Wonders of the African World - Behind the Scenes - Episode Overview: The Swahili Coast

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10/25/99, 10:00 p.m. ET Gates travels along the palm-fringed coast of Kenya and Tanzania and on to the legendary island of Zanzibar. The journey presents an intriguing historical puzzle: Who are the Swahili people? Are they truly African? What are the origins of their age-old and sophisticated culture? On the idyllic island of Lamu, Gates finds people proud of their Arab ancestry only, believing their civilization owes little to Africa. In another village, he meets inhabitants who insist they are "Shirazi," descended from medieval Persian mariners who came to trade there. On Zanzibar, two encounters - one with the Canon of the Anglican Cathedral and the other with a black descendant of Zanzibar's most notorious slave trader - give him an insight into the Swahilis' troubled and bloody history.

Film Credits

Written & Presented by
PROFESSOR HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.

Camera
GRAHAM SMITH

Camera Assistant
SUE CANE

Sound Recordist
JUDI HEADMAN

Dubbing Mixer
COLIN MARTIN

On line Editor
MARC ESKENAZI

Colourist
GRAHAM HOLTOM

Editor
TREVOR WILLIAMSON

Title Music
SPIRO, WIX, LEGWABE

Music
CULTURE MUSICAL CLUB

Map Illustration
PETER VISSCHER

Graphic Design
BURRELL DURRANT HIFLE

Series Consultant
DAVID M. ANDERSON

Location Managers
CHRIS HANLIN
ABBAS SHEKHUNA FADHIL

Production Coordinators
MELANIE BURT
OLIVIA BROWN

Production Manager
HELENA ELY

Researcher
ANTONIA HINDS

Executive Producer
JONATHAN HEWES

Series Producer
BEN GOOLD

Director
NICK GODWIN

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EPISODE OVERVIEWS

Black Kingdoms of the Nile
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The Swahili Coast
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Slave Kingdoms
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The Holy Land
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Road to Timbuktu
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Lost Cities of the South

RETELLING AUTHOR BIOS

Zayde Antrim
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K. Anthony Appiah
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Roderick Grierson
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Martin Hall
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Timothy Kendall
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Kevin C. MacDonald
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John Middleton