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)