Few realize that Brazil was actually the largest participant in the slave trade in the New World. Forty percent of all slaves that survived the Atlantic crossing were destined for Brazil and at one time half of the population of Brazil were slaves. It was the last country to officially abolish slavery in 1888. This production charts Brazil's history of slavery using original texts, letters, accounts and decrees, with commentary by historians, anthropologists...

Deep inside the Brazilian and Ecuadorian rain forests, several indigenous tribes continue to live according to traditional customs-some violently defying outside influences. This program documents repeated attempts to pacify and often assimilate these vulnerable societies. Outlining the history of Amazonian colonization by Europeans, the film examines the work of researchers and activists such as Erwin Patzelt and the Villas Boas brothers, as well...

In today's Peru, a country scourged by unemployment, political violence, and drug trafficking, the ability of the women to face the worsening societal and economic crisis is cause for admiration. This program looks at the noble efforts of city women in general, as they prepare community meals, work at menial jobs to support families, run employment workshops, and provide counseling for abused women, pregnant teenagers, and refugees fleeing war in...

In 2003, the Wide Angle program Time for School profiled children in seven countries-Afghanistan, Benin, Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya, and Romania-as they started their first year of school, often in the face of great adversity. Three years later this Wide Angle episode returns to visit each child, updating the progress of their educational and personal development. The similarities and contrasts that emerge among the lives of these young people provide...