1. Glossary

Pick out four or five words from the list below whose meaning may not be clear to you. Find out the meaning of these words and use them to add to your own glossary of keywords on the history of race in the 20th century. You will be able to add to your glossary when you watch Programmes 2 and 3.

Try to write the meanings in your own words rather than copying them out of a dictionary. Imagine you are trying to explain the words to a younger person. What would you say? How could you use examples to help explain the meaning to them?

The section 'What do the terms mean'? below is a good starting point.

• Imperial
• Colony/colonies
• Colonialism
• Slavery/slave trade
• Trade
• Agriculture
• Resources
• Profits
• Economic
• Propaganda
• Power
• Political
• Cultural
• Social
• World War One
• World War Two
• Independence
• Nationalism
• Partition
• Migration

Note to teachers

Some pupils may require additional support with the keywords. Ways of helping them include:

2. What do the keywords mean?

Look at the meanings below for two very important keywords: 'race' and 'black'. Now write the meanings for the other keywords.

'Race'
There is no biological validity (truth) behind the idea of 'race'. However, it is a term which people use to describe others, for example, the black 'race'. Social scientists and historians tend to use the term in quotation marks, to show that it is a social construct not based on fact.

'Black'
In Britain today, we use the term for people of African, African- Caribbean and Asian origin (taken as a group) or in the phrase 'black and Asian', where 'black' refers only to those of African and African-Caribbean origin. The expressions 'non-white', 'coloured' and 'half-caste' are outdated and generally found offensive by black people, since they represent an aspect of white ethnocentricity (view of the world). 'Mixed race' and 'dual heritage' have replaced the term 'half-caste'.

3. Starting to think about Africa

In pairs, take two minutes to tell your partner what you know about Africa. Think about:

As you listen, think about where your partner's knowledge has come from. Think about:

Keep your responses to these questions in mind. Remember there are no hard-and-fast, right or wrong answers to these questions. Your views and their expression is the point of this exercise. You can compare them with your knowledge, ideas and attitudes at the end of the three programmes to see if this has influenced your thinking.

What are the links and connections between Africa today and in the past?

You will need to stress to the pupils that there are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. They must feel safe to explore their own knowledge, its strengths and weaknesses, and its origins.

4. Marking out territories and borders

You can supplement this activity by using a range of atlases and maps, including ones that are now out of date. The Internet is a useful source of maps.

This activity links up with Activity 5 – Changing borders of Africa

Think about personal space. Talk to the pupils about their personal space? How do they mark out their 'borders' – at school and at home? Ask them to look at the playground at break. Do any particular groups dominate certain areas? How do they mark out their territories?

After Viewing

5. Changing borders of Africa

You will need maps of Africa at different times:1870, 1880, 1914, 1948 are all key dates.

6. Analysing film as propaganda

See extract 3 (1.19)
Sanders of the River (1935)

As you view the extract, fill in a table similar to the one below.

Dr Nnamdi Akizwe wrote in 1937 that the film was based on negative stereotypes of the Africans and an equally false view of the administrators who were often, in reality, drunk and corrupt. He stated that the film greatly undervalued African culture and concluded, 'I feel that what is being paraded in the world today as art or literature is nothing short of propaganda.'

Write a letter to Dr Akizwe explaining whether you agree with him or not and why.

Discuss the question, 'Would this type of film be made today?'

7. Images of Empire

See extract 6 (5.14)
Sequence of shots of posters promoting the Empire. These posters show the 'Empire's strength', used to sell products such as tea and rubber. Posters were used to promote products from the colonies and in the 1930s, the government began to commission its own films to support imperial trade.

Use adverts and travel brochures to identify and analyse similar images in use today.

8. Making programmes and selecting sources

Television programmes like this one are very dependent on the availability of archive material (films, newsreels and documentaries, etc. that have been kept and catalogued). The production team who made this programme found that there was more archive material available in Britain than in the colonies.

How has their selection and use of the available sources influenced the messages sent by the programme?

9. Case study in independence

Choose one of the following countries to focus on:

• India (1947)
• Kenya (1963)
• Zimbabwe (1980)
• Nigeria (1960)
• Sudan (1956)
• Uganda (1962)
• Tanzania (1964)
• Ghana (1957)
• Sierra Leone (1961)
• Botswana (1966)

Use the following questions as a framework:

• Look at all the dates of independence. Did 'your' country get their independence relatively late or early? Why?
• How much was nationalism a force for independence within your country?
• What other reasons are there for their independence from Britain?
• Was the process of self-government gradual or sudden?
• What impact did this have on 'your' country? What type of rule is there today (democratic, military, etc.)?
• Can you identify any consequences of post-imperialism within your country?