Family Across the Sea

This special explores the remarkable connections between the Gullah of the South Carolina/Georgia Sea Islands and the people of West Africa, particularly those of Sierra Leone. The program traces the truly unparalleled historical connection and continued relationship from the time of slavery. The development of these two cultures is examined over the course of time, considering aspects of language, culture, folkways, and music common to both sides of this "family." (c 1990)

Family Across the Sea
Episode 1

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Family Across the Sea, Part 1 This award-winning program explores the remarkable connections between the Gullah of the South Carolina/Georgia Sea Islands and the people of West Africa, particularly...
Family Across the Sea
Episode 2

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Family Across the Sea, Part 2 A young black scholar named Lorenzo Turner began to research Gullah culture and language. Folklorists and historians who had studied this culture before Turner and...
Family Across the Sea
Episode 3

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Family Across the Sea, Part 3 Anthropologist Joe Opala has studied the history of slavery from the African side of the ocean. He has tracked a remarkable series of connections that end in Charleston...
Family Across the Sea
Episode 4

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Family Across the Sea, Part 4 Like the Black Seminoles who fled white civilization, blacks began to return to Africa in the 19th century. Historian Alpha Bah has studied the return of blacks to Sierra...