates come to Africa to accept it as it is, instead of how he wanted it to be.

Throughout the series, it is apparent he was seeking unadultued, 'pure' African culture. Instead he discovered African culture has grown serperately from African-American culture since his ancestors left the continent in chains of slavery. Arabs, Persians, Europeans, and Indians have all had influence on Africa, and it was clear that Gates was dissapointed to learn that. But the notion of a 'pure' culture is bogus, every culture in the world is influenced by others.

Learning about Africa should be more than a one way relationship, where Americans visit simply to fit Africa into their lives back in the states. The disconnect between Africans and African-Americans was most vivid in a scene in Benin where Gates asks a local leader to apologize for selling his ancestors into slavery. While the leader did apoligize, it was apparent she was simply being cordial to a visitor, her apology didn't come across as being very genuine.

Aside from the politics of the video, you should buy it. The photography is unparalleled.

Originally aired on PBS, these documentaries are shining examples of how influential and important were the ancient civilizations of "the dark continent". Author Dr. Gates shows the mystery, the intrigue, the splendor, as well as some horrors, of the land's past and present. Beautifully photographed, it is an essential to all interested in the rarely showcased continent.

This videotape documentary is an important watch for the family. HLG covers the African world from Egypt, the cradle of civilization to the Gold Coast, Ghana and down in South Africa. African-American families as well as other families should sit down and watch this important part of history that is being ignored or improperly taught in the school systems.