Films for the Humanities and Sciences - Artist Unknown: The Search for African History

Artist Unknown: The Search for African History

In this documentary, Lonnie James, a young British man of Trinidadian descent, journeys to the ancient African kingdom of Benin, located in present-day Nigeria, to discover the origins of a carved mask purchased in London. He uncovers a tale of early African civilization, the looting of treasures and suppression of traditions by colonial powers, and the amazing persistence of an African artistic vision within a colonial culture. His mission becomes a quest to better understand the essence of Africa itself. In an ultimate gesture of reconciliation with his African heritage, James leaves the prized mask in the place where it was created. A BBCW Production. (50 minutes)

Tell a Friend!

Your Name:
Your Email:
Your Friend's Email:
Your Message:
We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission.

Item#: BVL7426
Copyright date: ©1995
DVD ISBN 978-0-7365-7763-2


DVD	$99.95

Prices include public performance rights.
Only available in the US.

Related Titles

Facing the Truth with Bill Moyers

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 has had to come to terms with its oppressive past: recrimination and punishment, or forgiveness? This compelling pr...(more details)

DVD	$179.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$269.93
3-Year Streaming	$179.95

Healers of Ghana

This program explores the traditional medical practices of the Bono people of central Ghana and how their healers are cooperating with Western doctors, using herbs and spiritualism to improve health-care delivery in rural areas. Traditionally, Bono t...(more details)

DVD	$149.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$224.93
3-Year Streaming	$149.95

Zimbabwe: Talking Stones

Here is the incredible story of the most powerful stable of artists since the Renaissance, working in stone in the hills of Zimbabwe. Given a place to exhibit, dissuaded from producing "airport" art and encouraged instead to speak to their ancestors,...(more details)

DVD

$169.95

From Bitter Earth: Artists of the Holocaust

Throughout the Holocaust, Jewish artists created work that vividly documented the horror of Hitler's reign, from the despair of the Polish ghettos to the unprecedented misery of the death camps. In this program, artists who survived the camps discuss...(more details)

DVD	$149.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$224.93
3-Year Streaming	$149.95

African Art: Legacy of Oppression

Belgium's Tervuren Museum contains the world's largest collection of Central African art, which consists of approximately 250,000 pieces. Noted journalist Paul Solman discusses the power and the true price of this collection with art historian Ramona...(more details)

DVD	$99.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$149.93
3-Year Streaming	$99.95

See additional titles in Art History | World History | African Studies