GEFF2022 Program 2: Africa in Focus

Streaming Online | October 26-30, 2022 | #GEFF2022 | #GlobalExtractionAction

GEFF2022 PROGRAM 2 * AFRICA IN FOCUS
Curated by Emiel Martens (together with Josh McDonald, Maru Alurralde, Rebecca Hussey, and Elsie Vermeer)

The Africa in Focus Program offers 150+ documentaries and urgent shorts about all 54 countries on the African continent, including 9 festival exclusives. These films, a combination of documentaries, news programming, YouTube content, and series, are listed first with films covering the African continent or a region thereof, then alphabetically by country, starting with Algeria and ending with Zimbabwe. Not all African countries are equally represented. For some countries we could not find many relevant publicly available films and for other countries we were not always able to get permission to stream films that we requested. Nonetheless, the Africa in Focus Program provides extensive, rich and varied content about the impacts of extraction on this vast continent, as well as the many communities who are defending their land, waters, cultures and the future of the planet.

As scholar and writer Amy Niang (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) writes in her article “The Colonial Origins of Extractivism in Africa” (2019), “extractivism remains the most enduring economic model in Africa. The continent procures the world with bodies and brains, copper and cobalt, oil and gas, diamonds and gold, wood, fish, artifacts and cultural heritage. The model not only drains resources, it also blocks Africa’s capacity to create, produce and develop. It bleeds it dry at the expense of its populations already blighted by extreme poverty. The foundations of this model were laid during colonialism, when imperial powers, through conquest and coercion, acquired sovereign prerogatives, from levying taxes and imposing customs duties to signing treaties and administering justice. (…) This configuration is sustained by economic, military and political mechanisms that are not subject to any democratic control. (…) The maintenance of corrupt leaders was always a condition for continued business for colonial powers in Africa.(…) However, none of the main protagonists in the extraction scheme has an interest in systemic reform. The only way out of this dilemma is a paradigmatic shift.”

The Africa in Focus Program brings together various films that are already publicly available, but we also have some films that are festival exclusives, meaning that these films are only (freely) available during the festival (October 26-30, 2022). Below, the festival exclusives are listed first, in alphabetical order, followed by the other selected films per country. In addition, the festival exclusives, 9 in total, will also feature in the country list, where they appear with their poster showcased.

GEFF 2022 PROGRAM 1 * GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
GEFF 2022 PROGRAM 2 * AFRICA IN FOCUS
GEFF 2022 PROGRAM 3 * URGENT SHORTS
GEFF 2022 PROGRAM 4 * ANIMAL-HUMAN RELATIONS
GEFF 2022 PROGRAM 5 * PRESENTED BY WATERBEAR
GEFF 2022 PROGRAM 6 * PRESENTED BY DW DOCUMENTARY
GEFF 2022 SPECIAL EVENTS

AFRICA IN FOCUS PROGRAM * FESTIVAL EXCLUSIVES

Baobabs Between Land and Sea (Madagascar, Cyrille Cornu, 2015, 56 min, festival exclusive!)
Baobabs between Land and Sea is relating a scientific expedition to study the baobabs of Madagascar and encountering the Vezo, one of the last nomadic tribes of the sea. Relatively unknown in Madagascar, the baobabs are currently threatened by deforestation. The narrative is based on a strong ecological and scientific message related to deforestation and disappearance of baobabs to aware the audience on urgency to save the giants and environment of malagasy people. The island of Madagascar is a great source of inspiration for filmmakers and photographers. It is unique in many ways. Its biodiversity and landscapes are exceptional, and the social diversity is remarkable. In Baobabs between Land and Sea, the desire to share an adventure is at the heart of approach of filming, showing travels through the nature and the encounters with the people living in wild regions. The story is intimately related to traveling. Content and form are changing to the rhythm of different discoveries, a desire to place the viewer at the very heart of the voyage.

Gifts from Babylon (The Gambia, Bas Ackermann, Amadou A Silah, Babucar Manka, Modou Joof, 2018, 24 min, festival exclusive!)
Gifts from Babylon is an award-winning short film exploring the psychological impact of irregular Africa-EU migration through the lens of a Gambian return-migrant. The film shows the personal conflicts that arise when Modou (Christopher ‘Tijan’ Smith), a young deportee from The Gambia, returns to his home country after five years of living illegally in Europe. Suffering from intense flashbacks of his traumatic migrant journey, which keep him from reconnecting with his family, friends and himself, he wonders what has become of him… Gifts from Babylon is a collaboration between Gambian media production house State of Mic and Dutch filmmaking duo Bas Ackermann and Emiel Martens. The film received its world premiere at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2018 and has since been selected and awarded at 100+ film festivals and other events worldwide.

Jesse: The Funeral That Never Ended (Nigeria, Eromo Egbejule, 2018, 35 min, festival exclusive!)
In 1998, over 1000 people died in a small oil-producing community in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer. It was the most gruesome pipeline disaster in the country. This film tells the story of the people of the Niger Delta whose land is responsible for most of the country’s wealth but for whom their gift has become a curse. It uniquely elevates the survivors and victims from just numbers to actual people – flesh and blood like the rest of us.

Morning Star (Madagascar, Nantenaina Lova, 2020, 77 min, also Reunion, festival exclusive!)
Andaboy is a sacred beach in southwestern Madagascar. The ancestors say the beach should be left untouched, as a shamanic musician sings in trance. The local fishermen are therefore deeply concerned when Australian company Base Toliara proposes building a harbor there, displacing 8,000 residents. The fishermen were already troubled by the Chinese trawlers that are decimating fish stocks, and now they fear an even greater invasion. The local people inland also depend on fishing: they make canoes for the fishermen. And they in turn are fighting a large-scale mining project by Base Toliara. In Morning Star a number of activists clearly and passionately express their objections to the sale of their land to foreign companies. At the same time, director Nantenaina Lova paints an engaging, observational portrait of the villagers’ music culture and daily life. To keep up their courage, fisherman Edmond has named his canoe ‘Aza kivy’: Let’s not give up.

Prince of Malabo (Equatorial Guinea, Tawanda Kanhema, 2014, 26 min, festival exclusive!)
Investigative journalist Tawanda Kanhema travels to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to interview the country’s new vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who spent over $300 million on mansions, a jet and luxury automobiles in France, the United States, Brazil and South Africa. French magistrates have issued an arrest warrant for Obiang for money laundering and U.S. prosecutors are trying to seize a $35 million mansion in Malibu and a $38 million jet. The Prince of Malabo explores Equatorial Guinea’s economic rise and the challenges it faces. The country’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang, spent US$300 million on mansions, a jet and luxury cars and faces money laundering charges in France and two asset forfeiture cases in the United States. Obiang’s father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is the world’s longest serving head of state, in power since a 1979 coup d’etat. Journalist Tawanda Kanhema travels from Malibu, California to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to interview the country’s new vice president. Kanhema investigates the effects of resource conflict on human rights and development.

Stolen Fish (The Gambia, Gosia Juszczak, 2020, 30 min, festival exclusive!)
Stolen Fish is the first film on Gambia’s fishmeal factories, offering a unique insight into untold drivers of migration. In the Gambia, the smallest country of mainland Africa, fish is now being powdered up by Chinese corporations and exported to Europe and China to feed animals in industrial farming. As a result, Gambians are being deprived of their primary source of protein, overfishing is depleting marine ecosystems. The film follows Abou, Mariama and Paul, three Gambians who share intimate stories of daily struggle, anger, hope and longing for their loved ones. There’s so much to worry about in the world but “Stolen Fish” is a 30 minute microcosm of what is wrong with it, eloquently put by those who take the brunt of the destruction caused by global capitalism.

Strike a Rock (South Africa, Aliki Saragas-Georgiou, 2017, 87 min, festival exclusive!)
Marikana is a mining town in South Africa where police opened fire on striking workers in 2012, killing a shocking total of 34 men. It marked the start of a grim conflict between women from the community and the mining company, which breached its obligations for worker housing in scandalous ways. The two leading campaigners are grandmothers, one of whom, the indomitable Primrose, even manages to win a seat in parliament, raising their battle for justice to a whole new level. In this intimate, close-up account, the poor but utterly determined women question why they get so little in return for the valuable platinum that’s mined there, day in and day out, for wealthy British people. Their years-long struggle for justice and recognition is being ignored by the higher-ups at the company, so what should the women do to make sure they are heard? Will the solidarity and close friendships in the village survive the onslaught from the forces at the center of power, or will their struggle be used for political gain?

Welcome to the Smiling Coast (The Gambia, Bas Ackermann, 2016, 72 min, festival exclusive!)
Welcome to the Smiling Coast is an award-winning documentary offering a rare insight into the lives of 15 youngsters working in the informal sector of the Gambian tourism industry. Although the smallest country on the African mainland, the Gambia has become a popular tourist destination due to its warm climate, abundant wildlife and cheap intimacy. Each year over 100.000 tourists, many of them being older European women, visit the ‘Smiling Coast’ in search of this exotic blend of sun, safari and sex. Most tourists are staying within the comforts of all-inclusive resorts, far removed from the everyday experience of ordinary Gambians. In fact, with a third of its population living below the poverty line, the Gambia is at present, fifty years after its independence, one of Africa’s poorest nations. Ironically, many poor Gambians, particularly youngsters, are residing only a few steps away from the tourist hotels and beaches. Here they are trying to survive in the margins of the omnipresent leisure industry. With this lure of a better future just around the corner, the dangerous ‘back way’ across deserts and high seas to Europe, is always lingering in their minds. Do they eventually try their luck abroad or find their peace at home? Welcome to the Smiling Coast shows the varied and often creative alternative strategies Gambian youngsters employ to secure their livelihood. Capturing their struggles, hopes and dreams, this documentary puts a human and positive face on the informal economy that lies behind the glitter of the Smiling Coast.

Women Hold Up the Sky (Continental/regional, Yaba Badoe and Nelson Makengo, 2019, 35 min, festival exclusive!)
Women Hold Up the Sky tells the story of how women activists affected by mining and other forms of large-scale extractives in South Africa, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are deeply engaged in resistance and an active struggle to take back control of their land, their rights, their bodies and their lives. Journeying between these three countries, this documentary reveals the experiences and activism of women in three African countries but tells a much bigger story of the ongoing exploitation of natural resources and marginalisation of poor communities, particularly women. Through the eyes and experiences of women impacted by coal, oil and mega-infrastructure projects in South Africa, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Women Hold Up the Sky explores stories of resistance and communities in active struggle to take back control of their land, their rights, their bodies and their lives.

CONTINENTAL/REGIONAL

Africa: States of Independence: The Scramble for Africa (Al Jazeera, 2010, 45 min)
Seventeen African nations gained their independence in 1960, but the dreams of the independence era were short-lived. Africa states of independence tells the story of some of those countries – stories of mass exploitation, of the ecstasy of independence and of how – with liberation – a new, covert scramble for resources was born.

Atomic Africa: Clean Energy’s Dirty Secrets (Marcel Kolvenback, 2013, 53 min)
What is the hidden agenda of the nuclear industry in Africa? Atomic Africa reveals the alarming consequences for people and the environment. In collusion with corrupt governments and questionable business partners energy companies source uranium for their domestic markets. And – faced with an apparent “sales problem” of nuclear technology in the Western world – they also lobby African governments to buy nuclear power plants. Otherwise well informed high-level decision-makers in Africa seem oblivious to the risks of nuclear power. They happily welcome the prospect of a seemingly endless, cheap, clean energy source. And their national pride is fuelled by the fact that the radioactive raw material for the new reactors doesn’t need to be imported from other countries – it’s hidden in the African soil. This documentary reveals the dilemma of the African continent: It desperately needs cheap and reliable electric power for its development – but instead of being able to use its own resources, Africa is forced to sell off its riches to corrupt multinational enterprises. The sobering conclusion: In the future, African governments will need to give up their unrealistic nuclear ambitions and develop appropriate technologies to free themselves from their technological dependence on Western enterprises.

Battle for Africa (Vice News, 2022, 3 min)
VICE’s Suroosh Alvi investigates the competition between major powers for access and influence on the African continent, and its potentially destabilizing effect.

The Grand African Green-up (Safi Graauw, 2021, 23 min)
The Grand African Green-up is a short documentary profiling the mission of the AFR100, as they strive to restore at least 100 million hectares of land by 2030. Showcasing the on-the-ground work being done in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Ghana and Senegal. The Grand African Green Up introduces the people directly affected by the deteriorating state of their land, as well as the local heroes who are working to make a difference. Poetically narrated by iconic Kenyan environmentalist and activist, Wanjira Mathai, the film presents breathtaking visuals of the continent’s most awe-inspiring landscapes and vistas.

Great Green Wall: Africa For Africa (Małgorzata Frymus, 2019, 32 min)
For 10 years young Africans have been going to the desert to plant trees during their holidays. Within several days they turn many acres of land, which is changing into desert, into a future forest. Small plants give future generations hope for a better life. The film talks about the project of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States supported by the African Union, the aim of which is to stop desertification.

Mining Multinationals Corrupting Africa (Justz Africa, 2020, 13 min)
Barely very few know about what’s going on in Guinea-Conakry – and especially the so-called Simandou tale. It’s one of greed and murky deals involving profit-reeking multinationals battling for control over Africa’s juiciest iron-ore mine. It’s an ongoing example of almost everything that’s going wrong in the African continent. If you can sit through 12 minutes of this explainer, you’d get a much better understanding of Africa’s mineral crisis and why the continent is unable to tap the wealth of its mineral resources. To every long-term conflict in Africa, there is almost always minerals involved. And to every mineral in Africa, there are foreign companies, non-African companies, involved. This is the story of how Africa is being corrupt by multinational companies. The African continent is being left to wallow in poverty while the wealth in being exported overseas. This story is about how Africa is rich and yet so poor.

The New Scramble for Africa (Al Jazeera, 2014, 48 min)
Decades after the European powers carved up the African continent for their own imperial needs, Africa is undergoing a new wave of resource and strategic exploitation – some are calling it the new scramble for Africa. The United States is increasing its footprint across Africa with AFRICOM, fighting terrorism and ensuring stability are the trumpeted motivations. Resource security is a more hushed objective. But it is not just about the US. During the last decade, China’s trade with Africa not only caught up with America’s, it has more than doubled it. The new battle for Africa does not deploy strong-arm tactics, it is now a soft power game: economic and humanitarian aid, interest-free loans, preferential trade agreements and investments in infrastructure are currency across a continent that is, for the world’s established and emerging powers, seemingly up for grabs. India, Brazil and Russia are all invested in Africa’s present and future, and old imperial powers like France are fixing to retain their loosening grip on the riches of former colonies. So what does all this mean for Africa and Africans?

The Plastic Nile (Sky News, 2021, 101 min)
An eye-opening investigation into the knock-on effect of single use plastic and how human habits are destroying the worlds longest river, the Nile in Egypt.

Polluters and Plunderers: The Roots of Africa’s Crises (Yaba Badoe and Nelson Makengo, WoMin African Alliance, 2021, 3′)
Through beautiful and moving animation, we tell a part of the story that rural, peasant and working-class communities across the African continent have confronted from the start of colonisation to the present day global neo-liberal capitalism. This is a story of lives and livelihoods disrupted and destroyed, of environmental catastrophe caused by unfettered extractives industries, of the violence perpetrated upon Brown and Black people whose lives are consistently devalued, and of the exploitation of women’s labour of care and violence perpetrated on their bodies. But, it is also a story of resistance led by women and communities as they rise to defend people and nature, and put forward a different vision of Africa and their ideas for a different life for its peoples freed from plunderers and polluters.

The Right to Say No: Women Defend Africa’s Wealth (Yaba Badoe and Nelson Makengo, WoMin African Alliance, 2021, 3′)
This short animation film shows some of the ways in which rural, peasant and working-class women and communities across Africa resist the theft of Africa’s wealth – land, forests, water bodies and species – and assert their right to say no. A follow up to the first film, Polluters & Plunderers: The Roots of Africa’s Crises, this tells the story of women and their communities’ resistances to an economic system which steals their livelihoods, exploits their labour, destroys the ecosystems upon which Life depends, and is ultimately causing planetary crisis. In this resistance and defence of people and nature, women and communities are also putting forward different visions of Africa, so that we all can claim the right to say yes to life and a better world for us all.

System Error: Pirates are Running Wild off West Africa’s Coast (Vice News, 2021, 12 min)
Today, 97 percent of kidnappings at sea take place in the Gulf of Guinea, making this region the piracy hotspot of the world. But why is piracy thriving in these waters?

Why China is Building Africa’s Railways (The B1M, 2021, 9 min)
Africa is in the midst of a railway renaissance, and it’s being built in large part by China.

Women Hold Up the Sky (Yaba Badoe and Nelson Makengo, 2019, 35 min, festival exclusive!)
Women Hold Up the Sky tells the story of how women activists affected by mining and other forms of large-scale extractives in South Africa, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are deeply engaged in resistance and an active struggle to take back control of their land, their rights, their bodies and their lives. Journeying between these three countries, this documentary reveals the experiences and activism of women in three African countries but tells a much bigger story of the ongoing exploitation of natural resources and marginalisation of poor communities, particularly women. Through the eyes and experiences of women impacted by coal, oil and mega-infrastructure projects in South Africa, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Women Hold Up the Sky explores stories of resistance and communities in active struggle to take back control of their land, their rights, their bodies and their lives.

Wilderness Beyond Borders: The Kaza Park (Jeffrey Barbe, 2012, 9 min)
This documentary project tells the story of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area – The Kaza Park. It explores how this massive park plans to promote the human rights and livelihoods of the people living within it by safeguarding the ecosystems on which the entire region depends.

ALGERIA

Climate Change in the Algerian Steppe (New Frame, 2020, 7 min)
This first part of a three-part series on the impact of climate change just north of the Sahara Desert traces the lives of the true nomads in Algeria. Some Algerians continue the tradition of their ancestors, who were ambulant herders. For their animals to graze, nomads need significant amounts of water from lakes or wadis. On the steppes of Djelfa, water scarcity is one of many reasons nomadic populations are slowly evolving to more sedentary lifestyles.

Algerian Date Farmers Struggle with Climate Change (New Frame, 2020, 7 min)
This second instalment in New Frame’s three-part series on the impact of climate change in northeastern Algeria looks at Biskra province and oasis towns such as Tolga, which boasts 500 000 date palms. The Romans inhabited the area 2 000 years ago, and cultivating and harvesting dates have been the lifeblood of the local economy ever since. But a change in precipitation patterns is affecting the production of dates, and some farmers have decided to abandon the crop that has been grown for generations.

Adrar’s Problems Exposed as Sahara Desert Heats Up (New Frame, 2020, 4 min)
The inhabitants of Algeria’s second-largest province are feeling the heat in many ways, whether it be in their houses, their classrooms or when they dare to go outside.

ANGOLA

The Great Angolan Oil Rush (ABC Australia, 2003, 15 min)
Angola is quickly becoming one of the world’s most promising new oil sources. However, lawyer Rafael Marques claims: “for the majority of Angolans, oil essentially is a curse.” Thousands are forced out of their homes to make way for foreign investors. A leaked IMF report reveals that billions of dollars of revenue never even reach Angola. Instead, payments are channelled through offshore accounts and remain unaccounted for. When BP promised to publish its under the counter payments to Angolan officials, they received a stinging letter threatening to terminate their contract. This letter was copied to all other oil companies. However, with lucrative oil contracts at stake, no-one is prepared to challenge the government.

BENIN

Art, Loot and Empire: The Benin Bronzes (Open Learn from The Open University, 2021, 28 min)
How did the West African artworks known as the Benin Bronzes end up in European museums? And why does it matter?

The Tofinu People: The Fishermen of Benin (Julien Naar, Slice, 2022, 17 min)
More than fishermen, the Tofinu people are sea farmers. All around Ganvie they keep fish farms which are like sea paddocks. When they planted palm leaves in their saltwater lake they invented these acadjas or artificial mangrove swamps which have provided them with a means of subsistence for three centuries. After several months of waiting, Baba Fudji’s acadja is ready to be harvested. Tomorrow, with the help of some of his men and Hubert who will accompany him for the first time, he plans to raise his first net. It’s an important day in the year of a Tofinu fisherman. This video is extracted from the documentary Today in Africa: Benin directed by Julien Naar and produced by Bo Travail!, Voyage & TV5 Monde.

BOTSWANA

Fashionscapes: The Diamonds of Botswana (Andrew Morgan, 2020, 14 min)
Fashionscapes, the documentary series exploring the fashion supply chain, presents its third instalment. Directed by Andrew Morgan, The Diamonds of Botswana follows Livia Firth as she learns first-hand about the impact of diamond mining in a country that has unearthed some of the worlds most precious stones.

The High Cost of Cheap Gas (Jeffrey Barbee and Mira Dutschke, 2015, 56 min, also South Africa)
The environmental problems caused by fracking in America have been well publicized but what’s less known are the gas industry’s plans for expansion in other countries. This investigation, filmed in Botswana, South Africa and North America, reveals how gas companies are quietly invading some of the most protected places on the planet.

BURKINA FASO

Le loup d’or de Balolé (The Golden Wolf of Balolé, Chloé Aïcha Boro, 2019, 66 min)
Immerse yourself in the life of Ouagadougou miners. In this granite quarry located in the heart of the Burkinabé capital, nearly 2,500 people, adults and children, work in dantesque conditions, on the fringes of a society that refuses to see them. But the 2014 revolution went through it… Awards: documentary gold standard (Fespaco 2019), Human Rights Prize, Special Mention of the documentary jury (Views of Africa 2019)

Exposing the Inhumane Conditions Of Burkina Faso’s Gold Mines (JourneyMan Pictures, 2016, 30 min)
Under Blaise Compaore’s leadership, Burkina Faso’s unregulated gold rush has had a devastating effect on mining conditions. This report digs deep into the industry, exposing the corruption beneath Compaore’s ruling. Millions of people – including children as young as fourteen – mine in an unregulated industry for a few golden grams of hope. Marcel toils underground to support his family – but without the glittering rewards promised. “We all have hope, we hope to earn” he says, but “they rob us here…They treat the miner like an animal.” 17-year old Soumaele has been mining for two years. His thin body can go to even deeper than the older men, to places where the air is impossible to breathe and the tunnels are likely to collapse. Gold promises a great deal, but in an anarchic industry, teacher Soungalo Hema fears for the future of children like Soumaele: “You try and save them”, she says, “but a lot of the time it’s in vain. I ask myself ‘what will happen to all of us?'”

BURUNDI

Burundi Climate Crisis (Al Jazeera, 2021, 3 min)
At the current COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, in the UK, countries from the Global South are demanding more funding from richer ones to mitigate the effects of climate change. One of the world’s poorest countries, Burundi has seen flooding which has caused 10,000 people in the country to be displaced in the last two years. Scientists say that is largely due to extreme weather disturbances caused by climate change. Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi reports from Bujumbura, Burundi.

Burundi Deforestation (Al Jazeera, 2021, 3 min)
Each year Burundi loses up to 38,000 tonnes of soil because of land degradation and deforestation. The United Nations says a growing population is driving the loss of forest. It has accelerated climate-change-linked disasters like torrential rains, floods, landslides and prolonged dry seasons. Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi reports.

Burundi: Protection of Northern Lakes Already Bearing Fruit (AfricaNews, 2021, 2 min)
A few years ago, the northern region of Burundi, particularly Kirundo province, was threatened by desertification.

CABO VERDE

A Nation Running Out of Water (DW News, 2017, 4 min)
Water is already scarce on Cape Verde, a small island nation off Africa’s west coast. As climate change exacerbates the problem, what can the country’s government do about it?

Cape Verde: Tourism Threatens Seabird Populations (DW News, 2022, 4 min)
Seabird populations are declining worldwide. On the island of Sal in Cape Verde, researchers are hoping to protect red-billed tropicbirds against the growing threat of tourism.

CAMEROON

Stolen Soul: Africa’s Looted Art (Almut Dieden, DW Documentary, 2020, 43 min, also Nigeria and Namibia)
Africa’s colonial overlords brutally stripped it of countless cultural treasures. Now, the fate of these items is being hotly debated in Europe and Africa as well. Some say the pieces should be returned, while others have reservations. European museums proudly present art and cultural artifacts from all over the world. But until recently, many of them have never considered their own complicity in the brutal ways in which the pieces were acquired. Only slowly are they starting to include the people to whose ancestors these artifacts once belonged in their decisions, although European colonial overlords pillaged and looted them in the first place. The issue of restitution is taking on a new urgency in Germany, last but not least because of the controversy surrounding Berlin’s Humboldt Forum, which is home to non-European collections. It’s estimated that more than 1.5 million artifacts from all around the world are held in storage at Germany’s ethnological museums. The Linden Museum in Stuttgart alone holds 60 thousand pieces from Africa. How many of them were stolen? And how do museums address the fact that their colonialist collectors had blood on their hands? This documentary takes an African perspective on some examples, including valuable bronzes from Nigeria, an ornamental prow of a boat from Cameroon, and what is known as the Witbooi Bible from Namibia. What do the people in the African countries where the pieces originated think about all this? What are the views of researchers, museum directors, artists and curators? What emotions arise when the frequently painful past is stirred up and examined? And how significant is the issue in the context of problems such as poverty, hunger and corruption in former colonies?

La Forêt d’Ebo (Paolo Sodi, 2021, 9 min)
In 2016, the Ebo Forest Research Project team installed 20 trail cameras in the Ebo forest, home to up to 25 of what might be the rarest gorilla subspecies – the Ebo gorilla. Ebo is a lush rainforest in southwestern Cameroon. But it is also representative of an alarming trend all over the world where the rights of indigenous communities are being ignored in favor of short-term, exploitative practices that ultimately harm the well-being of both human and wild species that call these places home.

Cameroon: From Africa’s Palms (Nidhi Dutt and Daniel Boaden, People and Power, Al Jazeera, 2015, 25 min)
People & Power investigates the environmental consequences of palm oil plantations in equatorial Africa.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Blood Diamonds and Religious War in the Central African Republic (Vice News, 2015, 10 min)
The Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it is also rich in natural resources. One of the official mining sectors has collapsed amid the country’s ongoing conflict, and now both sides are benefitting from the illicit trade of gold and diamonds. Clashes over control of the many mines have also created religious tension in places where there previously had been none.

CHAD

The Crisis from Lake Chad (The Red Line, podcast, 2021, 67 min, also Niger and Nigeria)
Lake Chad has shrunk by almost 90% since 1960, and the situation on the ground is becoming a breeding ground for regional terrorism. Outfits like Boko Haram, and ISIS in Africa are now capturing big patches of land in Lake Chad Region. France, the US, and their regional partners are trying desperately to avoid the situation spinning out of control, but with a shrinking lake how successful can they be? On the panel of this podcast to discuss the crisis on Lake Chad are Tomasz Rolbiecki (University of Gdansk), Vincent Foucher (CNRS), and John Campbell (Former US Ambassador to Nigeria).

Lake Chad: Preserving a Precious Resource in the Sahel (World Bank, 2015, 6 min)
Over the past 50 years, the surface area of Lake Chad has experienced significant climate, hydrological, ecological, and social changes. Throughout the last century, fishers, farmers, and herders from different ethnic groups migrated to the lake’s shores to exploit its rich natural resources and to flee droughts, famine, and conflicts in other parts of the region. These changes have created both opportunities and threats. In the face of additional pressure that climate change exerts on the region’s fragile natural resources, there is an urgent need to identify sustainable management options that will meet the development needs of the local population.

Quel Souvenir (Danya Abt, 2013, 5 min)
Quel Souvenir, a short film by Danya Abt, follows the $4.2 billion Chad-Cameroon Oil Development and Pipeline Project through the many communities it touches, communities filled with people who ask ‘If the land is rich, why are we so poor?,’ and frames the project within a larger context of growing oil exploitation in Africa. So, what happened when Chad found oil? Quite simply, the people it was meant to benefit the most got shafted. The government is coining it – so are the oil companies, of course – and the World Bank’s private sector lending arm, which is happily collecting on its $200 million commercial loan (although not the World Bank’s public sector lending arms which withdrew from the project in 2008). Everyone else is wondering where all the money is going, particularly the displaced who lost more in land than they got in compensation.

Receding Lake Chad (Al Jazeera, 2018, 3 min)
African leaders are gathering in the Nigerian capital to address the urgent needs of about 17 million people who depend on Lake Chad. The UN has warned that food insecurity and malnutrition have reached critical levels, as the lake continues to shrink. Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports.

COMOROS

Exploitation of the Ylang Ylang Flower in Comoros: Good Practices (Indian Ocean Commission, 2019, 13 min)
This short documentary shows the sustainable management of biodiversity resources in Comoros through the Biodiversity Programme, implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission in partnership with the European Union.

DJIBOUTI

The World’s Biggest Military Base (TRT World, 2019, 4 min)
There is a tiny country on the edge of Africa that holds the largest number of military bases on earth. Everyone wants a piece of the country because of its location. Major world powers are involved in what can be characterised as the scramble for Djibouti. But is China getting the upper hand?

China’s Base in Djibouti (2017, 19 min)
China has opened its first ever foreign military base in the African country of Djibouti. The base is strategically located near the Suez Canal and other naval trade routes as well as the Middle East. China insists the base will help Chinese ships in the region with logistics and supplies. But analysts argue China is aiming to increase its influence in the world.

Climate Action in Djibouti (UN Environment, 2018, 1 min)
By preserving water resources and protecting against extreme weather, mangrove restoration is helping communities in Djibouti face the challenges of climate change.

DR CONGO

Toxic Cost of Going Green (Unreported World, Girish Juneja, 2021, 24 min)
Unreported World investigates the dirty business of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mineral is fuelling the planet’s green revolution, but at what cost? Around seventy percent of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Central African country, mostly from the southern Katanga area, thought to be one of the ten most polluted places on earth. Reporter Jamal Osman travels to Kolwezi, a city dependent on supplying Cobalt, a critical component for electric cars and rechargeable batteries. Residents are employed by large multinational companies, or in smaller, and more dangerous artisanal mines. We meet the men who clamber down dark weaving airless tunnels to extract cobalt for as little as $150 per month. But is the paycheck worth the health risks that doctors have uncovered?

Blood in the Mobile (Frank Piasecki Poulsen, 2010, 82 min)
Blood in the Mobile is a 2010 documentary film by Danish film director Frank Piasecki Poulsen addressing the issue of conflict minerals by examining illegal cassiterite mining in the North-Kivu province in eastern DR Congo. In particular, it focuses on the cassiterite mine in Bisie. Revealing the dark side of our cell phones, no company can say for sure that they didn’t buy conflict minerals from the Congo to produce your cell phone.

Congo, My Precious (Anastasia Trofimova, 2017, 52 min)
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world’s most resource-rich countries. A wide range of rare minerals can be found here in abundance, all commanding high prices in world commodity markets, but the DRC still remains one of the poorest countries in the world. For Bernard Kalume Buleri, fixer and musician, his country’s history of turmoil is very personal; like most Congolese people, he and his family fell victim to the unending mineral based power struggle. Born in the year of his country’s independence, he has lived through war and seen his homeland torn apart by violent looting and greed. His story is a damning testament, illustrating how nature’s bounty, instead of being a blessing, becomes a deadly curse.

Ani Wa Sa (We Are One, Andrew Michael Ellis, 2020, 28 min)
Ani Wa Sa is set in DR Congo’s Garamba National Park which is globally recognized as ground zero in Africa’s poaching wars. Fewer than 1,200 elephants remain. Two brothers who come from a line of central African Zande hunters seek to protect their local forest from seemingly opposing avenues: one through family tradition and the other as part of a national park ranger team. Though their relationship has fractured, an advancing rebel group seeking to poach and traffic elephant ivory poses a mutual threat and the brothers may need each other to protect the people and wildlife of their homeland for generations to come.

The Deadly Cost of Cobalt for Smartphones (DW News, 2020, 5 min)
The journey of the world’s smartphones and tabletsoften begins with children digging in the deadly cobalt mines of Congo. One US-based human rights non-profit is helping 14 DRC families sue Apple, Google, Dell, Tesla and Microsoft over the loss of life or limb in mines where children dig for the cobalt needed for tech gadgets

The Cost of Cobalt (Robert Flummerfelt and Fiona Lloyd-Davies, People and Power, Al Jazeera, 2021, 25 min)
In the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), increasing numbers of babies are being born with horrific birth defects. Some of this, scientists say, is due to a huge surge in the global demand for cobalt – a metallic element that is playing a key role in the battle to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. Cobalt is vital for the manufacture of lithium batteries used in electric cars and the DRC has at least 60 percent of the world’s reserves – mostly in and around Katanga. But according to research published in The Lancet medical journal and elsewhere, cobalt extraction, smelting and other related industrial practices in the region are polluting the environment and contaminating people working in the mines or living close to them. The health consequences are dire – especially for pregnant women and the children they bear.

Blood, Sweat, and Batteries: Inside Congo’s Cobalt Mines (Fortune Magazine, 2018, 9 min)
Africa’s copperbelt contains two-thirds of the entire world’s cobalt, a mineral required for the production of cell phones, laptops, and most importantly, electric automobiles. Produced with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

DR Congo vs Rwanda: The Scramble for Cobalt and Conflict Minerals (Newsfeed, 2019, 4 min, also Rwandao)
DR Congo has 60 percent of the world’s Cobalt supply which is used by companies like Apple, BMW, Volkswagen, Tesla ETC. But, the country continues to be among the poorest in the world. We take a look at the turmoil in DR Congo and how the role it’s successful neighbour Rwanda may have played.

EGYPT

Death of the Nile: Egypt’s Lifeline Is Drying Up (Terra Mater, 2022, 8 min)
The Nile is slowly dying. Its tributaries and channels are drying up and threatening the livelihoods of millions who depend on its nourishing waters. Some of this is the natural cycle of the river – parts of the Nile have dried up before, making entire cities like ancient Meroe vanish. But a major construction project upriver is further endangering the life of the river. We explore what’s happening and look at the possible solutions to this impending tragedy.

Egypt’s Lost Power (Al Jazeera, 2014, 47 min)
Clayton Swisher from Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit explores the corrupt deals that plunged Egypt into an energy crisis and now leave it facing dependency on Israel.

Battle for the Nile (Al Jazeera, 2020, 7 min, also Ethiopia)
Ethiopia has been building a new hydroelectric dam that’s promising to revive its economy and bring electricity to millions of people in mostly rural areas. But the Grand Renaissance Dam has its critics. Mainly Egypt, which says its water supply is in danger, and its people depend on that flow for consumption and farming. In the past, the two countries have made threats about military action and so far, talks to reach some kind of deal over how to share the Nile’s waters have not gone far. So why exactly can’t the two sides come to an agreement? Start Here explains one of the most important disputes in Africa right now.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Prince of Malabo (Tawanda Kanhema, 2014, 26 min, festival exclusive!)
Investigative journalist Tawanda Kanhema travels to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to interview the country’s new vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who spent over $300 million on mansions, a jet and luxury automobiles in France, the United States, Brazil and South Africa. French magistrates have issued an arrest warrant for Obiang for money laundering and U.S. prosecutors are trying to seize a $35 million mansion in Malibu and a $38 million jet. The Prince of Malabo explores Equatorial Guinea’s economic rise and the challenges it faces. The country’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang, spent US$300 million on mansions, a jet and luxury cars and faces money laundering charges in France and two asset forfeiture cases in the United States. Obiang’s father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is the world’s longest serving head of state, in power since a 1979 coup d’etat. Journalist Tawanda Kanhema travels from Malibu, California to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to interview the country’s new vice president. Kanhema investigates the effects of resource conflict on human rights and development.

Equatorial Guinea’s Oil Curse (Global Journalist, 2015, 29 min)
At first glance, the small West African nation of Equatorial Guinea is doing well. Sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon on the Gulf of Guinea, the oil-rich nation of 820,000 has a per capita GDP equivalent to that of the Czech Republic or Portugal. But the picture is more complicated than that. Much of its population lives in conditions similar to that in the world’s poorest countries. Infant mortality rates are worse than in Ethiopia or war-ravaged South Sudan. Many people lack access to clean drinking water and about half the population lives in poverty. A large chunk of Equatorial Guinea’s oil revenues are thought to have been lost to corruption. All this has taken place under the watch of President Teodoro Obiang, who’s been charge since 1979, when he ousted his own uncle in a military coup. From the capital Malabo, Obiang has ruled with an iron fist as his son, the country’s second vice president, has made headlines around the world for lavish spending on a fleet of Ferraris and Bentleys, mansions in Malibu and Paris, for acquiring perhaps the world’s greatest collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia. When it comes to media, Equatorial Guinea ranks near the bottom of Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, grouped in with countries like China, Somalia and Iran. All broadcast media in the country is controlled by the government and there is virtually no private press.

Equatorial Guinea: Poverty and Rights Abuses amid Oil Wealth (CS Monitor, 2009, 3 min)
Monitor correspondent Kari Barber reports on the economic imbalance that Equatorial Guinea finds itself in after oil was discovered in the African nation.

Instagram Playboy Is Also the Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea (The Economist, 2017, 6 min)
Equatorial Guinea’s vice-president records his lavish lifestyle on Instagram, but it is unclear where his money comes from. He is currently being tried for embezzlement and money-laundering in France, where a verdict will be announced this week. Meet one of Instagram’s most famous playboys. He tours the world, driving fast cars and eating at the world’s finest restaurants. He even gets hip-hop stars like Wyclef Jean to play at his lavish parties posting his exploits on his Instagram account. But this isn’t your typical Instagram star. He’s the vice-president of a country, Equatorial Guinea. A small country in west Africa with a lot of oil.

ERITREA

Eritrea Looks to Mining to Boost Economic Growth (CGTN Africa, 2016, 3 min)
The global route in commodity prices has not deterred Eritrea from venturing into the once lucrative sector. The horn of Africa nation expects to have four mines in operation by 2018 producing gold, copper, zinc and potash as it digs itself out of slowing economic growth.

Greening Eritrea (PBS, 2013, 17 min)
This short film tells the story of the development of an Integrated Seawater Agriculture Farm (Seawater crops, shrimp and salt products) in Eritrea East Africa. The PBS aired this documentary about the development of the world’s first Integrated Seawater Agriculture farm in Massawa Eritrea.

ESWATINI (FORMERLY SWAZILAND)

Eswatini’s Plan for Africa to Fix the Ozone Layer (UNDP, 2018, 2 min)
Formerly known as Swaziland, the Kingdom of Eswatini is ‘a low-volume consuming Party’ as per the Montreal Protocol. Nonetheless, it feels the impacts of climate change firsthand as the majority of the country’s employment is provided by its agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

Swaziland: Responding to the Drought (UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, 2016, 6 min)
The 2015/16 agricultural season was the driest that Southern Africa has experienced in 35 years. With 70 percent of the region’s population dependent on Agriculture for their livelihoods, the drought caused by a weather phenomenon called El-Niño has had devastating effects. A rising of temperatures in the pacific adversely affecting global weather patterns causes El Niño. In southern Africa, it was mostly characterized by little and erratic rainfall. Consequently areas like Lubombo region, a plateau region east of Swaziland, may look green and lush but that is a deceptive greenness. The Lubombo region usually enjoys an abundance of rainfall and cool temperatures making it a very productive region. However all this changed for farmers like Lindiwe when the region was hit by severe drought. Fortunately for Lindiwe, she was part of a pilot 25-member Farmer Field School working on setting up Food Nutrition Gardens. The project was implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the European Union, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. The El Niño induced drought did not spare animals either. Livestock are very important to the people of Swaziland, particularly farmers like Alpheus Masuku who lives in Mathendeni, a drought prone area in Swaziland’s Lowveld. When the drought hit, pastures and water were affected leading to the death of 80 000 cattle across the country. Alpheus is the chairman of a group of farmers who have come together to improve their welfare. Through a borehole installed by FAO and the EU, the community is able to provide clean drinking water for the families and their livestock. With the establishment of Food and Nutrition gardens and water supply points for livestock, the communities’ resilience is being built to minimize the suffering that comes with these climatic shocks.

ETHIOPIA

The Church Forests of Ethiopia (Jeremy Seifert, 2019, 9 min)
Over the past century, farming and the needs of a growing population have replaced nearly all of Ethiopia’s old-growth forests with agricultural fields. The Church Forests of Ethiopia tells the story of the country’s church forests — pockets of lush biodiversity that are protected by hundreds of churches “scattered like emerald pearls across the brown sea of farm fields.” The film documents the work of forest ecologist Dr. Alemayehu Wassie, who is working with local priests and communities to protect these “arks of biodiversity” that mark the confluence of forest and faith as a “mystical geography.”

GABON

Gabon: The Sentinels of the Forest (Julien Naar, 2022, 53 min)
Gabon’s soul lies hidden beneath a thick green mantle, the source of most of the Gabonese traditions, medicines, spirituality, and resources. A precious heritage that a small number of men and women protect. We meet Kombo, a Babongo hunter, and Juste, who is in touch with the forest spirits.

Green Gabon’ Tackles Deforestation with ‘Careful’ Logging (Reuters, 2021, 4 min)
With its oil reserves waning, Gabon is betting that careful logging can safeguard the vast wealth of its forests, halving its associated carbon emissions while producing more timber.

THE GAMBIA

Gambia: The Queen of Recycling (DW News, 2020, 7 min)
Fed up with Gambia’s mounting waste problem, Isatou Ceesay set up an initiative called ‘One Plastic Bag’. It promotes recycling and provides women with additional income.

Gifts from Babylon (Bas Ackermann, Amadou A Silah, Babucar Manka, Modou Joof, 2018, 24 min, festival exclusive!)
Gifts from Babylon is an award-winning short film exploring the psychological impact of irregular Africa-EU migration through the lens of a Gambian return-migrant. The film shows the personal conflicts that arise when Modou (Christopher ‘Tijan’ Smith), a young deportee from The Gambia, returns to his home country after five years of living illegally in Europe. Suffering from intense flashbacks of his traumatic migrant journey, which keep him from reconnecting with his family, friends and himself, he wonders what has become of him… Gifts from Babylon is a collaboration between Gambian media production house State of Mic and Dutch filmmaking duo Bas Ackermann and Emiel Martens. The film received its world premiere at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2018 and has since been selected and awarded at 100+ film festivals and other events world.

Stolen Fish (Gosia Juszczak, 2020, 30 min, festival exclusive!)
Stolen Fish is the first film on Gambia’s fishmeal factories, offering a unique insight into untold drivers of migration. In the Gambia, the smallest country of mainland Africa, fish is now being powdered up by Chinese corporations and exported to Europe and China to feed animals in industrial farming. As a result, Gambians are being deprived of their primary source of protein, overfishing is depleting marine ecosystems. The film follows Abou, Mariama and Paul, three Gambians who share intimate stories of daily struggle, anger, hope and longing for their loved ones. There’s so much to worry about in the world but “Stolen Fish” is a 30 minute microcosm of what is wrong with it, eloquently put by those who take the brunt of the destruction caused by global capitalism.

Welcome to the Smiling Coast (Bas Ackermann, 2016, 72 min, festival exclusive!)
Welcome to the Smiling Coast is an award-winning documentary offering a rare insight into the lives of 15 youngsters working in the informal sector of the Gambian tourism industry. Although the smallest country on the African mainland, the Gambia has become a popular tourist destination due to its warm climate, abundant wildlife and cheap intimacy. Each year over 100.000 tourists, many of them being older European women, visit the ‘Smiling Coast’ in search of this exotic blend of sun, safari and sex. Most tourists are staying within the comforts of all-inclusive resorts, far removed from the everyday experience of ordinary Gambians. In fact, with a third of its population living below the poverty line, the Gambia is at present, fifty years after its independence, one of Africa’s poorest nations. Ironically, many poor Gambians, particularly youngsters, are residing only a few steps away from the tourist hotels and beaches. Here they are trying to survive in the margins of the omnipresent leisure industry. With this lure of a better future just around the corner, the dangerous ‘back way’ across deserts and high seas to Europe, is always lingering in their minds. Do they eventually try their luck abroad or find their peace at home? Welcome to the Smiling Coast shows the varied and often creative alternative strategies Gambian youngsters employ to secure their livelihood. Capturing their struggles, hopes and dreams, this documentary puts a human and positive face on the informal economy that lies behind the glitter of the Smiling Coast.

The Outlaw Ocean: Trouble in West Africa (Ian Urbina, The New Yorker Documentary, 2021, 10 min)
Journalist Ian Urbina investigates the human and ecological cost of the booming fish-farming industry in the smallest country on mainland Africa.

GHANA

Dead White Man’s Clothes (Foreign Correspondent, 2021, 30 min)
For decades the West’s unwanted fashion has made its way to the used clothing markets in Africa. Now it’s creating an environmental catastrophe.

Dead White Man’s Clothes – Atmos | Part 1: A Closet Full of Clothes (Daniel and Kwadwo of Accra Studios Live, 2020, 2 min)
This is Part One of a series of short videos we have been working on with Atmos Magazine to illuminate how the global secondhand clothing trade connects people and material in ways that are both predictable and unforeseen, zooming in on the Kantamanto market in Accra, Ghana.

Dead White Man’s Clothes – Atmos | Part 2: She Who Carries the Burden (Daniel and Kwadwo of Accra Studios Live, 2020, 2 min)
In Part Two, She Who Carries The Burden, you get an insight into the labor performed by Kantamanto’s kayayei. While the coronavirus pandemic reveals how interconnected we are, it also shines a light on inequality. As Accra (and other major cities in Ghana) prepares for a COVID lockdown on Monday we are concerned for these young women.

Dead White Man’s Clothes – Atmos | Part 3: Drifting Paradise (Daniel and Kwadwo of Accra Studios Live, 2020, 2 min)
Asana is one of many thousands of kayeyei. She left her home to come to Accra with the dream of paying for nursing school so she could help her community. What she found in Accra was the hard edge of a dangerous industry that far too often counts people as replaceable numbers on a page. Her job is essential in the secondhand clothing trade, yet she is rewarded with only the few coins necessary for her survival.

Dead White Man’s Clothes – Atmos | Part 4: A Planet Full of Waste (Daniel and Kwadwo of Accra Studios Live, 2020, 2 min)
Roughly 15 million garments flow through Kantamanto per week. Our research reveals that 40% of this leaves the market as waste (usually within 2 weeks of landing at Tema Harbour). Waste is built into the business model of fashion, and yet this inevitable byproduct of production is an afterthought. The waste crisis you see in Part Four will continue as long as there are people who are disposable.

Dead White Man’s Clothes: Second Hand Clothes Creating Toxic Landfill in Ghana (Journeyman Pictures, 2021, 2 min)
Fast fashion accounts for around 10% of global greenhouse emissions. Buying second hand is a way to reduce this impact. But what happens to the second hand clothes discarded by charity shops in the Global North? In Accra, Ghana, sales of second hand clothing have boomed in the last 20 years, creating tens of thousands of jobs in the process. Aisha is a head porter, who carries bales of clothing: ‘I come from the north where there are few jobs, so I decided to migrate here and try to make some money to take care of my children back home’. However, this boom has also created many problems for the city. Solomon Noi, Accra’s waste manager, laments: ‘This place is serving as a dumping ground for textile waste, in the name of second-hand clothing’. Liz Ricketts, who documents the impact of clothing waste on Ghana, lays the lion’s share of the blame on the brands producing the clothing: ‘Waste is part of the business model of fashion. A lot of brands overproduce by up to 40 percent’.

Oil Promises: How Oil Changed a Country (DW Documentary, 2020, 84 min, also part of the Presented by DW Documentary Program!)
When oil was discovered in Ghana in 2007, the country began to dream big. It dreamed that the ‘black gold’ would bring economic upswing and long-awaited prosperity to its nation. But what happens when dreams and globalization meet? The global economy continues to rely on oil — but the so-called ‘black gold’ is becoming scarce. If a country has oil, so we tend to believe, it has all it needs to become a wealthy country. When oil was discovered in Ghana in 2007, Ghanaians also believed that economic prosperity would soon sweep over their country. By 2010, drilling had started. Ghana was determined to do better than Nigeria, a country that exports oil, but has to import gasoline. This documentary, shot over a period of ten years, is a case study of globalization. Filmed in a coastal region where people lived off fishing and rubber cultivation for decades, it shows the impact the oil discovery has had on their lives. Would the promises come true? Would the ‘black gold’ bring modern life and progress, paved streets, electricity and jobs even to small villages? Filmmaker Elke Sasse and journalist Andrea Stäritz spent ten years documenting the developments on Ghana’s western coast. Nigerian animator Ebele Okoye adds her personal perspective through art, as a citizen of a nation hit by the oil curse.

Tomatoes and Greed: The Exodus of Ghana’s Farmers (DW Documentary, 2020, 53 min, also part of the Presented by DW Documentary Program!)
What do tomatoes have to do with mass migration? Tomatoes are a poker chip in global trade policies. Subsidized products from the EU, China and elsewhere are sold at dumping prices, destroying markets and livelihoods in Africa in the process. Edward still harvests tomatoes. But he is no longer on his own fields in Ghana. He now works on plantations in southern Italy under precarious conditions. The tomatoes he harvests are processed, canned and shipped abroad – including to Ghana, where they compete with local products. The flood of cheap imports from China, the US and the EU has driven Ghana’s tomato industry to ruin. Desperate farmers find themselves having to seek work elsewhere, including in Europe. For many, the only route available is a dangerous journey through the desert and across the Mediterranean. Ghana is a nation at peace, a democracy with free elections and economic growth. Nonetheless, tomato farmer Benedicta is only able to make ends meet because her husband regularly sends her money from his earnings in Italy. A former tomato factory in Pwalugu, Ghana, illustrates the predicament. This factory once helped secure the livelihood of tomato farmers across the region. Today it lies empty, guarded by Vincent, a former employee who hopes to keep it from falling into ruin. In the surrounding region, the market for tomatoes has collapsed and most farmers are no longer growing what could easily be Ghana’s ‘red gold’. An agricultural advisor is trying to help local tomato farmers, but has little by way of hope to offer. Conditions like this are what drive local farmers to cut their losses and head for Europe. Once in Italy, migrants from Ghana and other African countries are forced to live in desperate conditions near the plantations. They work as day laborers for extremely low wages, helping to grow the very tomatoes that are costing people back home their work and livelihoods. These days, canned tomatoes from China, Italy and Spain are available for purchase on the market of Accra. Some may call this free trade. But economist Kwabena Otoo says free trade should open doors; not destroy people’s lives. Every two seconds, a person is forced to flee their home. Today, more than 70 million people have been displaced worldwide. The DW documentary series ‘Displaced’ sheds light on the causes of this crisis and traces how wealthy industrialized countries are contributing to the exodus from the Global South.

Ghana: Fast Fashion’s Dumping Ground (Toby Bakare, Channel 4, 2022, 24 min)
Unreported World is in Ghana which is suffering an environmental disaster caused by the fast fashion items we give away. Reporter Ashionye Ogene travels to the bustling market of Kantamanto in the capital city Accra to meet the traders struggling to sell the disposable clothes we no longer want. Kantamanto was once home to textile traders making a good living from so-called ‘Dead White Man’s Clothes’, items donated from the West believed to be so good that only dead people would part with them. But the arrival of fast fashion is changing that. In 2019 around 63 million kilograms of clothes were imported into Ghana from the UK, much of it cheap and damaged fast fashion donated by us. But campaigners are deeply concerned about the impact of plastics found in much of our fast fashion. On the beaches of Accra, Ogene discovers a waterfall of mangled clothing flowing from the city’s sewers straight into the ocean. We meet scientists who believe that well known brands now embedded in the sand shed microfibres into the water. Their research has found clothing related plastics in seafood along the west coast of Africa. While creative solutions are being found, we meet the government minister tasked with finding a balance between banning imports to safeguard the environment, and protecting the livelihoods of thousands of traders.

The Environmental Disaster that is Fuelled by Used Clothes and Fast Fashion (ABC-TV, 2021, 30 min)
The dark side of the world’s fashion addiction. Many of our old clothes, donated to charities, end up in rotting textile mountains in West Africa. This is a story about how our waste is creating an environmental disaster.

The Struggle of Ghanas Cocoa Farmers (DW News, 2019, 8 min)
Cocoa is Ghana’s main cash crop. After the Ivory Coast, the West-African country is the second largest cocoa exporter in the world. But the trees are sick.

Blame Game: E-waste in Africa and Solutions (DC, 2019, 49 min)
As more and more of us use and replace electronic devices, manufacturers have failed to offer solutions for how to deal with the resulting waste, and much of it is exported to a toxic dump in Ghana where scavengers do their best to salvage what they can. Blame Game investigates the murky world of global electronic waste disposal, where legal grey areas, a lack of investment in recycling, unscrupulous businesses and politicised application of the existing laws lead to wasted opportunities, environmental degradation and for the people of Agbogbloshie – hellish living conditions in a toxic dumping ground. Taking us deep inside this hidden world we meet those who suffer from our addiction to new devices, working in hazardous conditions and prone to cancers and other illnesses from an early age. But without the dump, thousands would be without jobs, tonnes of e-waste would not be recycled and Ghanaians would miss out on life-altering technology. A global web of policy makers and businesses are out of synch, each blaming the other and in the resulting chaos and passing of responsibility, huge opportunities are being missed. Beautifully shot and taking a global perspective, Blame Game explores the challenges but also the possible solutions – some very simple – that could reduce waste, take advantage of an impressive skill-set, alleviate poverty and help our environment.

GUINEA

Cries of Our Ancestors (Rebecca Kormos and Kalyanee Mam, 2020, 20 min)
In the highlands of Guinea, people and chimpanzees live peacefully side by side. Myths and stories — and a mutual respect for one another — have preserved this relationship for generations. Now, however, both people and chimpanzees are being pushed out of their homes by bauxite mining, which risks killing thousands of chimpanzees and displacing tens of thousands of people. Once sharing the same water source and fruits from the land, both now struggle to survive. Guinea has the largest population of chimpanzees in West Africa. Protecting their home in Guinea is one of their last chances of survival.

Bauxite Mining Destroys Ancient Forests in Guinea (2019, 2 min)
Guinea’s ancient forests are one of the last refuges for western chimpanzees, a critically endangered species. But today their remaining sanctuaries are under threat. Bauxite mining has ramped up in Guinea. It’s the world’s third largest producer of the ore. Bauxite is needed to make aluminum, used for everything from airplanes, to soda cans. Mining companies have built their own roads to transport bauxite through rural areas. Cutting down trees and clearing farmland to ensure a constant supply of bauxite. Almost 3,000 apes could be killed through the development of a Chinese dam and Iranian bauxite mine.

GUINEA-BISSAU

Guinea-Bissau: Africa’s 1st Narco-State (BBC News, 2015, 6 min)
Known as Africa’s first narco-state, Guinea-Bissau has been a key hub in the international drugs trade for nearly a decade. Hooked is a 5-part report in graphic novel style of the human impact of that trade. It explores difficult themes of drug taking. Hooked is produced by the BBC Focus on Africa TV, the BBC News Magazine and BBC NewsLabs.

Guinea-Bissau: The Cocaine Gateway to Europe (Channel Four News, 2007, 15 min)
Jonathan Miller reports from Guinea-Bissau in 2007, a drugs gateway to Europe, and speaks to Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto, believed to have been arrested by US authorities on Friday, suspected of being an international trafficking kingpin.

Drug Trafficking: Guinea-Bissau Used as Transit Point (Al Jazeera, 2020, 3 min)
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration says Guinea-Bissau is becoming what it calls a Narco state. It accuses Latin American drug traffickers of bribing state officials to let cocaine destined for Europe transit through the country, and into the Sahel region where armed groups use the drugs to fund their fighting. Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reports from the capital, Bissau.

IVORY COAST

Chocolate’s Heart of Darkness (Paul Moreira, 2019, 56 mins)
In 2001, the lucrative chocolate industry, due to pressure from NGOs, committed itself to putting an end to child labour in cacao plantations before 2006. 18 years later, has that promise been kept? The Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cacao producer, made a real effort to eradicate this scourge on the country. They built schools and trained farmers. Television adverts even reminded populations that child labour is illegal. So why does child exploitation still exist? Further into isolated areas of the forest, at the end of near-impassable roads, Paul Moreira discovered child slaves, forced to work in plantations, their incomes often seized by traffickers. These child slaves are separated from their parents and sometimes resold onto other traffickers.

Inside Ivory Coast’s Hidden Gold Rush (The Economist, 2016, 6 min)
Inside Ivory Coast’s hidden gold rush takes a look at the gold mining industry in Ivory Coast. For a long time mining was seen as a dirty alternative to a more wholesome farming lifestyle. But some of the richest gold-mining potential in Africa is luring hundreds of thousands of Ivorians off the land and into the mines.

KENYA

Sandstorms: Kenya’s Environmental Catastrophe (Giving Nature a Voice, 2021, 23 min)
Nairobi’s building boom has created an environmental catastrophe in Kenya’s semi arid eastern provinces. You can’t make cement without sand, often illegally scooped out of riverbeds by an army of workers in Machakos and Makueni countries. After the sand has been carted away by unscrupulous sand harvesting cartels, the rivers dry up or turn into ragging torrents during the rainy season. Makueni’s governor is trying to stop it, but compares the business to the drug trade, where corruption and threats of violence stymie enforcement.

Protecting the forests of Mt. Kenya (Joan Poggio-UNEP, 2021, 3 min)
The rangers of the Mt. Kenya wildlife trust work tirelessly to protect the area’s forests and wildlife from illegal activities such as logging and poaching. Their mission is to protect this incredible ecosystem and educate local communities about the benefits of conserving the forests of Mt. Kenya.

LESOTHO

From Trash To Treasure: Turning Negatives Into Positives (Iara Lee, 2020, 24 min)
In Lesotho, a highland country surrounded by South Africa, an artist named Nthabiseng TeReo Mohanela takes discarded materials and transforms them into unique clothing and accessories. Teaching young people the benefits of recycling and re-creation, she calls her project From Trash to Treasure.

Lesotho: The Deal with Water (DW News, 2022, 8 min)
Lesotho is water-rich. But the southern African kingdom is one of the world’s poorest countries. To fill the state coffers, the government exports water to its parched neighbor, South Africa. Not only do Lesotho’s villagers suffer, so does its eco-system.

LIBERIA

The Struggle to Protect Liberia’s Chimps and their Forests (Lucinda Rouse, 2020, 9 min)
In this exclusive video, we visit one of West Africa’s last remaining chimpanzee habitats to explore the threats posed by growing global demand for palm oil

Liberia Environmentalists Blame Firestone for River Pollution (Al Jazeera, 2021, 3 min)
Liberia has struggled to deal with environmental challenges. The 2020 Environmental Performance Index ranked it the worst performing country when it comes to sustainability. Liberia’s Guinean forest region is often referred to as “the lungs of West Africa”. But inside the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s Liberian concession, the air is so thick with chemicals, it stings the eyes. But the American tyre giant told Al Jazeera that it is doing all it can to mitigate the effects of climate change and is not breaking any of the country’s environmental laws.

LIBYA

The Lust for Libya (Al Jazeera, 2018, 94 min)
Once Africa’s wealthiest country with the continent’s largest oil reserves and highest standard of living, Libya, liberated from a dictator’s grip, is mired in a violent, internecine conflict that has left many of its people struggling for food, fuel and security. The Lust for Libya examines ancient schisms mapped anew on a contested landscape offering oil riches as well as strategic control, tracing the timeline of events – reaching back before the construction of Libya itself – that have left Africa’s erstwhile richest nation in ruins.

Who Controls Libya’s Oil Riches? (Al Jazeera, 2018, 25 min)
The battle to control the largest oil reserves in Africa has taken a new twist – which is turning off the lifeblood of the Libyan economy.

Oil Search in Libya (British Pathé, 1957/2014, 10 min)
Historical footage of a search for oil in Libya by British Petroleum Company. Various shots setting up equipment to look for oil. Various shots arrival and departure helicopter at mine clearing camp. Various shots takeoff from desert and aerial views of part of concessionary area. MS Major English, Mine Clearance Supervisor, arriving at forward camp by Land Rover, he picks up his Arab assistant (who tells him in which area the sweepers are working) and exits. LS Land Rover bumping down long road. MS tail of hurricane in desert, Land Rover passes. MS tilt up from grave to German Scout car wrecked by thermos bomb. MS scattered bones of a camel which has been blown up by bomb. Tilt down to CU’s thermos bombs. MS arrival Land Rover at end of swept track. Various shots mine sweeping, one man finds a mine and kneels down to start scraping sand away from it. CU hands and pick clearing sand from mine. CU face, CU hands uncovering mine. MS as he calls mine lifter who waves him away. Lifter lies down by mine and lifts it. CU hole in desert left by mine. CU three mines lying beside a white washed track marker. Enter Major English who inspects mines and calls his assistants to pick them up, then exits. MS assistant opening bonnet of Land Rover, Major English makes contact with the wire to his detonator on the car battery. LS as the mines are destroyed. Various shots equipment used to detect oil.

MADAGASCAR

Baobabs Between Land and Sea (Cyrille Cornu, 2015, 56 min, festival exclusive!)
Baobabs between Land and Sea is relating a scientific expedition to study the baobabs of Madagascar and encountering the Vezo, one of the last nomadic tribes of the sea. Relatively unknown in Madagascar, the baobabs are currently threatened by deforestation. The narrative is based on a strong ecological and scientific message related to deforestation and disappearance of baobabs to aware the audience on urgency to save the giants and environment of malagasy people. The island of Madagascar is a great source of inspiration for filmmakers and photographers. It is unique in many ways. Its biodiversity and landscapes are exceptional, and the social diversity is remarkable. In Baobabs between Land and Sea, the desire to share an adventure is at the heart of approach of filming, showing travels through the nature and the encounters with the people living in wild regions. The story is intimately related to traveling. Content and form are changing to the rhythm of different discoveries, a desire to place the viewer at the very heart of the voyage.

Morning Star (Nantenaina Lova, 2020, 77 min, also Reunion, festival exclusive!)
Andaboy is a sacred beach in southwestern Madagascar. The ancestors say the beach should be left untouched, as a shamanic musician sings in trance. The local fishermen are therefore deeply concerned when Australian company Base Toliara proposes building a harbor there, displacing 8,000 residents. The fishermen were already troubled by the Chinese trawlers that are decimating fish stocks, and now they fear an even greater invasion. The local people inland also depend on fishing: they make canoes for the fishermen. And they in turn are fighting a large-scale mining project by Base Toliara. In Morning Star a number of activists clearly and passionately express their objections to the sale of their land to foreign companies. At the same time, director Nantenaina Lova paints an engaging, observational portrait of the villagers’ music culture and daily life. To keep up their courage, fisherman Edmond has named his canoe ‘Aza kivy’: Let’s not give up.

Vanilla Thieves Of Madagascar (BBC News, 2018, 10 min)
There have been dozens of robberies and murders in Madagascar linked to vanilla. Several communities have tried and failed to get protection from armed police. Some have taken the law into their own hands. Villagers say in a nearby village, a machete-wielding crowd descended on five suspected gangsters, hacking and stabbing them to death. The killings have yet to be solved by the police. Locals say there is no will or capacity in the police forces to investigate the vanilla thefts – or the mob justice that sometimes follows.

MALAWI

Climate Change is Making it Even Harder to Escape Poverty (Vice News, 2021, 13 min)
Lake Malawi is Africa’s third largest lake and home to more than 1,000 species of fish. But in the last 20 years, experts say the amount of fish has dropped by 90 percent – here’s how it’s affecting Malawi residents.

MALI

Land Rush (Hugo Berkeley and Osvalde Lewat, 2012, 58 min)
Can Mali’s farmers combat food shortages and escape poverty on their own terms? 75% of Mali’s population are farmers, but rich, land-hungry nations like China and Saudi Arabia are leasing Mali’s land in order to turn large areas into agribusiness farms. Many Malian peasants do not welcome these efforts, seeing them as yet another manifestation of imperialism. As Mali experiences a military coup, the developers are scared off – but can Mali’s farmers combat food shortages and escape poverty on their own terms?

Artisanal Gold Mining in Mali Is an Economic Boom and an Environmental Disaster (Michel Yao and Sory Kondo, 2021, 8 min)
The Malian town of Kéniéba, near the borders with Guinea and Senegal, is well known for its gold sites. Major mining companies have been established there for years, and just outside the large mining sites, traditional gold panning attracts thousands of young miners from the surrounding areas and elsewhere. While artisanal mining has a positive impact on the local economy, there are also severe risks, especially for the local environment.

MAURITANIA

The Secrets of Mauritania: Immigration and the Battle Against Slavery (David Kleijwegt, VPRO, 2019, 50 min)
For centuries colonialists have bypassed the Sahara. The largest sand desert on the planet was too hot and too impenetrable. Now, Europe seems to have shifted its southern border to the Sahara in order to stop migration and combat terrorism. Ten years ago, Mauritania was a busy crossing for migrants from West Africa to the Canary Islands, but since the Spanish coast guard have taken up patrols, no one has gotten through. Mauritania is one of those countries that has managed to escape the attention of the world press. Officially, slavery was abolished in Mauritania in 1981, nearly a century after the rest of the world had banned it, but activists are still fighting every day to free tens of thousands of black Mauritanians who are owned by others.

Mauritania: Slavery’s Last Stronghold (CNN, 2012, 23 min)
Mauritania’s endless sea of sand dunes hides an open secret: An estimated 10% to 20% of the population lives in slavery.

MAURITIUS

Faces of Africa: Oil in Paradise (CGTN Africa, 2021, 58 min)
The Island nation of Mauritius which has a unique marine ecosystem came under attack in July 2020, the Japanese freighter “Wakashio” struck a reef off its coast and leaked fuel, causing immeasurable ecological damage which was also a major blow to the its tourism sector. This film follows the protagonists such as coral conservation scholars and environmental protection agency volunteers, and records the efforts of how Mauritians have come together to face this ecological crisis.

MAROCCO

Climate Change in the Desert (DW Documentary, 2020, 28 min)
Climate change is leaving its mark on Morocco’s oases, too. Sandstorms are becoming more and more frequent, groundwater levels are sinking and palm trees are shrivelling up and dying. An age-old way of life is in danger.

MOZAMBIQUE

The Gold Fever (La Fiebre del Oro, Raúl De La Fuente, 2019, 24 min)
In Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, the poverty of the people and the richness of the soil still cannot be reconciled, and this is destroying the lives of hundreds of small-scale miners. Marcelino heads underground in an attempt to find rubies in a drill hole similar to the one in which his brother died. Toni works tirelessly in a mine where hardly any gold remains. These are just two of the thousands of stories from this remote part of the world, but… did you know that your health also depends on their work?

Beira: A City’s Fight against Climate Change (DW News, 2021, 7 min)
In 2019, Cyclone Idai devastated Mozambique’s port city of Beira. Many died and entire neighborhoods were flooded. The city is now setting up large green areas designed to absorb future floodwaters. But entire fishing communities need to relocate.

Coastal Resilience in the Face of Climate Change: Mozambique (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2020, 7 min)
This video demonstrates the impact of climate change in Mozambique and the project actions towards building resilience in collaboration with the communities.

NAMIBIA

Namibia’s Chobe River: The Deadly Crocodile Capital (Mark Evens, 2014, 45 min, also part of the Animal-Human Relations Program!)
Mark Evans travels to the reputed croc attack capital of the world: Namibia’s Chobe River. Crocodiles eat more humans than any other predator and Africa’s Nile crocodiles are notoriously aggressive. Namibian conservation efforts to save Nile Crocodiles have been more than successful. Crocodiles here are growing in number, attacks are on the rise and locals are killing crocs in retaliation. To find a way to keep both people and crocodiles safe Mark joins leading croc experts Rom Whitaker and Patrick Aust to carry out a radical new experiment.

I Have Seen the Earth Change: Namibia, Traps of a River (Sylvie Bergerot and Eric Robert, 2010, 52 min)
Showing how the Lozi people of the Caprivi try to maintain their way of life in the face of increased flooding.

A Documentary on Drought in Namibia (Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions, ASSAR, 2017, 24 min)
In the semi-arid regions of northern Namibia, floods and droughts are regular events. However, their severity has increased with the changing climate. The consequences to subsistence and small-scale farmers have been grave in the Omusati Region. This documentary by the ASSAR research project explores how the drought impacts the community, the many challenges that they are facing and how they are adapting to them.

NIGER

Left in the Dust: Uranium Mining in Niger (Greenpeace International, 2010, 7 min)
Uranium mining by French nuclear company AREVA poses a serious threat to the environment and people of northern Niger in West Africa.

NIGERIA

Jesse: The Funeral That Never Ended (Eromo Egbejule, 2018, 35 min, festival exclusive!)
In 1998, over 1000 people died in a small oil-producing community in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer. It was the most gruesome pipeline disaster in the country. This film tells the story of the people of the Niger Delta whose land is responsible for most of the country’s wealth but for whom their gift has become a curse. It uniquely elevates the survivors and victims from just numbers to actual people – flesh and blood like the rest of us.

Nigerian Oil and the Disappearing Money (Al Jazeera, 2020, 7 min)
Nigeria has the biggest oil reserves in Africa but who’s cashing in? Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer and has its biggest economy. But it’s also coping with crushing levels of poverty. So where does all that oil money go?

Nowhere to Run: Nigeria’s Climate and Environmental Crisis (Dan McCain, 2015, 46 min)
The documentary seeks to raise awareness of environmental threats and unique challenges to security in Nigeria while sensitizing the general public and inspiring stakeholders to embrace efforts to mitigate potential crisis.

RWANDA

A Walk Through The Land of a Thousand Hills (Chema Domenech, 2019, 11 min)
Claver Ntoyinkima, a native park ranger, shares the secrets of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda as he guides us through the forest. With almost 300 bird species, over 1,000 plant species, and dozens of large and small mammals, Nyungwe is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Twenty-five years after the devastation of the Rwandan Civil War, the park is now one of the best-conserved montane rainforests in Central Africa. As Claver walks through the forest we uncover the origins of his conservation values and the history of an ecosystem that survived one of Rwanda’s darkest periods.

DR Congo vs Rwanda: The Scramble for Cobalt and Conflict Minerals (Newsfeed, 2019, 4 min, also DR Congo)
DR Congo has 60 percent of the world’s Cobalt supply which is used by companies like Apple, BMW, Volkswagen, Tesla ETC. But, the country continues to be among the poorest in the world. We take a look at the turmoil in DR Congo and how the role it’s successful neighbour Rwanda may have played.

SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE

Sao Tome and Principe: An Island Nation for Sale? (Marion Mayer-Horsdalh, 2017, 27 min)
The untouched islands of Sao Tome and Principe are facing a huge influx of foreign investment. Does this present an opportunity to the economy or a threat to the islanders’ slow, steady way of life? The islands are gaining a lot of attention from abroad. “Sao Tome is a poor country and when investors come they can bring us jobs and bring us money”, says Julio da Silva, a government official. There is a lot of potential on the islands that foreign investors are keen to exploit. Jacques Le Roux, manager of the Belo Monte Hotel, claims that “we use 20% of the island, the other 80% is still undiscovered”. It is hoped that the island’s natural beauty – beaches and rainforests – will also boost eco-tourism. “The people who live here, it’s very tranquil, and I think it would be good for many tourists to come’, says Francisco da Graça Alamô, a National Park Warden.

SENEGAL

The Trees That Bleed (BBC Africa Eye, Umaru Fofana, 2020, 26 min)
The rosewood tree is one of the most trafficked species on earth. When it’s cut it bleeds a blood-red sap. Having exhausted stocks elsewhere, Chinese traders have turned to West Africa, especially southern Senegal, where trees are cut down and smuggled into neighbouring Gambia and then all the way onto China. For a year BBC Africa Eye, with Umaru Fofana, has been investigating the million-dollar trade in trafficked rosewood.

Looking for Gold in Senegal (International Labour Organisation, 2015, 12 min)
Thousands of people from across West Africa travel to Kedougou region. In southeastern Senegal, the economy revolves around gold. Artisanal mining involves many work around gold digging. Workers from all over West Africa merge in Kedougou. It’s the gold rush! Men, women, kids try to find his golden chance in an informal and risky activity. A story for International Labour Organisation.

SEYCHELLES

Seychelles: Paradise under Threat (DW Documentary, 2022, 29 min)
Dream vacation or destination wedding – where better than Seychelles? The archipelago is especially popular with German tourists. But despite the island nation’s unique approach to nature conservation, this paradise is in danger. This documentary showcases the archipelago in all its beauty, with rare animal species, white sand beaches… and the conservationists who are working hard to protect it all. Although Seychelles has just 0.13 percent of the land area of Germany, its new protected marine area is larger than the whole country. But climate change has severely impacted the archipelago, as it is often the smallest islands that are first to feel the consequences. Storms and waves damage turtle nests and corals, while further eroding the islands’ coastlines. The country’s president Wavel Ramkalawan is also concerned. An ordained minister in the Anglican Church, Ramkalawan still preaches to this day. He tells us of the message he draws from the Bible in his fight to save the islands. We also learn about the various initiatives to rescue this tropical paradise. Coral nurseries help to revive damaged reefs. And seagrass plays a major role in combatting rising CO2 levels, as it stores more carbon than a forest of the same area. Seychelles and Mauritius share an expanse of seagrass larger than Switzerland. The president is calling on the international community to help cover the costs of all this, because revenue from tourism isn’t enough. And many tourists care too little about it. At their wedding photoshoot, a couple from Austria explains how beautiful and easy it is to get married in paradise. But for how much longer will this paradise exist?

Climate Change Threatening Future of Seychelles (Channels, 2018, 9 min)
The main climate change threats facing Seychelles are similar to those threatening other small island developing states: changes in rainfall patterns leading to flooding, landslides on one hand and extended periods of drought on the other, increases in sea temperature, changes in acidity and damage to marine ecosystems, increases in storms and storm surges, and sea level rise during the longer term (NDC). A recent UNISDR report has revealed that most disasters occurring in Seychelles were related to storms, floods, rain and landslides, and recommended that future planning should focus on losses from flooding and landslides which also caused the greatest economic losses.

SIERRA LEONE

Voices from the Mine (Roy Maconachie, 2018, 33 min)
This short documentary focuses on resource governance in Sierra Leone’s artisanal diamond mining sector, tracing the pathway of diamonds from pit to market, and documenting the stories of different stakeholders along the way. In doing so, the film depicts the challenges of local level governance in the sector, shows why benefits do not accrue to those working at the bottom of the chain, and sheds light on why it is so difficult to formalize artisanal mining. The film was produced with funding from the San Francisco-based organization, Humanity United, and was shot on location in Kono District, Sierra Leone and Antwerp, Belgium.

Sierra Leone: How Cacao Protects the Environment (DW News, 2017, 5 min)
The production of cocoa can be beneficial for everyone in Sierra Leone. The cocoa plants provide shade and enrich the soil. They can also provide a regular income for locals and be exported sustainably and profitably to the rest of the world.

SOMALILAND (SOMALIA)

Golden Land: A Search for Riches in Somaliland (Inka Achte, 2022, 47 min)
Mustafe decides to leave his quiet life in Finland when copper and gold are discovered in his ancestral land, Somaliland. These riches promise to fulfil his lifelong dream to help his struggling country of birth. Mustafe mines gold, gemstones and cobalt, a metal more valuable than diamonds. But he soon realises that all that glitters is not gold. While his children grapple with culture shock, Mustafe finds the clan disputes, which fuelled the Somali civil war, impossible to avoid.

The Price of Purity (Vice News, 2022, 43 min)
VICE News travels to Somaliland to investigate the frankincense supply chain, one of the world’s oldest traded commodities, used in the growing market for essential oils and finds everything may not be as ethical as one company wants you to believe.

SOUTH AFRICA

Strike a Rock (Aliki Saragas-Georgiou, 2017, 87 min, festival exclusive!)
Marikana is a mining town in South Africa where police opened fire on striking workers in 2012, killing a shocking total of 34 men. It marked the start of a grim conflict between women from the community and the mining company, which breached its obligations for worker housing in scandalous ways. The two leading campaigners are grandmothers, one of whom, the indomitable Primrose, even manages to win a seat in parliament, raising their battle for justice to a whole new level. In this intimate, close-up account, the poor but utterly determined women question why they get so little in return for the valuable platinum that’s mined there, day in and day out, for wealthy British people. Their years-long struggle for justice and recognition is being ignored by the higher-ups at the company, so what should the women do to make sure they are heard? Will the solidarity and close friendships in the village survive the onslaught from the forces at the center of power, or will their struggle be used for political gain?

Illegal Gold Ming in South Africa (VICE, 2014, 11 min)
In the 1970s, South Africa was the world’s most prolific exporter of gold. Over the years, industrial decline has seen widespread closures of the mines across the country. However, Johannesburg sits on the biggest gold basin ever discovered. It’s perhaps not surprising that many of these abandoned mines have seen a recent boom in illegal mining activity. Everyday, hundreds of illegal gold miners, known as Zama Zamas, descend kilometers deep beneath the surface. The miners often spend weeks underground, toiling away at the country’s untapped gold reserves. Observers have suggested that illegal mining is now so widespread, black-market gold arguably supports the communities once subsistent on the very same mines they worked in before they shut down. The lack of policing in the mines has seen the practice go on largely unabated. However, in the absence of law enforcement, the extensive network of abandoned mines beneath the region has become an arena to deadly gang warfare between rival factions. VICE News visited illegal mines near Johannesburg, to meet the Zama Zamas risking life and limb everyday in the violent struggle for South Africa’s illegal gold.

Coal Mining in South Africa (Earth Focus, season 3, episode 2, KCET, PBS SoCal, Link TV and Thomson Reuters, 2020, 27 min)
South Africa faces a stark reality as the continent’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. More than 80% of power generation comes from coal, with 11 coal power plants turning the province of Mpumalanga into one of the most polluted areas of the world. As the world moves away from fossil fuels and major global investors pull out, renewable energy fights to forge the future. The tension is palpable among the government, coal producers, workers, and the environment in a post-apartheid South Africa facing pressing developmental challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.

SOUTH SUDAN

Has the World Ignored South Sudan? (Al Jazeera, 2020, 26 min)
Humanitarian groups are warning 60% of South Sudan’s population will face ‘catastrophic’ famine. That is if aid cannot reach areas affected by floods, violence and the pandemic. A joint report by three UN agencies, says 6.5 million people in the region are facing starvation and that number could rise. Aid agencies blame the worsening situation on violence that has made it impossible to produce food, and dangerous and difficult to deliver aid. Last month, the UN released $7m in emergency funding to try to avert famine. So, what can be done to save Africa’s youngest country?

More than 700,000 Affected by South Sudan’s Environmental Crisis (Sky News Australia, 2021, 3 min)
Food shortages and risk of illness are key concerns in South Sudan after the African nation was hit by the worst floods in nearly six decades. The environmental crisis is affecting more than 700,000 people. Scientists argue global warming has contributed to the floods becoming more intense and unpredictable in recent years.

South Sudan Witnessing Alarming Rise in Deforestation (Al Jazeera, 2016, 2 min)
Forests cover about 29 percent of South Sudan but the UN says they are disappearing at an alarming rate. On average, the country is losing two percent of its forests each year. Demand for charcoal, a source of energy for many families, is making the situation worse.

On South Sudan’s Natural Resources: Extraction, Revenue Use, Misuse and Reforms Needed (Sawa Sawa Network, 2021, 72 min)
This episode of The Weekly Review featured two guests: David Mayen Dengdit and Boboya James Edimond. The program discussed the South Sudan natural resources (oil, gold, etc): extraction, the use of revenues from the natural resources, corruption and misappropriation of revenues, illegal extractions, and reforms needed, including in contrast with the progressive provisions of the R-ARCSS that, among others, mandate the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity “to ensure prudent, transparent and accountable management of national wealth and resources to build the nation and promote the welfare of the people.” David Mayen Dengdit is former Press Secretary in the Office of the Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga and former Director for Legislation in the National Legislative Assembly. He holds of Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Boboya James Edimond is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Social Policy and Research (ISPR). ISPR is a leading public policy research center that offers national and regional expertise to civil society groups, private sector and government. He has more than 15 years of experience working in the international development field. Edimond has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in local governance and human rights as well as a master’s degree in sustainable international development.

SUDAN

Sudan’s Gold Rush Driven by High-Risk Artisanal Mining (France 24, 2018, 5 min)
Rebecca Sudan is in the midst of a gold rush and is now the second-largest producer of gold in Africa and the ninth in the world. Gold production is driven by unregulated, artisanal miners: over 1.5 million men who put their lives at risk to dig and extract the precious metal. Much to their dismay, meanwhile, the government in Khartoum is pushing to attract foreign investors and more industrialised methods.

World of Africa: Horrific Reality of Sudan’s Gold Rush (World is One News, WION, 2022, 4 min)
In a North Sudan village, a growing number of traditional miners working at gold-bearing rocks are disposing of mining waste, laden with highly toxic chemicals, including mercury, near farmlands, water sources, and residential areas. Chemical contamination from gold extraction has rendered some locals incapable of moving, walking, standing up or sitting down. This is their story.

TANZANIA

The Dirty Business with Old Clothes (Free High-Quality Documentaries, 2019, 29 min)
Most people believe, that old clothes donations collected by various organisations are immediately sent to countries in need. What they don’t know is, the majority of the donated clothing is sold per kilogramme. Some aid organisations merely place their logo on the collection containers of used clothes firms. A small amount of the clothing is given to the needy in the country of origin. The better, still useful items are sent to Eastern Europe and the Arab states. 60% of the articles are sent to Africa. But just what happens to the used items there? Michael Höft and Christian Jentzsch travelled to Tanzania in search of answers. Their conclusion: Not only German companies and several major aid organisations earn well from the donations; for many traders in Africa, old clothes donations are a lucrative business model. Even the poorest of the poor have to pay at least something for them. The cheap clothes flood the markets of the respective countries and bring the African textile industry to its knees.

Don’t Finance the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (350Africa.org, 2020, 2 min, also Uganda)
Standard Bank, Africa’s biggest lender, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) of Japan are reportedly about to finance a 1,443-kilometer crude oil pipeline through Uganda and Tanzania. If built, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) would be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world and is expected to cause large-scale displacement of communities and pose grave risks to protected environments, water sources and wetlands in both Uganda and Tanzania.

Farmer Stories: Episode 1 (Elvis Mulokozi, Fahad Fuad, and Tjeerd van der Hulst, LEAD Foundation, Justdiggit and Erbacher Foundation, 2022, 6 min)
Farmer Stories is a series of short documentaries showing several farmers involved in regreening projects in Monduli, Tanzania. In this first episode, the participants of the series are introduced while they share some of the current problems they face as well as their expectations for the future.

Kijanisha (Nonye Onwuka, Justdiggit and LEAD Foundation, 2022, 4 min)
This music video brings the message and promise of the regreening movement straight to the airwaves of Tanzania and beyond. Having seen first-hand the effects of climate change and land degradation in their native Tanzania, Christina Shusho, Joh Makini, Frida Amani and Ben Pol use their combined voices to encourage each and every one of us to join the movement and dig in for a greener, cooler world. With their music video Kijanisha, which means ‘to make green’ in Swahili, the artists are spreading the word: by using simple nature-based techniques such as digging water-saving bunds or helping native tree stumps regenerate (Kisiki Hai), we can regenerate nature and reverse the negative effects of climate change. In doing so, we create food and water security for millions of people, restore biodiversity and cool down the planet.

Restoring Dry Land in Tanzania (DW News, 2022, 7 min)
Sustained droughts are making farming near impossible in Tanzania. The soil is to dry for planting. The organization Justdiggit wants to alleviate the situation by planting trees in a way that encourages moisture collection. Not only do the trees grow better, the soil is can recover in their shade.

TOGO

Togo’s Chocolate Farmers Organise Against International Markets (Journeyman Pictures, 2019, 30 min)
In Togo, 60% of the population lives in poverty, with its cacao growers drowning under increasingly low prices. From one village to another, one man is advocating a new future for his country, through chocolate production.

TUNISIA

Tunisia’s Toxic Phosphate Mining Industry (CGTN Africa, 2014, 3 min)
Tunisia is the fifth largest exporter of phosphate in the world. Although a pillar of the national economy, phosphate mining comes at the expense of the environment, as it’s by products are quite toxic .One factory in the coastal city of Gabes channels 13,000 tons of the dangerous pollutant into the sea every day. Residents now want action taken to mitigate this.

Sustainable Fishing in Tunisia (DW News, 2021, 5 min)
Fishing is crucial to the livelihoods of people on Tunisia’s coast. Overfishing is a growing problem, especially due to trawlers. Their nets also pick up sharks, rays and other endangered species. The Med Bycatch Project wants to see sustainable fishing.

Does Tunisia Have Sovereignty over its Natural Resources? (TRT World, 2018, 4 min)
Tunisia’s sovereignty over its natural resources has become a controverisal issue after the 2011 revolution. One of the most notorious cases that has sparked outrage is the allowance given to a French company to extract Tunisian salt for the same price since 1949.

Tunisia: Where Water Is a Precious Resource (DW News, 2020, 7 min)
Water is a valuable commodity in Tunisia, especially in the region of Kairouan, one of the hottest in Tunisia. Rain is getting scarcer and scarcer. Better water management could help dispel tensions and anxiety among the farmers.

UGANDA

Custodians of Life: Reviving Culture and Nature in Uganda’s Great Lakes (Gaia Foundation, 2020, 15 min)
This is a story of hope and decolonisation in a time of crises. The Indigenous Bagungu People of western Uganda have lived along the shores of Itaka Mwitanzige (Lake Albert) since time immemorial. But for over a century, colonialism and globalisation have damaged and repressed both the Bagungu’s traditional, Earth-centred culture and the ecosystems they rely upon. Custodians of Life tells the story of how, through innovative mapping techniques and intergenerational dialogues, the Bagungu are reviving culture and Nature in their sacred homeland.

Don’t Finance the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (350Africa.org, 2020, 2 min, also Tanzania)
Standard Bank, Africa’s biggest lender, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) of Japan are reportedly about to finance a 1,443-kilometer crude oil pipeline through Uganda and Tanzania. If built, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) would be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world and is expected to cause large-scale displacement of communities and pose grave risks to protected environments, water sources and wetlands in both Uganda and Tanzania.

ZAMBIA

Stealing Africa (Christoffer Guldbrandsen, 2012, 58 min)
Rüschlikon is a wealthy municipality in Switzerland where there is more tax revenue than expenses. This is thanks to one resident in particular: Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore, a company that mines copper in Zambia and pays minimal taxes there. 60 percent of the Zambian populace lives on less than a dollar a day, and even though the country has the third largest copper supply in the world, unemployment is at a staggering 80 percent. In this documentary, director Christopher Guldbrandsen asks how it is possible for Zambia to make so little money from their copper when it is such a valuable commodity. He invites experts and politicians to shed light on the situation from various angles. Glencore is revealed to be a multinational with little name recognition that still controls 60 percent of the world’s copper production. Meanwhile, the Zambians have begun to believe that the tax situation should be reformed. Guldbrandsen follows Guy Scott, the white vice president of Zambia, who has made it his mission to ensure that proper taxes are paid for their copper. But with the slow judicial process required to change things, one should not hold one’s breath.

Zambia under Chinese Influence (France 24, 2021, 38 min)
China’s presence is visible all over Africa. But nowhere as much as in Zambia, the African nation where it invested the most money last year. The ties between Beijing and Lusaka are strong and have existed for decades. Today, China possesses one third of Zambia’s national debt. It has invested in the mining and industrial sectors, but also in agriculture. Some Zambians denounce this Chinese presence as a form of neo-colonialism.

Amazing Grace (Makhalu Productions, Rowan Pybus, 2012, 5 min)
Offering a brief window into one man’s journey and his deep-seated love for the forests that are rapidly decreasing around Livingstone, Zambia.

The Most Toxic City in Africa (Vice News, 2022, 13 min)
For over a century, Kabwe city in Zambia has suffered severe lead pollution from a former mine, poisoning generations. More than half of the kids here have lead levels in their blood over 20x more than kids in Flint, Michigan at the height of its water crisis. 28 years after the mine’s closure, the problem is far from being solved.

ZIMBABWE

The ‘Curse’ of Black Granite in Mutoko (Terry Tinotenda Mutsvanga, 2016, 14 min)
The ‘Curse’ of Black Granite in Mutoko is a short documentary that exposes the negative impact of extraction mining in Zimbabwe with special emphasis on Mutoko. Mutoko villagers are living in abject poverty whilst mining companies are profiteering with little regards being done towards the environmental .Corruption and hunger are also highlighted in the film .

Fresh Farm: Farmer and Businesswoman in Zimbabwe (Rumbi Katedza, Al Jazeera, 2022, 11 min)
Nomaliso Musasiwa does not believe in waiting for the government to fix problems, so she is tackling Zimbabwe’s food challenges directly. She runs a fresh food tech company, connecting small farmers to online clients – from locals looking for fresh, affordable food, to diaspora Zimbabweans who want to support relatives back home. Fresh Farm by Rumbi Katedza explores this creative commercial response to Zimbabwe’s food insecurity.

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