Africa Videos - The Documentary Network

Grandt Mason

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 05:28:54 +0000

Ryan shot this video over a few visits to Grandt Mason's atelier in the Cape Town suburb Woodstock. He welcomed him into his workshop and revealed a world he had no idea existed. He intended to capture the production of a pair of hand-made shoes. Little did he know that in the process the vegan designer would use leather for the first time. Or that he would meet Boy, a local general in the Hard Livings - the most notorious gang in Cape Town.

Burial Boys of Ebola

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:04:29 +0000

Ebola Outbreak 2014: In Sierra Leone, a group of young men take on the dirtiest work of the Ebola outbreak: finding and burying the dead. In the campaign against the Ebola virus, which is sweeping across parts of West Africa in an epidemic worse than all previous outbreaks of the disease combined, the front line is stitched together by people like Ms. Sellu: doctors and nurses who give their lives to treat patients who will probably die; janitors who clean up lethal pools of vomit and waste so that beleaguered health centers can stay open; drivers who venture into villages overcome by illness to retrieve patients; body handlers charged with the dangerous task of keeping highly infectious corpses from sickening others. Their sacrifices are evident from the statistics alone. At least 129 health workers have died fighting the disease, according to the World Health Organization. But while many workers have fled, leaving already shaky health systems in shambles, many new recruits have signed up willingly — often for little or no pay, and sometimes giving up their homes, communities and even families in the process. “If I don’t volunteer, who can do this work?” asked Kandeh Kamara, one of about 20 young men doing one of the dirtiest jobs in the campaign: finding and burying corpses across eastern Sierra Leone. When the outbreak started months ago, Mr. Kamara, 21, went to the health center in Kailahun and offered to help. When officials there said they could not pay him, he accepted anyway. “There are no other people to do it, so we decided to do it just to help save our country,” he said of himself and the other young men. They call themselves “the burial boys.” Doctors Without Borders trained them to wear protective equipment and to safely clear out dead bodies potentially infected with Ebola. They travel across backbreaking dirt roads for up to nine hours a day. Ms. Sellu, who is one of the only Ebola workers at the Kenema hospital who have neither contracted the virus nor fled. Credit Samuel Aranda for The New York Times In doing their jobs, the burial boys have become pariahs. Many have been cast out of their communities because of fear that they will bring the virus home with them. Some families refuse to let them return.

The Real Planet of the Apes

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 16:20:09 +0000

Travel to remote Liberia to discover 'Monkey Island,' an area inhabited solely by former lab tested chimpanzees who survived disease and two civil wars. We go to the island, interview the locals and meet the scientists involved in the testing facility 25 years ago. The Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research, also known as Vilab II, was funded by the New York Blood Center, shut down in the mid-2000s following growing pressure from activists looking to end the use of chimpanzees for research. Now the lab's apes live on a series of islands that were originally set aside for their retirement. In this documentary, made possible by the new Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, our team treks deep into Liberia to visit the island and investigate the legacy of the researchers who called it home.

30% – Women and Politics in Sierra Leone

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 16:41:14 +0000

A compelling mix of oil painted animation and live action reveals the stories of three extraordinary women as they fight to achieve fair representation for women in the governance of Sierra Leone.

The Hanoi Connection: How rhino horn gets from South Africa to China

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 07:33:38 +0000

Since 2007 rhino poaching in South Africa has increased by 3000%. This undercover report reveals evidence of the involvement of high-ranking government-affiliated individuals in a shocking international trade. Widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and an increasingly sough-after status symbol, rhino horn products can be easily bought all over South East Asia. But DNA tests on those products reveal that up to 90% of them are fakes. So what is behind the alarming poaching rates of the African rhino? Following a trail from South Africa, through Vietnam to Laos, conservation activist Karl Ammann uncovers the complicity of high-ranking officials in the illegal trade. Caught on hidden camera, a horn trader confesses: "My clients are mainly provincial leaders, local governors". With prices for real rhino horn reaching $60,000 per kilo and international agencies unable to tackle the problem, is there anything we can do to protect these endangered animals?

The price of gold: Chinese mining in Ghana documentary

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:04:47 +0000

Afua Hirsch reports on Ghana's gold rush in a film that discovers how Chinese immigrants are profiting from industrialising the country's small-scale mining industry. She sees for herself that, for the many locals who chance losing life and limb for a piece of the same pie, the risks are rarely worth it, and explores where the responsibility for regulating this industry lies.

The New African Photography: Emeka Okereke

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:45:54 +0000

Emeka Okereke leads a busload of artists and photographers for the Invisible Borders road trip of a lifetime as they search for new ways to portray their continent and explore their art. "A photograph is a window, and not the view. Don't photograph what you see, photograph what you feel," says Emeka. It is something he will try and teach young photographer Lilian Novo, for whom the trip is a first attempt at art photography. The group set off from Lagos and head overland to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a minivan, but soon discover that driving across Africa during rainy season presents environmental, psychological and bureaucratic challenges.

West African Truckers

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:36:49 +0000

West African truck drivers spend days, weeks, and sometimes months dealing with corrupt border officials and illegal checkpoints on harrowing delivery trips that should take just a few hours. The truck driver holds a mythic stature in American music, from the hayseed hagiographies of Slim Jacobs and Bobby Sykes to the liner notes of Big Black's Songs About Fucking. There aren't as many country songs about African truckers, but they are no less the virile champions of industry and gluteal fortitude as their US counterparts. On their backs rest the burden of an entire continent's economic development and through their bloodstreams runs a hell of a lot of the continent's HIV. Trade in West Africa is perennially fucked, partially because the colonial powers of the 19th and early 20th centuries chopped the place up into a pizza pie of nonsensical borders, but also because most post-colonial governments in the area were so unabashedly corrupt we had to coin the term "kleptocracy" to describe them. Driving a semi full of margarine a US state's length to its delivery point often involves passing through 3-4 separate countries and navigating the byzantine customs and immigration processes at each port of entry. Then there are the internal checkpoints manned by local police and customs agents on the lookout for smugglers, or non-smugglers who can be intimidated into coughing up a bribe. Then there's just fuckers who'll pull you over and straight-up rob you. Infrastructure ain't always so hot here, either. All of which turns shipments which would take a few hours in Europe or America into grueling, day-cum-week-cum-monthlong affairs punctuated by long and unpredictable periods of complete standstill. Which, in addition to wasting fuel and driving up the cost of goods with every unplanned stop, also fuels the sort of boredom that can only be fought by dumping money into the less savory sectors of the economy. Namely booze sales and roadside prostitution. Which is where the AIDS come in. Intrigued by the African long-haul trucker's dual reputation as the foundational building block of West Africa's would-be robust economy and lotharious Johnny AIDS-leseed, we hitched a ride with a trailer full of soap to see just how hard it is to get from point-A to point-basically-A-and-a-half.

Sex and Survival in Madagascar

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:32:43 +0000

Using undercover filming, this powerful investigation exposes a booming child sex trade. In the hub of Madagascar, one of the world's poorest countries, prostitution is seen as an unavoidable means of survival. "My daughter was at school, I had no money and no job so she decided to become a prostitute. I finally decided not to stop her," says one mother, who like many others are now forced into prostituting their own children. With daily flights from Europe bringing sex tourists to Madagascar's chaotic capital, some as young as eleven are selling their bodies. Authorities claim to be tackling the problem but it's the local residents - mainly children themselves - who are trying to find solutions to this adult scourge. "If it happens, we warn the police that we have seen foreigners with underage girls and they then alert local tourism officials." Jeannoda Randimbiarison, a social worker for UNICEF, says the authorities lack the will to do what is necessary. "If the law is not enforced in Madagascar it will all continue. It is like we are conducting a genocide of Malagasy children."

Refugee Tourism at Western Sahara

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:06:18 +0000

The Western Sahara is at the heart of a forgotten conflict. Now, after 30 years in exile, Sahrawi refugees are encouraging foreign tourists into their camps, in a desperate bid to raise international awareness. "It's a surreal experience, out in the desert." Emma is one of the hundreds of westerners visiting the Sahrawi camps each year. For the exiled government, the Polisario, tourist income offers a chance to supplement international aid. But among the Sahrawi youth, many only hope the tourism will build support for armed conflict. "Nothing will be changed without going back to the war. It's good for us. The tourists will find the truth by their own eyes."

Where have all the Elephants gone?

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:55:11 +0000

Going undercover, this report exposes the devastation wrought by Africa's rampant ivory trade. Fuelled by China's voracious appetite, it could lead to the extinction of elephants within 20 years. "It's absolutely a war. It's an untold war", says the ranger Sean Willmore who's fighting back in the global battle against illegal ivory poaching. In an outdoor cafe in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar Es Salaam, dirty deals are being brokered daily by black-market ivory traders. In the past tree years the country has lost forty per cent of its elephants. Fuelled mainly by China's burgeoning, cash-rich middle class, demand is spiralling out of control. "In the last five years the demand for ivory has just exploded. It's well organised. Syndicates with billions of dollars. It's just like cocaine and heroin", says Pratik Patel, a conservationist and safari leader. Both Kenya and Tanzania have vowed to stamp out poaching but the potential profits are corrupting both politics and law enforcement. "There's an element of corrupt individuals in the government who are also involved with these people", says Pratik, who's been targeted alongside his family. For those on the frontline of animal preservation, time is fast running out to save the herds.

Internet Scamming in West Africa

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 01:55:57 +0000

Fraudsters in West Africa show us how they use internet scams to steal thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims all over the globe. -- While Nigeria's 401 scammers may have written the book on West African internet fraud, their shtick looks like Compuserve compared to what's going on in Ghana. Unsatisfied with the meager winnings from emailing thousands of random Westerners in hopes of convincing one poor sap they're the treasurer of the Ivory Coast, Ghana's scammers decided to stack the odds in their favor the old-fashioned way—witchcraft. Taking a page from cyberpunk, traditional West African Juju priests adapted their services to the needs of the information age and started leading down-on-their-luck internet scammers through strange and costly rituals designed to increase their powers of persuasion and make their emails irresistible to greedy Americans. And so "Sakawa" was born. Now not only is Sakawa Ghana's most popular youth activity and one of its biggest underground economies, it's a full-blown national phenomenon. Sakawa has its own tunes, clothing brands, Sakawasploitation flicks, and even a metastatic backlash from Christian preachers and the press. When we were in Accra over the summer it was impossible to walk more than 10 feet without seeing the word Sakawa in blood-red Misfits letters on a poster or tabloid, often accompanied by bone-chilling horrors of the photoshopped variety. The government is freaked out because Sakawa is threatening Ghana's business reputation, the Christians are freaked out because they're losing money to the Juju priests, the press is freaked out because being freaked out is what sells papers, and the public is freaked out because their government, preacher, and media are all telling them they should be. All the while the Sakawa boys are living the high life and racking up debts to the spirit world, just waiting for the axe to fall. Hosted by Thomas Morton | Originally released in 2011

The Last Rhino

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:18:46 +0000

The rhinoceros is one of Africa's iconic animals, but greed and corruption, myth and superstition have brought the rhino to the brink of extinction. For millenia its best protection, the rhino's horn has become its worst enemy. Rhino horn is now worth more than gold and demand for it is at an all-time high. South Africa, which has the largest reserves of the wild animal, is a prime hunting ground for poachers. In 2010, South Africa lost 333 rhino to poaching and this number is expected to double in 2012. In a personal journey, Jonah Hull encounters greed, ignorance and corruption - highlighting how South Africa became the epicentre of rhino poaching. What caused the global epidemic and how does it threaten the survival of a species?

Self-taught African Teen became youngest Person to be invited to M.I.T.

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 09:28:49 +0000

15-Year-Old Kelvin Doe is an engineering whiz living in Sierra Leone who scours the trash bins for spare parts, which he uses to build batteries, generators and transmitters. Completely self-taught, Kelvin has created his own radio station where he broadcasts news and plays music under the moniker, DJ Focus. Kelvin became the youngest person in history to be invited to the "Visiting Practitioner's Program" at MIT. THNKR had exclusive access to Kelvin and his life-changing journey - experiencing the US for the first time, exploring incredible opportunities, contending with homesickness, and mapping out his future.

How to Rob Africa

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:27:49 +0000

The world's wealthy countries often criticise African nations for corruption - especially that perpetrated by those among the continent's government and business leaders who abuse their positions by looting tens of billions of dollars in national assets or the profits from state-owned enterprises that could otherwise be used to relieve the plight of some of the world's poorest peoples. Yet the West is culpable too in that it often looks the other way when that same dirty money is channelled into bank accounts in Europe and the US. International money laundering regulations are supposed to stop the proceeds of corruption being moved around the world in this way, but it seems the developed world's financial system is far more tempted by the prospect of large cash injections than it should be. Indeed the West even provides the getaway vehicles for this theft, in the shape of anonymous off-shore companies and investment entities, whose disguised ownership makes it too easy for the corrupt and dishonest to squirrel away stolen funds in bank accounts overseas. This makes them nigh on impossible for investigators to trace, let alone recover. It is something that has long bothered Zimbabwean journalist Stanley Kwenda - who cites the troubling case of the Marange diamond fields in the east of his country. A few years ago rich deposits were discovered there which held out the promise of billions of dollars of revenue that could have filled the public purse and from there have been spent on much needed improvements to roads, schools and hospitals. The surrounding region is one of the most impoverished in the country, desperate for the development that the profits from mining could bring. But as Kwenda found out from local community leader Malvern Mudiwa, this much anticipated bounty never appeared. "When these diamonds came, they came as a God-given gift. So we thought now we are going to benefit from jobs, infrastructure, we thought maybe our roads were going to improve, so that generations and generations will benefit from this, not one individual. But what is happening, honestly, honestly it's a shame!" What is happening is actually something of a mystery because though the mines are clearly in operation and producing billions of dollars worth of gems every year, little if any of it has ever been put into Zimbabwe's state coffers.