Artist unknown / a BBC production ; produced and directed by David Lan.

Format:

Video

Contributor:

Lan, David, 1952- director, producer.

James, Lennie, narrator.

Johnston, Adrian, composer.

British Broadcasting Corporation. Television Service.

BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc.

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

Edo

English

Subjects (All):

Masks--Symbolic aspects--Benin.

Masks.

Masks, African.

Masks--Religious aspects.

Masks--Symbolic aspects.

Benin--History.

Benin.

History.

Genre:

Documentary films.

Video recordings.

Physical Description:

1 videocassette (50 min.) : sound, color ; 1/2 in.

1/2 in.

polychrome

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Distributed exclusively by BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc, 1995.

Language Note:

In English and Bini with English subtitles.

System Details:

VHS [NTSC].

analog

magnetic

VHS

Summary:

In this documentary, Lennie James, a young British man of African descent, journeys to the war-shattered central African kingdom of Benin to discover the origins of a carved mask purchased in London. He uncovers a tale of early African civilization, the looting of treasures and suppression of traditions by colonial powers, and the amazing persistence of an African artistic vision within a colonial culture. His mission becomes a quest to better understand the essence of Africa itself.

Participant:

Presented by Lennie James.

Credits:

Photography, Lawrence Gardner, Noel Balbirnie ; editing, David Mingay, Bernard Lyall ; music, Adrian Johnston.

Notes:

Originally aired as part of the BBC series, Omnibus, c1995.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

OCLC:

40529438