Film elements for an unfinished Pan Africa film project: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Unfinished ‘Pan Africa’ film project created by Lebert “Sandy” Bethune. Consists of 29 16mm film rolls/elements with sound and color, in 8 cans: 16mm color reversal film, 16mm full coat mag, ¼” open reel audio tape, and paper transcriptions.

In 1970, filmmaker and scholar Lebert “Sandy” Bethune started what would become his final film. Though he never completed the film, Bethune conducted 4 interviews with thought leaders in the Pan-Africa movement: CLR James and Shirley Graham Du Bouis, both interviewed by Bethune at Columbia University, and Peter Abrahams and Amy Jacques Garvey, both interviewed by Bethune in Jamaica. Combined the interviews are approximately 150 minutes in length. The footage is entirely unedited, camera original 16mm color reversal film.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1970-1971
• Created by: Lebert "Sandy" Bethune, Jamaican American
• Subject of: Cyril Lionel Robert James, Trinidadian, 1901 - 1989
• Subject of: Shirley Graham Du Bois, American, 1896 - 1977
• Subject of: Peter Abrahams, South African and Jamaican, 1919 - 2017
• Subject of: Amy Jacques Garvey, Jamaican, 1895 - 1973
• Type: audiotapes
• Type: sound films
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Physical extent (film) (total): ~12985 ft
• Place filmed: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: African diaspora
• Topic: Decolonization
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Independent films
• Topic: International affairs
• Topic: Race relations
• Object number: 2018.37.2.1a-z
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Lebert "Sandy" Bethune
• 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: © Lebert Bethune Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.