An African Journey

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Travel Documentary hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby and published by BBC in 2010 - English narration

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An African Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby

Documentaries about Africa always generate interest and high TV ratings. However, they also tend to generate controversy that usually revolves around how film and documentary makers portray the continent. Such controversy was clearly illustrated in Welcome to Lagos, a documentary made by the BBC about Nigeria’s struggling underclass recently. One of Britain’s renowned and most respected political commentators and current affairs presenter, Jonathan Dimbleby, has decided to take on the mantle of showing the world a different Africa in the BBC documentary An African Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby. Jonathan has had four decades worth of reporting experience from the continent, He returns to Africa on a 7,000-mile journey to discover how it is changing.

[edit] Mali, Ghana and Nigeria

He starts his African journey in the capital of Mali, Bamako, the fastest-growing African city. Following the course of the Niger river, Dimbleby finds not a continent of beggars but of industrious people, some of whom go to extraordinary lengths to make a living, free-diving 20 feet to excavate building sand. Travelling north-east, he sees how tradition is preserved in an area where a sophisticated urban society has thrived for 1,600 years. Jonathan gets his hands dirty as the apprentice of a 74-year-old mud mason in Djenne, a town built entirely of mud. In Ghana, one of Africa's freest and most stable countries, Jonathan sees a spectacular festival before playing a game of golf with the King of the Ashanti, who recalls his time working for Brent council. Dimbleby attends the King's court to see what lessons the UK can draw from traditional African structures that promote harmony and reconciliation. Jonathan discovers that the African brain drain is turning into a brain gain as economic opportunity and patriotism draw people home. Football unites Ghana like nothing else, superseding political and tribal divisions. There is a rich seam of young football talent on the continent in the year that the World Cup is hosted by an African nation for the first time. In Lagos, Nigeria's business capital, Jonathan Dimbleby sees a different take on a city that is often depicted as a hotbed of violence, crime and corruption. He is taken on a private jet by Africa's richest man, then savours the creative talents of two of African music's rising stars who are helping to cement Lagos's place as the continent's cultural hub.

[edit] Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania

On the second leg of his illuminating journey across Africa, Jonathan Dimbleby travels 2000 miles through East Africa's Rift Valley. Starting in Ethiopia where he was the first journalist to report the 1973 famine, Dimbleby discovers the great strides being made to safeguard the country from future catastrophes. In Kenya he finds out how mobile phones are revolutionising small businesses and even the lives of Maasai tribes. In Tanzania he joins in a football match with the judges and guards of Africa's own Human Rights Commission and meets the street kids in Dar-es-Salaam who are building an international profile for their music. Perhaps the most inspirational piece of this episode was a feature on SoleRebels, a company that provides jobs for 40 workers, cashing in on the need for recycled and eco products in the West. SoleRebel based in Addis Ababa, sells its products online through Amazon and a host of other online outlets. It is a pioneer which gives a tantalising taste and insight into the future of small scale African enterprises once internet connectivity across the continent takes hold.

[edit] Congo, South Africa and Zambia

On the final leg of his 7,000-mile odyssey, Jonathan Dimbleby travels from Congo to Durban in search of the stories revealing contemporary Africa. He learns how China's billion-dollar deals have rebooted African economies, once dependent on Western aid and investment. Passing through Zambia, Jonathan survives a training session with boxing world champion Esther Phiri and meets Hugh Masekela, who shares with him his view of Africa's emerging revival.