Feeling Rebloggy
"Despite the number of years living and working as a wildlife cameraman in Europe, Vianet D’jenguet always carried fond childhood memories of the Congo wherever he traveled. In his job, D’jenguet filmed in many locations across Africa, but never in his homeland.
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This is one of the first nature videos I've seen where there is a black guide in a predominantly black country who talks about the land, animal, the country, and its people like they are something other than specimens under glass.
I think this is great Sunday afternoon fare. And I think seeing a slice nature explained by a black person has to be great for kids. I don't remember seeing something this long and this detailed with a black narrator and black crew before.
The other reason I think this might be good for older kids is that this show is, in small part, a good rebuttal to a book called The Heart Of Darkness --if she or he has been forced to read this "classic" in school.
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| Vianet D'jenguet |
My Congo represents his first opportunity to film in his native country and to be in front of the camera as he takes viewers to his favorite places to witness the diversity of wildlife, stunning landscapes, and friendly people.
...D’jenguet visits sites that evoke happy family memories, tours a famous chimpanzee sanctuary, films a variety of animals and birds in vast national parks, and makes his way through a remote jungle in search of his roots. “My Congo” premier[ed] on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016."http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/oct/18/nature-my-congo/
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“My Congo” is still available to watch online at this link: http://www.pbs.org/video/2365867904/
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This is one of the first nature videos I've seen where there is a black guide in a predominantly black country who talks about the land, animal, the country, and its people like they are something other than specimens under glass.
I think this is great Sunday afternoon fare. And I think seeing a slice nature explained by a black person has to be great for kids. I don't remember seeing something this long and this detailed with a black narrator and black crew before.
The other reason I think this might be good for older kids is that this show is, in small part, a good rebuttal to a book called The Heart Of Darkness --if she or he has been forced to read this "classic" in school.
Not that anything is discussed in depth about race or the white man's interaction nature and black people in Africa. But simply hearing speak about different people that belong to different classes(?) and different tribes makes the people of the Congo what they are -- real people with different approaches to life rather than the exotic foreigner in his own land as drawn by white authors.
In case you're interested: A Macat Analysis of Chinua Achebe's An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness
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