VIDEOS/DVDs BEGINNING WITH LETTER X
- Xala = The Curse. Ecrit et realise
par Sembene Ousmane. London: Connoisseur Video, 1995. 1 videocassette
(119 min.)
This comic moral tale draws a vivid, satirical image of life in post-independence Senegal, underlining the gap between rich and poor and the inextricable mix of modernity and tradition. AFR Video 320
VIDEOS/DVDs BEGINNING WITH LETTER Y
- Yari Yari Black Women Writers
& The Future: An International Conference on Literature by Women
of African Descent. New York, NY: Third World Newsreel, 1999.
1 videocassette (54 min.)
"Yari Yari: Black Women Writers and the Future: An International Conference on Literature by Women of African Descent was held at New York University in October 1997. Yari Yari means the future in the Kuranko language of Sierra Leone, West Africa. It was the first major international literary conference of its kind, featuring such renowned writers as Edwidge Danticat, Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou, Werewere Liking and Sapphire. The video documents selected scenes from panels, readings, and performances during the conference." English language, some sections in French or Spanish with subtitles in English. AFR Video 421 - Yeelen = Brightness. San Francisco,
CA: California Newsreel, 1987. 1 videocassette (105 min.)
Tells the story of Nianankoro, a young warrior destined to destroy a corrupt older society, the secret Komo cult, and with it his father, and, inevitably, himself. AFR Video 72
Yesterday. New York: Home Box Office, 2006. 1 videodisc (ca. 95 min.)
After falling ill, Yesterday learns that she is HIV positive. With her husband in denial and a young daughter to tend to, Yesterday’s one goal is to live long enough to see her child go to school. Set against the awesome, harsh landscapes of South Africa. AFR Videodisc 131
Yo soy hechicero = I am a Sorcerer. U.S.: Drufovka/Stanford, 1996. 1 videocassette (48 min.)
A multi-faceted exploration of Santeria through the eyes of a Cuban "Marielito" living in New Jersey. The producers use an ethnographic lens to detail and anaylze the role of the santero in this New Jersey community. This priest plays an integral part in the lives of the people, serving not only a spiritual part but also teacher and oral historian of a religion originating among Afro-Cubans. He is he guardian of a religion long ostracized publically but widely practiced privately. AFR Video 292
You, Africa!: Youssou N'Dour and Super Etoile : the African tour. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel, 1994. 1 videocassette (43 min.)
Documentary of the 1994 tour of nine West African nations by Senegalese performing artist, Youssou N'Dour and his band and back-up dancers, Super Etoile. In brief, private moments, between concert performances, Youssou discusses the serious political and spiritual purposes behind his music. AFR Video 348
You Have Struck a Rock! San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel, 1981. 1 videocassette (28 min). Examines the situation of women and political repression in South Africa. AFR Video 43
VIDEOS/DVDs BEGINNING WITH LETTER Z
- Zan Boko. San Francisco, CA:
California Newsreel, 1988. 1 videocassette (94 min).
Tells the story of a village in Burkina Faso swallowed up by one of Africa's sprawling cities, revealing the transformation of an agrarian, subsistence society into an industrialized, commodity economy. AFR Video 221
Zou Zou. New York, NY: Kino International: Kino on Video, 1989. 1 videocassette (92 min).
Warner Brothers-style backstage musical, in which a talented laundress takes the place of the lead on opening night and saves the show. AFR Video 594
Zulu Love Letter. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel, 2004. 1 videodisc (100 min.)
It is ten years since the last vestiges of apartheid’s political regime were dismantled. For the average South African, the notion of struggle has been all too quickly relegated to the past. But for Thandi, a journalist suffering from writer’s block, a more profound struggle continues to rage within. Living in a nation that seems too eager to forget its past, Thandi cannot shake the gnawing sense of guilt that continues to alienate her from her own family. AFR Videodisc 177
