Film Library: Africa

98.6% HUMAN (00:02:53)

• APRIL 2008

How ironic that the one creature deemed all violent is the most peaceful: the mountain gorilla. With only 720 remaining, Craig Sholley of AWF teaches us about his organization's efforts to preserve gorillas in Rwanda.

HERO (00:03:55)

• JULY 2005

A woman of boundless love abandons the life she knew to start an orphanage in Ethiopia. Starting with a child she picked up from a dead mother's body, she now cares for over 5,000 children. An inspiration to us all.

GHANA SLAVE DUNGEON (00:04:31)

• JULY 2005

Built by European traders in the 17th century, Ghana's Cape Coast Castle was the point of departure for the countless numbers of Africans who were sent to the New World as free labor for the colonies. Join Explore founder Charles Annenberg Weingarten on a virtual tour of the slave dungeon, and witness the horrific conditions the captives were forced to endure while waiting to be sent across the Atlantic.

GORILLAS... 98.6% HUMAN (00:22:09)

• APRIL 2008

How ironic that the one creature deemed all violent is the most peaceful: the mountain gorilla. With only 720 remaining, Craig Sholley of AWF teaches us about his organization's efforts to preserve gorillas in Rwanda.

GORILLA TALK (00:03:46)

• APRIL 2008

We often think that when a wild mountain gorilla beats his chest, it means he is angry, and you'd better get out of his way. But it is really just his way of either showing off, getting rid of anxiety, or merely just staying in contact with his family. Craig Sholley, the explore team's guide to the gorilla population of Rwanda, explains the nuances of gorilla communication, from the "belch vocalization" of a content silverback to the angry "pig grunt" of a female feeling threatened on her own turf.

BABY GORILLAS (00:02:57)

• APRIL 2008

Baby mountain gorillas are not much different from human babies: They both have soft, pink skin, they love their mothers, and they love to eat. Unfortunately, they also get sick a lot, and 30% of them die from illnesses as simple as the common cold before reaching their first birthday. Despite the high infant mortality rate, the wild mountain gorilla population is actually growing, thanks to the efforts to control poaching and protect their natural habitat.

GORILLA DIET (00:03:32)

• APRIL 2008

For the wild mountain gorillas of Rwanda, the forest is a gigantic salad bowl. A gorilla can — and will — eat up to 60-70 different species of plants that it finds growing wild in the jungle, though its favorite is without doubt the gently shoots of young bamboo plants. Follow these peaceful, veggie-loving creatures as they forage for food to satiate their very healthy appetites.

GORILLA ZEN DEN (00:03:06)

• APRIL 2008

Wild mountain gorillas lead a peaceful life, spending their days eating, sleeping, and playing. Large silverbacks, the same ones depicted as violent in movies like King Kong and Congo, patiently allow baby gorillas to climb all over them, and unless they are threatened, do not show aggression toward humans or each other. Watch and learn from the intelligence, gentle nature, and vulnerability of this most human-like species.

CHARLIE IN RWANDA: AFTER A GORILLA ENCOUNTER (00:02:27)

• APRIL 2008

After the thrilling experience of seeing gorillas in the wild, Charlie thinks about this noble and powerful species that shares so much of their genetic makeup with humans. He deconstructs the myth of gorillas as violent animals and explains why they just might stand as a metaphor for what we as humans could — and perhaps should — be.

RITA MARLEY'S TOWN (00:03:21)

• JULY 2005

All over the world, the Marley name has become synonymous with reggae music, rastafari, and Jamaica. Now Rita Marley is putting into reality the ideals of love, hope, and unity that she and her late husband Bob Marley have been singing about for decades. Among the foundation's many projects in Ghana, it is working to strengthen the community of Konkonuru by building a brand-new medical clinic and improving its school.

SIBUSISO SCHOOL (00:01:07)

• JULY 2005

In Tanzanian society, disabled children are often kept out of the public eye by their families because handicaps are considered taboo, or punishments from God. The Sibusiso School seeks to restore the dignity of these children by working to develop their potential, counseling their families, and reaching out to educate their communities.

DRUMS AND DANCE (00:00:54)

• JULY 2005

The djembe, common throughout all of West Africa, is a skin-covered hand drum shaped like a large goblet. The drum is said to contain three spirits: One from the tree, one from the animal that gave its skin, and one from the drum-maker. In the past, rural villages used the djembe to communicate with each another. Today, it is the music that brings people together to perform traditional African dance — a vibrant, energetic style of dancing.

ELEPHANT SPA (00:01:01)

• JULY 2005

Elephants consume 300-600 pounds of food a day and drink up to 50 gallons of water, sucking water up into their trunk and blowing it into their mouth. They also use their trunks as a built-in shower — but certainly don't stay "clean" for long. Elephants quickly cover their wet bodies with dirt and mud, which serves as a protective coating from insects, moisture loss, and the powerful African sun.