Wonders of the African World

"With Henry Louis Gates, Jr."

Africa is a continent of magnificent treasures and cultures — from the breathtaking stone architecture of 1,000-year-old ruins in South Africa to an advanced 16th century international university in Timbuktu. However, for centuries, many of these African wonders have been hidden from the world, lost to the ravages of time, nature and repressive governments. Join Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates, on the journey from Zanzibar to Timbuktu, the Nile River Valley to Great Zimbabwe, the slave coast of Guinea to the medieval monasteries of Ethiopia in search of the lost wonders of the African world.

Created By

Status

Returning Series

Original Name

Wonders of the African World

First Air Date

October 25, 1999

Last Air Date

October 27, 1999

Seasons

1

Episodes

6

Language

English

Production Companies

Networks

PBS

S01E06

Lost Cities of the South

When European settlers discovered ruins of great civilizations at Mapungubwe in South Africa and Great Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe (then the British colony Rhodesia), they concluded that these marvelous stone cities could not have been built by black Africans. In order to justify their oppression of the black majority population, the white imperialists created a grossly distorted history that denied African civilization and culture.

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