Doing Good

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Description

As idealistic as it sounds, many argue that a desire for conquest can become a mission to improve the welfare of humankind. This program explores that notion, especially how it has played out in Africa, despite the myopia of an unquestioned belief that Britain could and should rule the world. In Central Africa, viewers travel in the footsteps of David Livingstone, who, though a failure as a missionary, became a legendary figure-the patron saint of empire who reshaped English attitudes toward the so-called "Dark Continent." In South Africa, the film tells the story of Cecil Rhodes, a man with a different sort of mission, who believed in the white man's right to rule the world, laying down the foundations for apartheid. The journey ends in Kenya, where conflict between white settlers and the African population brought bloodshed, torture, and eventual withdrawal.