''Africa's Great Civilizations'' is a
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
six-hour television series hosted and written by
Henry Louis Gates Jr. It aired on PBS in the United States from February 27, 2017 to March 1, 2017.
Summary
In the series, Gates chronicles African history starting with the birth of humankind to the start of the 20th century. The show portrays 200,000 years of Africa's history and touches on subjects from the arts to writing and the dawn of civilization to the 21st century.
Episodes
Release
On April 26, 2017, Gates introduced the series at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. The event was spearheaded by the
Africa-America Institute. The series was released on both Blu-ray and DVD on May 16, 2017.
Reception
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praised the series, but said it would have been good if it made more connections between the civilizations of the past and modern Africa. Multifaith website ''Spirituality & Practice'' called the series "ambitious and poignant;" while
the UK ''Independent'' called it "Endlessly enthralling and tremendously dramatic."
References
External links
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{{Henry Louis Gates Jr.
2017 American television series debuts
2017 American television series endings
2010s American documentary television series
Historical television series
PBS original programming
Works about Africa
Great Zimbabwe
Television shows set in Africa