Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this blog post. Today I am exploring a documentary on the Tsarinas of Russia. This is one we will see how it will go it could be about the last few Tsarinas of Russia or it could be about just the one. The run time for this episode is 51:07 and is called The Splendor and Misery of the Last Tsarinas.
The Russian Empresses were mainly German women who found selves in the splendor of the Russian court. The story begins with Princess Charlotte. Charlotte was the daughter of Queen Louise of Prussia. She was engaged to Grand Duke Nicholas and would eventually rule Russia at his side. Maria von Prussen follows the story of Charlotte, her ancestor to discover Charlotte’s life and why Prussians were married into the family. The story begins with a trip to the Winter Palace. It was here that the Tsars and Tsarinas resided. Princess Charlotte would have arrived in a whole new world when she arrived in St. Petersburg. It would have taken her seventeen days by carriage to arrive in St. Petersburg. Her final stop in Prussia before arriving in St. Petersburg was a border town. It was here that Grand Duke Nicholas would have met Princess Charlotte. From the beginning, it was clear that this was a love match. Why would a Russian prince marry a German princess? One historian talks about how the German states were a dating service and when a Russian prince needed to marry, he was sent there on a tour. The German princesses were protestants and more open to converting to Orthodoxy in comparison to Catholic princesses. Maria tours the site of the border; nothing remains of the obelisks that marked this border. It was here that Charlotte would have crossed into Russia and her letters at the time not that Nicholas’ presence helped her. Charlotte was arriving in a country that was a bundle of contradictions. Beneath the glamour of the Russian court was in large part a poor and very rural country that still had serfs tied to the land. Poverty and discontent lay just beneath the surface. I find Maria’s curiosity about her ancestor very endearing. As her tour and exploration continue, Maria arrives in St. Petersburg and learns about Princess Charlotte’s arrival. It would have been a nerve-wracking experience for Princess Charlotte, let alone any German Princess. On day four of her arrival she would have converted to Russian Orthodox and would have traded the name of Charlotte for Alexandra. She was going to embark on a life in Russia as a Grand Duchess and eventually rule Russia. It was here, that there was a discussion on the German princess who married into the Russian Court. It was interesting to hear those minor German princesses were chosen to marry because it did not interrupt the balance in Europe. After this short little detour, Charlotte and Nicholas’ roles were going to change. Tsar Alexander I had decided to abdicate and retire from political life. The pair were shocked by this decision. Nicholas was not ready, and everyone thought Constantine the middle brother would have succeeded Alexander. This would be a fatal error. Maria then takes in a historic ball with Russian aristocrats. The Russian aristocrats are trying to rediscover their roots and host these balls. Charlotte was a lovely carefree woman who was a hit with Russian society. She threw herself into family life and society, she did not dabble in politics. She adored her husband Nicholas. One historian says that she was the perfect wife for Nicholas. However, things change for Charlotte and Nicholas when Alexander suddenly dies before realizing his plans. The nobles pledged their loyalty to a very reluctant Constantine. In the power vacuum military officers rose up to change the system. What would Nicholas do to put down this rebellion and claim the crown? How does Charlotte adjust to her life as Tsarina? Tune into the rest of this episode to learn more about this Tsarina. Over all this was an interesting documentary and I really appreciated Maria’s exploration. This would something I would use for research purposes and not for showing in a classroom.
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Good morning! Today I am going to be looking at an older documentary that was posted a while back about Amelia Earhart. This is a documentary about the enduring mystery of her disappearance and how her sister worked to keep Earhart’s legacy going. The documentary is called Amelia: The Tale of Two Sisters. The run time for this documentary is 44:02.
Society was changing and men were now taking to the skies in airplanes. Women were demanding more rights and were finding achievements in aeronautics. One such woman was Amelia Earhart. Earhart was attracted to aviation and through determination and hard work, she would become the most famous aviator at the time. She would inspire female aviators in future generations. Her sister Muriel would not only champion her sister Amelia but would keep Amelia’s legacy alive. To this day, people are still looking to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance. Amelia Earhart was the most famous woman in the world. Her courageous spirit resonated with people and they would hang on her every word. The story here begins with her disappearance and the Itasca. Amelia and Fred Noonan were working on her circumnavigation of the globe and she was planning on refueling at Howland Island. However, she and her navigator never arrived. Amelia’s niece, Amy Kleppner recalls seeing the headlines about Amelia’s disappearance. The search for Amelia immediately started and continued on into the present day. After World War II, more theories developed. There were three main theories about Amelia’s disappearance. The first theory says that she ran out of gas because was off course and crashed into the Pacific. Amy recalls that this was the popular theory. The second theory is that she was forced down and captured by the Japanese. The last theory was that she landed on an inhabited island where she would have survived a few days. Ric Gillespie, one aviation expert enjoys solving aviation mysteries, but never wanted to explore the Earhart mystery. However, there were people that brought up her radio transmissions. This prompted Ric to do more digging and it took him and a team to an inhabited island where there were airplane parts were discovered. One expert pooh-poohs the searches and just wants to focus on the woman. After this, we explore Amelia’s family. She had a younger sister, Muriel. They were both voracious readers and were tomboys. They enjoyed sports and were always outside. Amelia was known as “A.E.” in her family. However, the family constantly moved when Mr. Earhart lost his job. The girls would throw themselves into their studies. Eventually, the family moved to California and it was here that Amelia discovered her love of flying. George Putnum entered the picture when Amelia, her mother, and Muriel moved to Massachusetts after Earhart’s divorce. He encouraged her to fly and became her promoter. She became the first woman to ride in a plane across the Atlantic. The pair would eventually marry, but Amelia would retain a lot of her independence and she would continue to follow her love of flying. Eventually, she would eventually become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Due to the conditions, she was flying in, she ended up in Northern Ireland. Other feats would soon follow and she would become the first woman to fly from Hawaii to California. She had bigger goals and she would want to fly around the globe. This round-the-world trip would be her last. Why did she disappear? Where did she disappear? What are the long-standing theories about her disappearance? How did Muriel take her disappearance? What would Muriel do to keep Amelia’s legacy alive? What about the searches that go on in the area where she went down? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more. I really enjoyed the tidbits and stories that Amy Kleppner provided throughout the series. She could carry a documentary about Amelia Earhart on her own with all the stories she could tell or potentially tell about her aunt. This was a very well documentary about Amelia and her sister and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It would be something that I would show to a history class or recommend to a student doing a project on Amelia Earhart. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening whenever you read this blog and do lesson prep for a substitute teacher. You could also look ahead to see what documentaries are available to fit the curriculum. Anyway, time for a change-up. This time, I am looking at a documentary about Beatrix Potter and how the Lake District inspired this writer. This is part of the Historic Britain series that is called Secrets of the National Trust. The run time for this documentary is 42:56
The Lake District is where Beatrix Potter, a children’s author found her inspiration. Our hosts will explore this area as well as tell a tale of Beatrix Potter. She not only was a children’s author she was also a savvy businesswoman who enjoyed living in the Lake District. She would become an outspoken advocate for the Lake District. On this trip as well, Oz Clarke meets a team at the Plant Conservation Center. Jon Culshaw also explores the Snowshill Manor. I am a little bit nervous about this section because of Patricia Routledge’s excellent documentary on Beatrix Potter, but here we go! The show kicks off in Cumbria and it was where the most famous children’s book characters came to life. The animals had names and they lived as ordinary people. The tales were colorful and were a reflection of English Country Life. The author of these children’s books was at Hilltop Farm. You would recognize this farmhouse from the scenes in her tales’. She would use the farmhouse and the furniture to help tell her tales. In 1902, Beatrix Potter’s writing career began. She wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The book was filled with her own illustrations of animals. She would become renowned for her accuracy. Beatrix grew up dissecting animals and was a keen scientist. It was a pet rabbit that inspired her to create a rabbit category. Her approach to drawing was incredible. Beatrix would face tragedy, she lost her beloved fiancée. However, she would eventually find love again and go to stay at Hilltop Farm. Together she and her husband would farm in the Lake District. She had always wanted to farm. The next section talks about Blakeney Point and Suzanne Lipscomb joins the tour. Here she learns about conservation and how this piece of the English coast was conserved by the Victorians. The first stop that Suzanne makes on this tour, she goes to a repurposed lifeguard station. It houses a museum and a research facility that helps in the conservation of this particular piece of coastline. However, there was a great debate among conservationists and local fishermen. The fishermen felt that if the seals were allowed to thrive local fish stocks would not recover. Eventually, the seals were protected. Then there is a return to learning about Beatrix Potter. She would meet up with people who started thinking of conservation. Then there is a discussion on how the National Trust was created. It all started with the sale of a certain island. If this island was sold, it could be closed to the public and developed into something that would not match the beauty of the lake district. A group of people came together and raised funds to purchase the island to keep it preserved. The National Trust was developed to preserve land and homes from the developers. The National Trust is the largest landowner in England. This island was purchased, but it has been donated to the national trust. This Island will be open to the public for enjoyment and education. To learn more about the National Trust and Beatrix Potter continue to watch this episode. The number one thing about this episode is that it should have been divided into chapters. This would make it easy for the section on Beatrix Potter to be shown in an English literature classroom. Then the section on the conservation efforts of the Victorians would be excellent for an animal and plant science class. I am a little bit mixed about showing this documentary in the classroom. I feel like Patricia Routledge’s documentary is better for a classroom, particularly an English literature classroom. I would sooner show it to a classroom about animal and plant science classroom. Today I am doing to try a different channel to look for a documentary to review. This time I am going to review a documentary on the Forbidden City. The run time for this documentary is 52:50 and is called China’s Forbidden City. The first episode of this series is called The Reign of the Concubine. Just a warning, this series may be done out of order because this episode was about a woman who rose to power.
At the beginning of the 15th Century, Prince Zhu Di took power in China. With his new power, he established the Forbidden City and declared Bejing the capital of China. The Forbidden City was a palace complex and was a symbol of the new Emperor. The Forbidden City was a place where the emperor lived with his empress and concubines. It was kept off-limits to the ordinary man. It is now China’s greatest tourist attraction and is revealing its secrets from the past. The year is 1850 and the previous emperor died. The question on everyone’s mind is who will the emperor marry? Yehe Nara was a young Chinese woman who was brought to the Forbidden City to marry the emperor. She participated in the selection of wives to the Xianfeng Emperor. The emperor’s mother will choose the emperor’s wife. She was selected to stay and was placed in the lowest level of concubines and granted the title of Noble Lady Lan. She had come from an impoverished noble family. The sights that awaited Yehe Nara would have been spectacular. She would have been left in awe. The curator of the Forbidden City Museum talks about the layout of the city. The Emperor had made a mountain behind the Forbidden City to protect it from its cold wind. The emperor even built a river to help complement the city. Periodically this documentary will have the curator speak about the Forbidden City and its traditions. In one section he talks about the principles of Ying and Yang and how the Emperor and Empress were a reflection of these principles. The Forbidden City was a place where rituals were observed and strict protocols were in place. The documentary goes back to telling the story of Yehe Nara. The women would have been carefully examined before they were selected to either be a concubine or the Empress. Yehe Nara is selected to be a concubine and another girl is selected to become Empress. According to tradition, she was to be the one to bear the emperor a son. The two would become rivals. Yehe Nara and the remaining concubines are assigned to a variety of palaces in the Forbidden City complex. Here she would meet other, older concubines who had never been sent for by the Emperor. It would take two years before the Emperor would call for Yehe Nara. Life in the forbidden city would have been monotonous for the women who lived there. They lived in a comfortable gilded prison. Then there is a discussion on the history of how the Ming Dynasty fell. Yehe Nara’s family would have witnessed these events. The new rulers would have adopted Chinese ways and become more Chinese than the Chinese. However, what the rulers did not see was that the world was changing around them. The West wanted access to China. Additionally, there was corruption int eh system that needed to be addressed and the rulers failed to address it. Yehe Nara was educated in the Chinese language and would have been spared the tradition of foot binding. She was nicknamed orchid. It was two years before a much took sympathy for Yehe Nara and offered to help her, thus helping her find favor in the court. The eunuchs were the only men who had access to the inner sanctums of the Forbidden City. They were the most influential members of the court. Yehe Nara is given an audience with the chief eunuch who promises to mention her beauty to the Emperor. He will be one of her most valuable allies. So does Yehe Nara spend time with the Emperor? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more. This was a very well-done documentary and the narration was good. The museum curator added some excellent context as well. The drama parts were well done too. This would be something I would consider showing to a history class. Good morning, there was a relatively new documentary about Cleopatra that I am going to do a review on. It is called The Traces of Cleopatra and the run time for this documentary is 50:29. Here goes nothing!
A group of scholars comes together to investigate new evidence that is emerging about the life of Cleopatra. This investigation combines new techniques and technology to explore the mystery of Cleopatra. Cleopatra was Egypt’s last ruler before it fell to Rome. Who really was Cleopatra? Where were her origins? How did she come to power? How did she exert her power? Where was she buried? The documentary kicks off with a trip to a library in Cairo. A pair of experts go to this library to look at documents to find more information on Cleopatra. They are looking for a French book called The Description of Egypt, written after the Napoleonic Wars. The document talks her about having Greek origins and how she adopted Egyptian culture to gain power and rule Egypt. After this, the two experts go to a temple site to learn more about the Ptolemaic dynasty. This temple site shows the demonstration of the Ptolemies’ power over Egypt and how they embarked on their own building projects. Cleopatra participated in her own building projects and ruled from Alexandria. Alexandria was well known for its beauty as well as its lighthouse and the library. The Ancient City would have been wiped out by an earthquake and flood. Cleopatra’s palace was a victim of this flood as well as Alexander the Great’s tomb. Marine Archeologists have made a few discoveries from Cleopatra’s Alexandria in the water. This was a very fast-moving documentary and bounced from topic to topic rapidly. It made it very difficult to follow. The experts part and one expert works with a computer graphics expert to view a map of where the lighthouse of Alexandria was located. This map shows the sea floor and the fractured ruins of a building. Then the experts come together and explore the modern library of Alexandria. Cleopatra was an avid reader and she spoke several languages. She most likely would have used the Alexandria library and all the knowledge it contained to assist her with her rule. The library at Alexandria was established by the first Ptolemy ruler and it was to bring together all the knowledge of the world. This documentary finally slowed down a bit when talking about the library at Alexandria. Then there was a discussion on the Romans and how they watched her every move. One Roman historian wrote a history about Cleopatra. The AI voice points out that he was born 76 years after Cleopatra’s death and belonged to people who have sworn enemies of her. The expert has learned that Cleopatra was a woman of great power and a political mind. These were things that Romans did not like. This section was a challenge to follow along too. However, the AI narrator points out that Cleopatra worked to get people to admire her. In previous documentaries on Cleopatra, Cleopatra would portray herself in the image of the goddess Isis. If you want to know more about Cleopatra, continue to watch more of this documentary. Wow, AI has come far but not come far enough and you can immediately tell that the narration was an AI voice. The AI was very off-putting and the filmmakers should have got a real human to narrate the episode. I almost stopped reviewing the documentary because of the narration, this goes to show that good narration for a documentary goes a long way. The AI also forced me to stop the documentary in parts to rewind. There were times I drifted away from the documentary too so I had to stop and rewind for that reason too. This was also very fast-paced and it felt disjointed at times because of the face pace. If I found it a challenge to pay attention, I am sure that a student will find it hard to pay attention as well. It documentary used clips from movies about Cleopatra, I will admit that it was kind of interesting. Overall, I do not recommend showing this documentary to a class it is just too fast, the AI is off-putting and hard to pay attention to. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening depending on when you are reading this post and doing your lesson planning. Today, we are looking at a documentary on Nefertiti. It seems every so often this Ancient Egyptian Queen grabs headlines in the modern age. For years her mummy has been missing and one Egyptologist controversially identified one mummy as potentially belonging to the late Queen. The run time for this documentary is 46:36 and is called Nefertiti: Where is Her Mummy?
Nefertiti was one of Egypt’s most famous queens. She was renowned for her beauty. However, the whereabouts of her mummy remains unknown. There have been potential candidates for the Nefertiti mummy. What can modern research do to shed light on this enduring mystery? Was the mummy of Queen Nefertiti really discovered? Or should Egyptologists continue to search for the mummy? Will the Nefertiti mummy ever be found? She was a figure from the ancient world. She was viewed as a beauty. She was a trailblazer. She was also known as a traitor to her religion. Some may consider her a pharaoh in her own right. She was the stepmother to Pharoah Tutankhamun. She is a source of conspiracy. However, the truth about Queen Nefertiti remains elusive. Has her mummy been found? Was her mummy lost? Or has her mummy been yet to be discovered? A cache of mummies was discovered in a cave known as KV-35. These mummies were not the original owner of the tomb and in all likelihood, she was placed in the tomb to protect her and the other mummies from looting. There was a young man and an older woman placed with her. The older woman was identified as Queen Tiye, the grandmother of Tutankhamun. The mummies buried with her were considered to be her family. However, DNA tests done on the Younger Lady blew that theory up. Aidan Dodson, an Egyptologist has studied the Younger Lady. He talks about how the DNA test was done and the results that were given. The DNA test results hinted that the younger lady was the mother of Tutankhamun, and was a son by a brother-sister marriage. Aidan questioned this theory citing sources talking about a potential third queen of Tutankhamun’s father. He explores a potential family tree of Nefertiti which would have impacted the results. It was rather interesting to hear that pharaohs were only ever depicted with daughters in Ancient Egyptian art. Scholars have been divided since it was even hinted that the Younger Lady was Queen Nefertiti. Other candidates were brought forward but dismissed for one reason or another. However, there are two unidentified female mummies. These mummies come from another cave, KV-21. The two mummies had a rough go and it was lucky that they even survived the years. The tomb was in good condition and the mummies were in good condition too when it was initially discovered. When it was discovered later and the tomb was in poor condition. The mummies were heavily damaged. The discussion on these two mummies was fascinating and I could see the potential for one of these mummies could be Queen Nefertiti. Nefertiti continues to be mysterious and there are many theories as to who her family was. There is also a legend that she served as Pharaoh in her own right, donning the false beard and dressing like a man. It was also good to hear about how successive generations tried to wipe out the memory of Nefertiti and her family. To learn more about Nefertiti, continue to watch this documentary. Curtis Ryan Woodside does a really impressive job with this topic. He talked about all the different theories about the potential Nefertiti mummies. He does put forth a good argument for the Nefertiti being KV-21B. He is getting better with his presentation. It was also cool to hear one Egyptologist talk about science and humanities coming together to shed light on Egyptology, particularly when it comes to the Nefertiti mystery. This was a very fascinating look at a mystery of a missing mummy and there were many different perspectives. I would consider showing this to a history class as well as a science class. I could also foresee showing this to an English class as part of a lesson on persuasive argument writing. Hello, this is the list of the History of Africa Series in Order. It was twenty episodes long and lasted over two seasons. This is a list of all the episodes in order.
Season 1 Mother Africa - YouTube (44:56) Zeinab Badawi travels across Africa to learn about the origins of humankind in the first episode of History of Africa. She learns how and why humans evolved in Africa. She gets access to the actual bones that were discovered. Her travels take her to Tanzania and learns about a tribe where they continue to live as hunter-gatherers. This community has been rarely filmed and provides insights into how our ancestors lived. *Recommended for a science class and anthropology.* Cattle, Crops, and Iron - YouTube (45:16) Zeinab Badawi works through the history of Africa. She travels to meet the Maasai tribe of East Africa. The Maasai are the best-known group from Africa. The Maasai explain how humans started to domesticate animals and became pastoralists. Then Zeinab travels to Zimbabwe and visits a lively family. She looks at how humans make a living from farming after settling down. Then she learns about the impact of the Iron Age which would pave the way for the development of urban civilizations. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Gift of the Nile (45:16) Zeinab Badawi continues to explore the history of Africa and this time she is touring Egypt. She explores Egyptian Civilization and the Nile River. They were the first civilization in Africa to invent writing. They left behind spectacular monuments. She films the mummy and the treasures of King Tutankhamun. She goes beyond the mummies and the pyramids. Who were the actual Egyptians? What were the origins of Ancient Egyptians? *Highly recommended for a history class.* Kush (44:48) Kush is a forgotten kingdom. Kush is often overshadowed by Ancient Egypt and other kingdoms. However, it was the kingdom that conquered its neighbor to the north and took over. Kush ruled Egypt for one hundred years. Their influence could be felt in the Middle East. Today Kush is in modern-day Sudan. Khartoum, the capital, is where the Blue and White Nile meet. The waters merge to create the Nile River and it is from here the waters flow north and into the Mediterranean Sea. Zeniab Badawi explores this kingdom and discovers an interesting history. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Aksum (48:48) The Kingdom of Aksum was considered one of the four greatest civilizations of the ancient world. Zeniab Badawi describes how the kingdom grew rich and powerful as a result of control of the Red Sea trade. The Red Sea was the center of trade for the Middle East, Africa, and India. According to local tradition, it was founded by the son of the Queen of Sheba. It was the home to the Ark of the Covenant. It gave a grateful world coffee. Examining this civilization provides an insight into modern Ethiopia and Eritrea. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Kings and Emirs (45:17) Zeianab Badawi explores the fall of the Kingdom of Askum and how Christian Rulers followed in that fall. She learns about the legacy of King Lalibela who ruled in the 12th/13th Century. He built a complex of rock-hewn churches which would have been considered a great feat of engineering. She also explores the arrival of Islam and how the emirs coexisted with the kings. She then visits Harar and watches the hyena men of Harar who feed hyenas by hand. *Highly recommended for a history class. Part 1 on the churches can be shown to a geography class.* North Africa (45:18) Zeinab Badawi heads up to North Africa in this episode. She is learning about the Berbers otherwise known as the Amazigh people. She visits Carthage and looks into the history of Carthage and its place in African History. Then she talks about the Berber and the Great Berber Kings and how they kept control during Roman Rule. The tour continues to other ancient sites that were built by the Romans. *Highly recommended for a history class. A short clip can be showed to an English class.* Ancestors, Spirits, and God - YouTube (45:11) Zeinab Badawi examines the role of religion in Africa. She first examines the indigenous religions that people still follow. Her first stop is Zimbabwe to learn about a community that follows traditional African Religion. Then she heads to Senegal and meets a Muslim man. She discovers that he blends both Islam and ancestral beliefs and talks to trees. Finally, she learns about the impact of Judaism and Christianity in Africa and how Africans had an impact on Christian thinking. *Highly recommended for a history class, potential applications in an speech/communications class.* Islam in Africa - YouTube (44:49) Zeinab Badawi travels to several countries and looks at the spread of Islam. She explores how many Africans practice Islam particularly the Sufi form of Islam. Arab culture also had a huge influence in Africa and she explores that as well. She then looks at the rise of Islamic Dynasties in North Africa. These dynasties would build monuments, mosques, and empires and they would play a part in Africa’s history. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Season 2 Desert Empires - YouTube (45:11) Zeinab Badawi visits historic and magnificent ruins in Mali and Mauritania, sites that are rarely seen. She learns about the trans-Saharan trade that helped make these empires rich. The trade-in gold gave rise to three great empires on the African continent, the Ghana Empire, The Mali Empire, and Songhay Empire. Then under protection, Zeinab visits Timbuktu which was overrun by extremists in 2012. Mansa Musa, the ruler of Mali was considered to be the wealthiest individual to have ever lived. *Highly recommended for a history class.* City States - YouTube (44:47) Zeinab Badawi travels to Nigeria and is granted a rare interview with the King of the Benin. The Kingdom of the Benin is in Southern Nigeria. She also meets with the Queen Mother of Lagos and learns about the history of the Yoruba People. She learns more about the Benin Bronzes, these bronzes date back to the 13th Century. She also interviews the Emir of Kano, a ruler in Nigeria’s Muslim city-states, and talks with the former governor of Nigeria’s central bank. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Coast and Conquest - YouTube (44:44) Zeinab Badawi visits spectacular historic sites in Africa. She visits the Swahili Coastal settlements of Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. Then she talks about how the Arab’s arrival in this area trigged the start of the slave trade in Africa. The Arabs and their Swahili partners were the first to trade in humans and Zeinab highlights how this slave trade was different from the trans-Atlantic slave trade. She looks into this dark period of African history and how it is looked at by modern Africans. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Southern Kingdom (44:49) Zeniab Badawi travels the width and breadth of Africa to learn more about the kingdoms of Africa. Africa is home to a variety of civilizations that have rivaled other ancient civilizations. In this series, Zeniab interviews a variety of historians, archeologists, and citizens to learn more about these civilizations. She travels the length and breadth of Africa to discover its history. Africa’s history is long, often complex, and not really well known. Zeniab brings light into this hidden part of history and in this episode looks at the kingdoms of Southern Africa. *Recommended for a history classroom.* The Golden Stool - YouTube (44:48) Zeinab Badawi travels to Ghana and the Ivory Coast and learns about the Asante people and the Asante Kingdom. She learns about the history, myths, and legends of the Asante. The tour continues with a trip to the festival of Akwasidae. This festival features the king of the Asante, known as the Asantehene, and the king wears golden regalia. Then Zeinab learns about the Asante queen who led the resistance movement against the British. Finally, Zeinab learns about the golden stool. *Highly recommended for a history class.* No Longer at East - YouTube (45:12) Zeinab Badawi continues her exploration of the history of Africa. This time, Zeinab explores the lives of Africans before the arrival of Europeans. She goes to Kenya and sees traditional religious practices in Kenya. Then she meets with a traditional medicine practitioner in Congo. In Uganda, she sees traditional justice in action while community elders hear a marriage dispute. She interviews a local king in Zambia. This episode is a run-up to the episode on slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Slavery and Salvation - YouTube (45:03) Zeinab Badawi looks at the impact of slavery on Africa itself. Much is known about what happened to the enslaved Africans when they arrived in the Americas and Europe, but little is known about the impact on Africa. She explores one of the eviler chapters in human history the trans-Atlantic slave trade. She travels to several countries to see where and why the trade began. She also talks with academics to answer the question of why some Africans helped sell their fellow Africans into slavery. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Slavery and Salvation - YouTube (44:51) Zeinab Badawi visits Ghana and learns about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The slave trade led to competition for enslaved Africans between European nations. These nations build forts along the Atlantic coast. She hears about the inhumane conditions that the slaves were kept in while waiting for shipment across the Atlantic. Zeinab also looks at the driving forces behind abolition and why did many Africans return to the Continent, particularly to Liberia. How were these returnees received by the local communities? *Highly recommended for a history class.* Diamonds, Gold, and Greed - YouTube (44:58) Zeinab Badawi travels to South Africa and Zimbabwe. She learns about how Southern Africans came to grasp the destruction and suffering that was inflicted on them by white settlers. Then she learns about how the original settlers of the Cape tried to resist the settlers and the cruel reprisals for their endurance. Then she explores the history of the Zulu, particularly Shaka the King of the Zulus. She meets with a descendant of Shaka and they talk about their illustrious ancestor. *Highly recommended for a history class.* Kongo and the Scramble for Africa - YouTube (44:56) Zeinab Badawi travels to central Africa, focusing on Angola and the Congo. She is exploring the great Kongo Empire. She learns about the role played by women in African History particularly learning about Queen Nzinga. Queen Nzinga was a leader who battled the Portuguese for a quarter of a century in the 1600s. Decades later Kimpa Vita was burned alive after her failed resistance. One woman also shares her memories from when the Belgians ruled the Congo. *Recommended for a college history class, the first half can be used for a high school history class.* Resistance and Liberation - YouTube (45:10) Africa is made up of 54 nations that were united by their history despite the diversity of backgrounds. For the most part, these nations got their freedom peacefully, however, there were times when the struggle for freedom got violent. Zeinab Badawi looks at how across Africa freedom fighters rose up to fight for freedom in Africa. She interviews a Mau Mau fighter in Kenya. A member of the resistance in Algeria’s war for independence. She talks about the families of Africa’s best-known independence leaders: Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Congo’s Patrice Lumuba, and Senegal’s Leopold Senghor. *Even though it is fast, recommended for a history class.* Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading and planning for the school year. Just like that, I am done with the History of Africa Series! I will soon be working on March blogs and then April blogs! Time continues to fly through the year. Today’s episode is called Slavery and Suffering and the run time for this episode is 45:03.
Zeinab Badawi looks at the impact of slavery on Africa itself. Much is known about what happened to the enslaved Africans when they arrived in the Americas and Europe, but little is known about the impact on Africa. She explores one of the eviler chapters in human history the trans-Atlantic slave trade. She travels to several countries to see where and why the trade began. She also talks with academics to answer the question of why some Africans helped sell their fellow Africans into slavery. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade was from the 16th to the 18th Century. Zeinab stops in Ghana and tours a slave trading fort. Cape Coast Castle was built by the Swedes and would have changed hands five times. When it was initially built, it was poorly done before it was rebuilt. There has been a lot written about the slave trade and the slaves. However, not much has been written about how it impacted Africans themselves. The Arabs first traded in Africans. Traditionally slaves were captives that were captured during war or as a result of debt. They were captive and not sold. They were to be taken care of. One academic argues that this type of slavery enabled the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. He argues that with captives it was easier to sell them off because they did not belong to your village and by in large were “strangers.” Zeinab continues to explore this issue of indigenous slavery. It was fascinating to hear that women fetched a higher price in Africa because they could be married, have families, and help with household chores. I rather enjoyed hearing from both Akosua Adoma Perbi and Esi Sutherland Addy and would love to hear more from them in the future. After this interview, Zeinab goes to Senegal and learns about the origins of the slave trade. In 1444 the Portuguese arrived in this area and they were trying to find routes to India for the spice trade. She goes to Cabo Verde to learn about when the Portuguese first used slaves. She interviews Antonio Correia for this section and learns that Africans had the skill and knowledge that the Portuguese needed to establish cotton plantations. The first slaves that arrived in Cabo Verde provided knowledge and not strength. I rather Antonio’s commentary in this section and felt like he did a really good job in adding to the story of slavery. Zeinab continues her exploration of Cabo and talks about how the slaves would wave the cotton into fine cloth. She looks at pieces of cloth that would have been woven. She learns about the techniques that were used to weave and dye the cloth. The lack of profits encouraged the Portuguese to engage in the slave trade. The slaves were sent on over to the Americas and sold off. Zeinab talks with a historian about what prompted the use of Africans in forced labor. Zeinab tours the market where the slaves were brought and sold. Sometimes they were tortured and executed in the square if they were disobedient. After taking in the square Zeinab tours one of the slaves’ houses. It was where the slaves were kept before they were transported to the Americas. One of the most impactful features of this tour is the “door of no return.” It was through this door that thousands and thousands of people went through never to return. To learn more about slavery’s impact on Africa tune into the rest of this episode. This is a topic that can stir up high emotions. Zeinab and the historians that she interviewed handled it with great care. They laid out the facts and reality of slavery. This episode was very straightforward and forthright about slavery. I would highly recommend showing this episode to a history classroom. It was very well done. Good morning! I have been researching the series further and discovered it was twenty episodes over two seasons. It sounds like many episodes covering the history but I feel like there could have been explored. It was a good start in discovering the history of Africa though. Today’s episode is called Islam in Africa and the run time for this episode is 44:49.
Zeinab Badawi travels to several countries and looks at the spread of Islam. She explores how many Africans practice Islam particularly the Sufi form of Islam. Arab culture also had a huge influence in Africa and she explores that as well. She then looks at the rise of Islamic Dynasties in North Africa. These dynasties would build monuments, mosques, and empires and they would play a part in Africa’s history. At the start of the episode, Zeinab takes in a bird hunt in Tunisia. People gather for an annual event involving hunting with birds. It is a sport loved by Arabs and this transitions to a discussion on the Arab arrival to North Africa and their impact on the region. Zeinab holds a bird in this section and is encouraged to dance with the falcon. She ends up with a falcon on the head and talks about how the locals keep the falcons to train and then release them back. After the festival, the birds are released and they migrate back to Saudi Arabia. In addition to the bird festival, Zeinab takes in a horse race in the Tunisian capital. This is more evidence of Arab influence on Northern Africa. Arabian horses are prized in North Africa and Zeinab sits in the saddle on the horse but is nervous about riding. She explores the history of the Arabian stallion in North Africa. After this detour, then Zeinab explores the history of the first arrival of the Arabs. They went to Egypt first before moving on. The Arabs would conquer Northern Sudan and destroy a cathedral. There were other skirmishes and eventually, there was a truce between the Arabs and the Nubians. The Nubians would hold on to their independence, however, the people could not resist the tide of Islam and today many people are that area are Muslim. Africans and Arabs not only traded in goods, but they traded in customs as well. The people also infused their own ideas with Islamic beliefs. Islam in North Africa typically incorporated the mysticism of the Sufi tradition. Then she explores the Islamic Dynasties that were established in North Africa. She visits the tomb of one of the followers of Mohammad. The Berbers were going to be subdued during this period because they resisted the Arab conquerors. Zeinab also explores the story of Queen Kahina, she did not want Arab or Islamic rule. She was a princess and tribal leader and it was believed that she could predict the future. She predicted that she would be killed by the Arabs. Queen Kahina should have been explored more, especially Queen Kahina as a person and ruler. Zeinab then explores the Idrisites dynasty. It was established by a holy man so known for his piety that the Berbers named him their leader. He married a Berber woman and he established his dynasty in Morocco. Unfortunately, the kingdom would eventually be divided which would weaken the dynasty. Eventually, their rule would come to an end. I was unclear about where this dynasty ruled, so Zeinab could have made it clearer. Perhaps there should have been more exploration of the rulers of this dynasty. To learn more about the Islamic dynasties continue to watch this episode. Just based on the summary, I had a feeling that this was one episode that could have been broken up into two separate episodes. As I watched the episode, I thought it was done well enough to warrant one episode, just make it longer, however as I watched further I changed my mind. This episode could have been broken up into further timestamps because the timestamp on Sudan was long. Zeinab had moved beyond Sudan during this time frame. This continues to be a good primer on the history of Africa and would be something I would show in the classroom. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on when you are reading this post. I am working through the History of Africa series. This series continues to inspire and amaze me as I go through it for this website. I just wish that the episodes were slightly longer and there would have been some additional episodes because I feel like I am missing out on even more fantastic information. The episode today is called Diamonds, Gold, and Greed. The run time for this episode is 44:58.
Zeinab Badawi travels to South Africa and Zimbabwe. She learns about how Southern Africans came to grasp the destruction and suffering that was inflicted on them by white settlers. Then she learns about how the original settlers of the Cape tried to resist the settlers and the cruel reprisals for their endurance. Then she explores the history of the Zulu, particularly Shaka the King of the Zulus. She meets with a descendant of Shaka and they talk about their illustrious ancestor. Zeinab kicks off the episode by exploring the San culture and she interviews a guide from the San conservation center. After this short interview, she explores how the Dutch East Indian Company came in and changed the way for the San people. The Dutch would establish a settlement because of its location on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. At first, the people would have welcomed the people and would have traded with the people. However, things changed when more people came in and started to farm the land. The farmers started to encroach on the ancestral lands of the San and the Khoikhoi people. The Europeans would have looked down on the people. Both groups of people would have fought against the Dutch settlers. There were wars of extermination against the San and Khoikhoi people. As part of this discussion, Zeinab tours a prison where people were kept and tortured for their resistance. Eventually, the Dutch would be conquered by the British. The British had military superiority and so the Dutch would tolerate the British presence because at least law and order would have been kept. However, when the Dutch eventually left the Cape when British settlers came in. There were rivalries and the Dutch would move out of the Cape and into the interior. They would eventually become known as the Boers. Then there is a discussion on the rise of the Zulu kingdom. Zeinab tours a Zulu village and would interview an expert in the Zulu Kingdom. She learns about the people who made up the people and then she tours a museum about the Zulu history. Then there are some facts about Shaka Zulu and how his story comes down through history. One side says that Shaka was an evil and vile man. Other voices said that he carefully brought the people together and created the Zulu empire. This section just touches on the Zulu Kingdom, so I feel like this could have been split off into a separate episode to go into more detail about the kingdom. Zeinab interviews a Zulu Prince, who was a relative of Shaka. He talks about his ancestor with pride. He talks about how Shaka invented the short spear, introduced celibacy among the soldier, and devised new fighting techniques. Zeinab visits where Shaka established the capital of the Zulu Kingdom. It was here that Shaka was murdered by his half-brothers. Even today, Shaka’s death is mourned. After this interview, Zeinab goes to Zimbabwe to learn about the kingdom that was established there. To learn more about this kingdom, continue to follow along with this episode. Again, I have to remind myself that this is a primer but I would have appreciated some more background on the Khoikhoi and the San people. Then there should have been a discussion about the impact of Dutch settlers on their way of life. I also would have dedicated an episode to the Zulu, but that is just me. This was also divided into chapters which will make things easy for a teacher to break up to use in a lecture. This is a primer, but it is still recommended for a history class because it is very well done. |
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The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |