Now showing
Heritage of the Negro (1965-10-12)
About this film
The little known heritage of the Negro is explored in this premiere program. Host Ossie Davis, Basil Davidson (British writer and historian on Africa), and John Henry Clark (American Negro writer and teacher), examine the civilization and achievements of ancient Africa and their significance to the American Negro today. Footage shot on location in Africa reveals traces of the old African cultures - Nubian, Egyptian, Ethiopian, and the West African civilizations of Mali, Songhai, Ashanti, Ife, Benin, and Timbucktoo. Mr. Davidson, author of "The African Past," "Black Mother," and other books on Africa, emphasizes that African history as recorded by white historians has traditionally ignored the old civilizations of Africa below the Sahara. Climatic conditions, peculiar to the African continent, have largely destroyed traces of what was once "the cradle of civilization." N.E.T. Cameras explore this little-known past through the art, sculpture, and present day pageantry which reflect the old cultures. In New York, writer John Henry Clark conducts a class in Negro history for a group of young Harlem residents. N.E.T. Cameras visit the classroom as students learn about their heritage for…
Directors & creators
National Educational Television and Radio Center
Subjects
public broadcasting, AAPB, Ossie Davis, Basil Davidson, John Henrik Clark, Lorraine Hansberry, National Educational Television, History of the Negro People, African history, Afro-American identity, Harlem, Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Benin civilization, Ashanti people, racial self-esteem, A Raisin in the Sun
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