Dying in Africa
Description
In Africa-where infant mortality is sky-high, tens of millions have AIDS, and life expectancies can be as meager as 39 years-death is an all-too-frequent presence. This program presents sub-Saharan perspectives on the end of life: lavish Ghanaian funerals involving caskets shaped into whatever is most emblematic of the deceased; funeral rites of the Dogon, in Mali, where alcohol fermentation is attributed to the powers of the departed; the views of the Fulani of the Sahel, who do not believe in life after death; and the roles of the griot's tam-tam drum and fire kindled by a blacksmith's wife in the funeral rites of rural Burkina Faso. In addition, the good works of Sparrow Rainbow Village, in South Africa-the only residential facility in Africa established to meet the needs of terminally ill AIDS patients-are documented.
Runtime
50 min
Series
Subjects
Geography
Genre
Date of Publication
[2008], c2004
Database
Films on Demand
Direct Link
Similar Films
Who Authored the new testament?
Chichen Itza, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
In Search of History. The Bloody History of Human Sacrifice
Growing up in Africa
Barrie Machin's Sir Lanka. Rata Yakuma end of ritual
Around the world in 80 faiths. Latin America. Episode 7
Spirits for Sale. The Commercialization of American Indian Rituals
The JVC video anthology of world music and dance. Russia. Soviet Union I. Volume 23
Spirit Doctors
A Bride for Barter?
The Dalai Lama and the Rituals of Reincarnation
The JVC video anthology of world music and dance. Malaysia & Philippines. Southeast Asia III. Volume 8
The One and the many. Pilgrims in a world of faith
They are we
Sacred memory