Videoof the Week: Slavery, Society, and Apartheid.
RSSFrom SLJ October 2004
Mary Mueller,Rolla Junior High School, MO -- School Library Journal, 10/11/2004
videocassette or DVD. color. approx. 52 min. (closed captioned). with tchr's. guide. Discovery Channel School. 2004. video, ISBN 1-58738-945-2: $59.95; DVD, ISBN 1-58738-972-X: $69.95.
Gr 8-12
-The four segments in this production convey the horrors and injustices of slavery and apartheid. "Slave Revolts," the longest portion at about 28 minutes, details the 1733 slave revolt on St. John, the first such revolt in the New World. It explains how two Akwamu chieftains led a rebellion to establish their own kingdom and describes the Danish and French colonists' brutal suppression of the revolt. The remaining segments run about five minutes each. "Atlantic Slave Trade" chronicles the unspeakable conditions on slave vessels and the Amistad case. "Apartheid Takes Hold" discusses the South African government's imposition of apartheid and the African National Congress's responses to it. "End of Apartheid" explains how protests at home and international sanctions led to the dismantling of apartheid, Nelson Mandela's release from prison, and his subsequent election to the presidency. The first two segments are made up of reenactment footage supplemented by analysis by historians. The last two parts use moving and still images from the apartheid era. The main segments are separated by "Did You Know?" facts and opinion segments where teens are asked questions like "Did someone ever take something of yours?" This production effectively conveys the horrors of slavery and apartheid and the bravery of the black African resistance to them, making it a good choice for upper middle and secondary classes.
