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Motherland Series
Two films on DNA Searches
| Released: | 2006 |
1. Motherland: A Genetic Journey
Cut off from their ancestry by the three-hundred-year-long slave trade which uprooted 12 million people from Africa, three people are given the opportunity, through DNA searches, to reconnect with their roots. Through advances in DNA research and with the help of laboratories in the UK and America, the possibility arises that with a swab from the inside of a person's cheek they can trace back twelve or thirteen generations to the tribe of their ancestors.
We follow three people in their search for their roots. Mark's search leads him from London to reconnect with the Kanuri tribe in southern Niger. Jacqueline's family comes from Jamaica. She is mixed race and research reveals one ancestor was a slave owner; she visits what was once his sugar plantation. Beaula has always felt a deep affinity with Africa. Her DNA test results lead her to Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea where the Bubi tribe still lives. There she is welcomed as a sister. For each person, the reconnection is emotional, but weighted also with unanticipated cultural differences.
What is behind this longing to know? Strong feelings of "otherness" because of being dark skinned in white society. Motherland explores the emotional terrain of being cut off from one's roots. By following these intense journeys of re-discovery and re-connection, the film speaks to a wide range of identity issues in the African diaspora.
2. Motherland: Moving On
This film picks up their story two years later. Shot in the UK, USA, Africa and Jamaica, this very moving film continues their soul-searching journeys, raising fundamental questions about who we are.
Mark discovers that his ancestors belonged to the Kanuri tribe. When he connects with them, he cannot communicate since there is a language barrier. He goes through an emotional "naming ceremony" but finds that he has mistakenly chosen a name that belongs to the slave catchers that oppressed his people. Beaula learns that she has ancestors that belong to more than one tribe and some of the tribespeople are only interested in what gifts she can offer them. Jacqueline visits English cousins who are white who accept her as part of the family. All three participants feel enriched by their new discoveries but understand that DNA tracing may lead to complicated emotional discoveries. With Dr. Rich Kittle, Howard University, and Fatimah Jackson, University of Maryland, and other experts.
Cut off from their ancestry by the three-hundred-year-long slave trade which uprooted 12 million people from Africa, three people are given the opportunity, through DNA searches, to reconnect with their roots. Through advances in DNA research and with the help of laboratories in the UK and America, the possibility arises that with a swab from the inside of a person's cheek they can trace back twelve or thirteen generations to the tribe of their ancestors.
We follow three people in their search for their roots. Mark's search leads him from London to reconnect with the Kanuri tribe in southern Niger. Jacqueline's family comes from Jamaica. She is mixed race and research reveals one ancestor was a slave owner; she visits what was once his sugar plantation. Beaula has always felt a deep affinity with Africa. Her DNA test results lead her to Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea where the Bubi tribe still lives. There she is welcomed as a sister. For each person, the reconnection is emotional, but weighted also with unanticipated cultural differences.
What is behind this longing to know? Strong feelings of "otherness" because of being dark skinned in white society. Motherland explores the emotional terrain of being cut off from one's roots. By following these intense journeys of re-discovery and re-connection, the film speaks to a wide range of identity issues in the African diaspora.
2. Motherland: Moving On
This film picks up their story two years later. Shot in the UK, USA, Africa and Jamaica, this very moving film continues their soul-searching journeys, raising fundamental questions about who we are.
Mark discovers that his ancestors belonged to the Kanuri tribe. When he connects with them, he cannot communicate since there is a language barrier. He goes through an emotional "naming ceremony" but finds that he has mistakenly chosen a name that belongs to the slave catchers that oppressed his people. Beaula learns that she has ancestors that belong to more than one tribe and some of the tribespeople are only interested in what gifts she can offer them. Jacqueline visits English cousins who are white who accept her as part of the family. All three participants feel enriched by their new discoveries but understand that DNA tracing may lead to complicated emotional discoveries. With Dr. Rich Kittle, Howard University, and Fatimah Jackson, University of Maryland, and other experts.
Films in this series:
• Motherland: A Genetic Journey
• Motherland: Moving On
"Interesting for presenting insights into genetics, history and culture...a good fit for high school and college collections."
- Booklist
"Ground-breaking"
- The Times (London)
- Booklist
"Ground-breaking"
- The Times (London)
