Tue, May 31, 2005
Twenty years later, Bob Geldof returns to Ethiopia, the land that inspired Band Aid and Live Aid - a country that is now growing and thriving in many ways. Where once he saw a barren landscape filled with devastation and starvation now grows green fields and a people returning to a new kind of prosperity. Ethiopia does not disappoint as Geldof explores its rich and vibrant history that is still alive today. He sees such sites as a 12th Century cathedral carved into stone and visits the Mursi tribe who still live much the same way as their ancestors did. Bustling cities of Addis Ababa and Harar show the affluence and adaptability of the growing Ethiopian economy. This is an episode filled with hope, not just for Ethiopia but for all of Africa as well.
Wed, Jun 1, 2005
Once called the heart of darkness, Bob Geldof reveals there may not just be one heart and one darkness in Africa. If the Congo really is the heart of darkness, that heart does not come from its people or the land; it came from outsiders. Riding along the Congo, Geldof, explores its tales of oppression and warfare, a violent history fueled my man's ever increasing greed for the natural resources Africa has to offer. He visits remote villages full of people rightfully suspicious of all outsiders, a medical facility where it is rumored that AIDS was created by scientists and a school for sorcery teaches children in the ways of traditional African magic.
Thu, Jun 2, 2005
Centuries after mankind had migrated north, out of Africa, Europeans returned upon the promises of abundant trade for spices and gold. Bob Geldof takes us to Ghana where this trade began eventually becoming the epicenter of the slave trade. He offers us a hard edged and honest look at Ghana's history of slave trade showing us what it meant, and still means to the people there. No longer wishing to suffer his growing impatience with a bus not leaving, Geldof hires a car for a twelve hour drive along the old slave road between Benin and Ghana. Sites along the way tell tales of the hardships imposed upon the producers of raw goods that keep them locked into a state of perpetual poverty. An amazing site is a town built over water as a safe haven from a brutal slave trade fueled by Amazon women and voodoo wars. There are many things to see, and much more to understand in this enlightening journey.
Fri, Jun 3, 2005
In this challenging episode, Bob Geldof faces the ongoing atrocities plaguing Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. He clearly expresses his disgust with the atrocities of the terror, fear, torture and slavery ravaging the people. Unspeakable atrocities are spoken of, not just with words, but on the faces of the children that witnessed them personally. Africa continues to be a place presented as a land filled with extremes such as people starving from near a continuous famine and drought to healthy educated people scrambling about a bustling super market filled with modern conveniences. Geldof expresses his concerns with Non Government Organizations .While bearing good intentions the NGOs may be creating, and perpetuating more problems for the African people. There are no easy answers, and this episode offers none. It is merely a meager telling of the terrors many Africans face on a daily basis. Watch with caution due to the strong nature of the material presented in this episode.
Sat, Jun 4, 2005
In Mali nothing ever seems to grow, no water and no life. There is nothing but sand, sun and sky. In this perfect zero, people may find a spiritual blank sacred space in their minds. Like the desert, many people find eternity. In this extreme landscape Bob Geldof finds the Tuareg, a fiercely proud people, known as the lords of the deserts. They eke out a thriving existence in a land that outsiders see as a barren wasteland. Geldof explores the legendary city of Timbuktu, a place so far away it that it once represented the end of the world. Once rich in salt trade and education it is now is crumbling and fading into the desert. The desert continues to provide a world of wonders as he discovers the extremes of the vibrant salt industry of Mopti to the Bela, a people that have a long tradition of being slaves to the Tuareg.
Sun, Jun 5, 2005
Long called the dark-continent, Africa is a land bathed in so much sun, that a better moniker may the Luminous Continent. Bob Geldof travels from Somaliland to Masailand and back to Somalia where every step of the way is an expression of the extremes. Experience the paradoxical differences between Somaliland and Somalia. Meet the Masai and the Hadsa people who still live as their ancestors did, experiencing the modern world only on their own terms. From climate to politics, there is nothing subtle about the people or the land of Africa.