Black Journal: 21; Ethiopia

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

This 16mm film is a special half-hour-long documentary produced for the National Educational Television program Black Journal. It examines the cultural and historical life of African nation of Ethiopia. Film clip from Black Journal: 21. It consist of a single reel of 16mm color acetate film with optical sound. The film examines the cultural and historical life of Ethiopia. The entire documentary is voiced-over by a male narrator who describes Ethiopia's intersecting political, religious, and social history. The first half of the documentary is spent telling the history of Christianity in Ethiopia, and its ties to and influence on ancient Ethiopia. There are shots of the Obelisk of Aksum in Ethiopia's Tirgay; a 1,700-year-old granite stele that stands 24 meters tall and weighs 160 metric tons. The narrator then describes the historical architecture and founding of the Church of St. George in the city of Lalibela, located in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. One of eleven monolithic churches in the city of Lalibela, the narrator explains the importance of this group of rock-hewn churches that were built in the late 12th to early 13th century and serves as a pilgrimage for some. Next, there are scenes of the festival of Timket Holiday in Adis Abeba and footage of various Ethiopian tribes singing and dancing. Ethiopians are described as an African people, diverse in tribal association while sharing common African ancestry. The narrator states that it is a common mistake to racially identify Ethiopians as Middle Eastern.

Catalog date

1969

Recorded places

Aksum, Tigray, Ethiopia, Africa; Ethiopia, Africa; Addas Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa; Lalibela, Amara, Ethiopia, Africa

Recorded subjects

African American; Africa; Architecture; Christianity; Documentary films; Film; Public television; Religion

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