Black Journal: 21; Ethiopia: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Film clip from Black Journal: 21. It consist of a single reel of 16mm color acetate film with optical sound. The film examines the cultural and historical life of Ethiopia. The entire documentary is voiced-over by a male narrator who describes Ethiopia's intersecting political, religious, and social history. The first half of the documentary is spent telling the history of Christianity in Ethiopia, and its ties to and influence on ancient Ethiopia. There are shots of the Obelisk of Aksum in Ethiopia's Tirgay; a 1,700-year-old granite stele that stands 24 meters tall and weighs 160 metric tons. The narrator then describes the historical architecture and founding of the Church of St. George in the city of Lalibela, located in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. One of eleven monolithic churches in the city of Lalibela, the narrator explains the importance of this group of rock-hewn churches that were built in the late 12th to early 13th century and serves as a pilgrimage for some. Next, there are scenes of the festival of Timket Holiday in Adis Abeba and footage of various Ethiopian tribes singing and dancing. Ethiopians are described as an African people, diverse in tribal association while sharing common African ancestry. The narrator states that it is a common mistake to racially identify Ethiopians as Middle Eastern.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1969
• Directed by: Kent Garrett, American, born 1941
• Produced by: Kent Garrett, American, born 1941
• Produced by: William Greaves, American, 1926 - 2014
• Produced by: National Educational Television, American, 1954 - 1970
• Photograph by: Leroy Lucas, American
• Owned by: Pearl Bowser, American, 1931 - 2023
• Type: sound films
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Physical extent (film): 860 ft
• Dimensions: Duration: 24 min.
• Place filmed: Aksum, Tigray, Ethiopia, Africa
• Place depicted: Ethiopia, Africa
• Place filmed: Addas Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa
• Place filmed: Lalibela, Amara, Ethiopia, Africa
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Africa
• Topic: Architecture
• Topic: Christianity
• Topic: Documentary films
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Public television
• Topic: Religion
• Object number: 2012.79.1.49.1a
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © National Educational Television Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.