African odyssey: the two worlds of Musembe

United States, 1971

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The two worlds of 11 year-old Musembe are the two worlds of 20th century Africa: the modern city where Musembe and his parents live in a large apartment building, and the primitive village where his civil servant father was born. A journey “home” - back to the family’s village - shows us the natural beauty of Kenya and gives a very human insight into the decisions which confront many Africans today. Musembe feels drawn to the village, and the tribal customs but his father reminds him, “We are city people now”, and we realize the emotional conflicts which come with rapid social change.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

producer/director

Albert Waller

production company

Learning Corporation of America

Duration

00:17:00:00

Production places

United States

Production dates

1971

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

000171

Language

English

Subject categories

Agriculture, Business, Commerce & Industry → Africa - Rural conditions

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Africa

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Africa - Description and travel

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Africa - Rural conditions

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Africa - Social life and customs

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → City and town life

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Kenya

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Travel

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Village communities - Africa

Documentary

Documentary → Documentary films - United States

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Africa - Social conditions

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → City and town life

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Social change

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Social structure - Africa

Places → Africa

Places → Kenya

Short films

Short films → Short films - United States

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Holdings

16mm film; Preservation Print (Section 5)

16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/64580--african-odyssey-the-two-worlds-of-musembe/ |title=African odyssey: the two worlds of Musembe |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=12 September 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}