What's New; 365; Children of the World: Dahomey
- Series
- What's New
- Episode Number
- 365
- Episode
- Children of the World: Dahomey
- Producing Organization
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- National Educational Television and Radio Center
- UNICEF
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/516-ks6j09x48z
- NOLA Code
- WNWS
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- Description
- Episode Description
- An ethnographic study of the people of Dahomey, a West African country on what 18th century explorers called the Gold Coast, this episode focuses on 11-year-old Nicolas Mignanwande who lives in the village of Ganvie where all the houses are built on stilts above the water. As the cameras follow Nicolas through his daily life, we learn of the culture, religion, political and economic systems, and history of Dahomey. Nicolas belongs to the Fons tribe, but the nation has grown more important than individual tribes as evidenced by the outlawing of identification scars on the faces of tribesmen. All the men of the village are fishermen and everyone has a boat. With the help of the UN, the villagers have learned about hygiene and sanitation. They have learned, for instance, to drink only the water from a spring on an island in the middle of the lagoon on which they live. There is also a school on this island where the children learn health habits and study French. (The French administered the country from 1892 to 1960, when it became independent.) Since in Dahomey a man can have more than one wife, Nicolas father has four and all live together. The family is the most important thing in Dahomey culture and the children go everywhere with their mother. Fish is the primary source of food and the UN is helping the people obtain it by supplying them with nets and boats. Other foods can be bought at the market where in the past sea shells were used for money, but they have been replaced by the African franc. Although the people are proud of their heritage and of their past, they accept change and with the help of the UN are learning a new way of life. Whats New Children of the World is a NET production produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in association with NET and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Series Description
- Whats New is a childrens series that ran from 1961-1973. The early seasons typically consist of multiple segments, each from an ongoing series on a specific topic. Each segment was produced by a separate educational broadcasting station, and the linkage between the segments was produced by WHYY and hosted by Al Binford. In episodes from later seasons the format varies more, with many episodes focusing on one story or topic throughout the entire 30 minutes. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Children’s
- Topics
- History
- Agriculture
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
-
Director: Hargrave, Dennis
Interviewee: Mignanwande, Nicolas
Producer: Taff, Paul K.
Producer: Hargrave, Dennis
Producing Organization: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Producing Organization: National Educational Television and Radio Center
Producing Organization: UNICEF
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive
Identifier: [request film based on title] (Indiana University)
Format: 16mm film
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- Citations
- Chicago: “What's New; 365; Children of the World: Dahomey,” American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed June 16, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-516-ks6j09x48z.
- MLA: “What's New; 365; Children of the World: Dahomey.” American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. June 16, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-516-ks6j09x48z>.
- APA: What's New; 365; Children of the World: Dahomey. Boston, MA: American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-516-ks6j09x48z