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Documentary - Africa on the Move - CBC June 3rd and 10th - CBC News Network June 6th and 13th

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Africa On The Move
Directed by Robin Berger
June 3rd and 10th CBC TV 8-10 P.M.
June 6th and 13th 5-7 P.M. CBC News Network

Africa on the Move is a four documentary series on the changing Africa. Filmed in high definition, these documentaries are a welcome change from the usual bad news we get from that continent. What unites these films as Africa on the Move is each focuses on how an individual is perhaps able to change Africa. The CBC airs the first two documentaries, A Dream of Millions and The Power of Song June 3rd and 10th. The Modern Warrior and A Woman's World air June 6th and 13th  on CBC and CBC News Network respectively.

The first of the four documentary films is A Dream of Millions. South African Nancy Nxumalo is a self-made woman and millionaire. Through her, we see South Africa 20 years after apartheid. It is possible for Blacks to prosper, and there is a rapidly growing middle class, but not all Blacks are prospering. The government is also doing everything in its power to enable Blacks to take the financial reigns of the country. The way Nancy Nxumalo and other South African women work in the business world using a very different approach is quite intriguing. Nxumalo is in many places at the same time including Soweto where she tries to help poor families through start-up businesses.

Immediately following A Dream of Millions, The Power of Song focuses rapper Tiken Jah Fakoly. Tiken Jah is a very political artist living in exile from his native Cote d'Ivoire. His French rap songs tell the story of Africa and denounce its various problems and the people causing them. From his personal involvement in building schools so the next generation can do better it is easy to see Fakoly puts his money where his mouth is. The section on Tiken Jah Fakily is a bit repetitive. Having received a preview copy, I hope the lyrics to his songs are subtitled for the TV presentation as the words are important.

The Power of Son also features Mali actress and TV personality Fatoumata Coulibaly. She travels Mali from village to village in an attempt to stop the practice of female circumcision. Coulibaly is an important figure and her cause is important but the segments feel like an add on in The Power of Song.