Peruvians of African descent are a minority within their country, but their culture has had a tremendous impact. Even la Marinera, Peru's national dance, shows African influence. Using performance, historical photographs, and interviews, this program acquaints viewers with Afro-Peruvian music and dance. Host Eve A. Ma explains how these art forms were affected by the strictures of slavery in colonial-era Latin America, while dancer/percussionist/choreographer...

A feature-length documentary about a homeless encampment on the outskirts of town, the individuals who choose to live there, and the volunteers who help them survive each day.

The Bicol River in the Philippines is a bastion of transportation, passing through the alluvial and coastal plains of the vast Bicol Valley and flowing directly into the Pacific Ocean. This program explores the eighth largest water basin of the country; 94 kilometers long and 6 meters above sea level, it is coastal flood plain heavily reliant on seasonal monsoon winds which determine the river's tides. Locals celebrate the annual Peñafrancia Festival,...

Discover how the physical geography of places around the world influence the stereotypes generated about the people who live there. This Miniclip uses stunning high-quality footage to illustrate the diversity of physical geographies. The example of Mexico is used to highlight how stereotypes stem from responses to natural features in the environment.

Through interviews with midwives from 23 countries, this program explores the influence of culture, law, and religion on pregnancy and childbirth. Childbirth practices vary around the world: Will the birth occur at home, or in a hospital? With or without painkillers, and in what position? Who will be in the labor room? A Chilean midwife incarcerated by the Pinochet regime describes the powerful experience of helping pregnant prisoners deliver, and...

The Emmy-nominated historical documentary Invisible History: Middle Florida’s Hidden Roots sheds light on the invisible history of plantations and the enslaved in North Florida. With visually compelling imagery, the film explores the history of a people who contributed so much to what the region is today.

Why is the population in some part s of Europe shrinking faster than in others? In East Germany, birth rates have fallen 70% since reunification, and Italy and Spain are not faring much better. In contrast, across the border in France, birth rates are booming. This thought-provoking documentary contrasts the family policies of four European countries and examines the extent to which politics influences birth rates, looking especially at how France...

More than 300,000 compared to less than 30,000 perinatal and maternal deaths: this is the current discrepancy that exists in maternal-child health between the global North and South. While the problem is multifaceted, Wolfgang Holzgreve, having pioneered fetal and stem cell research and as officer of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, or FIGO, attempts to bring political awareness to this global crisis. In this video lecture...

Staff in one hand, stereo in the other, Hermino is the epitome of a man caught between two worlds. At 27, he is the youngest shepherd in this rural Portuguese valley, practicing a lonely, arduous profession that few now are willing to learn. But on Saturday nights Hermino relaxes with friends at a party in town, switching Portuguese folk music for imported rock. This intimate film brings viewers into the almost-lost world of traditional shepherding,...

The Hadzabe tribe of Tanzania, located a short 30 miles from Olduvai Gorge, still live much as their ancestors did tens of thousands of years ago. In recent decades they have successfully resisted attempts by the government to pastoralize them and by missionaries to baptize them, and continue on with their age-old nomadic lifestyle, despite the toll taken by loss of hunting grounds and rising alcoholism. Filmmaker Paula Palacios provides a window...