Arena

Episode Synopsis

eyond the familiar world of Wall Street and Madison Avenue, there is another New York, whose roots lie in West and Central Africa. Successive waves of newcomers of African descent have brought to the world's most glamorous city their own gods, myths and rituals. Robert Farris Thompson , Professor of Art History at Yale University, has been tracking down the survival of African traditions in New York. This film follows his exploration of Haitian vodun, the rituals which lie behind salsa music, the Brazilian martial art capoeira and hip-hop. It discovers how the lives of men and women, including a psychologist, a social worker, a businessman and an artist, have been affected by contact with African-derived religions.