This film made by Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree, an English sociologist and philanthropist, documents a trip he took between 1932-33 travelling to different parts of Africa such as Nigeria, Gambia and Sierra Leone. The main purpose of the trip was to procure cocoa, which would be taken back to Yorkshire to make some of the nation's favourite chocolates. The film captures the interworking of Africa's cocoa industry, but also demonstrates Rowntree's particular interest in sociology,...

This film made by Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree, an English sociologist and philanthropist, documents a trip he took between 1932-33 travelling to different parts of Africa such as Nigeria, Gambia and Sierra Leone. The main purpose of the trip was to procure cocoa, which would be taken back to Yorkshire to make some of the nation's favourite chocolates. The film captures the interworking of Africa's cocoa industry, but also demonstrates Rowntree's particular interest in sociology, as he keenly films the local people and much of their traditional customs. Title - Through Nigeria by train and car. Films taken by B.S. Rowntree. 1932-33. The opening shot of this film shows a map of Africa; a spear head is used to point out the route that was taken by the filmmaker, and it is run along the coast before stopping on Nigeria. A cut is made, and there is now a close up of a map of Nigeria, where the spear again outlines a specific route that was taken through the country. Title - The arrival at Bathurst. The capital of Gambia, shows scenes already typical of West Africa. The action begins with a shot of a river, and the filmmaker captures several boats paddling through the waters of Bathurst, Gambia. The camera, aboard a large passenger ship, captures a small boat which docks alongside; passengers from the boat board the large passenger ship. Title - Sailing up the river Rockelle to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, on Christmas Eve, the travellers find the ship surrounded by natives in bark canoes who dive for any coins thrown overboard. The filmmaker captures the locals pulling alongside in the bark canoes and the diving for anything thrown overboard, and one man has got himself a top hat. There is then a panoramic view of Freetown from a raised vantage point. Title - In this market the housewives carry their purchases home in a Calabash balance on their heads. A very busy market scene ensues; woman carry goods on their heads using the calabash, men carry wooden logs - also on their head, and there are many locals selling fruit and other goods. Title - At Takoradi on the Gold coast fellow passengers borrowed one of the ship's lifeboats to go for a sail. Shots show the life boat has been commandeered by six passengers, who, with the wind sail, make a brief excursion out to sea. There are then shots of the dock, where a local group of people pass a cigarette round, and the filmmaker then captures a woman posing for the camera. Title - At Accra the ship lies 2 miles off from the shore, & passengers & cargo have to be taken in surf boats to land. The town, however, which has 30,000 inhabitants, has obvious connections with civilisation. Myriad surf boats have docked beside the passenger ship, and the tourist's board them to be taken to land. There are then shots of Arca itself; bustling streets populated by people, cars and bicycles are captured by the filmmaker. Title - The district supplies nearly 80% of the world's cocoa. Here is some which is just waiting to start its journey to England. It is first taken by surf boats out to the ship. Bags filled with cocoa have been stacked up several feet high by local cocoa producers. The filmmaker then captures the sacks being transferred onto boats and taken by the canoe-like surf boats to the ship. Title - Different countries and different ports have different customs'. This is how some people fetch their wages. The men climb up to the large ship's deck via ropes. Title - Mr Reid, the manager of the gold coast collecting stations, has a good deal to do with the chocolate you eat. A man of white ethnicity, wearing a white suit and traditional sun hat, poses for the camera. The man is then lowered from the ship by crane and tips his hat as he leaves. Title - After sixteen hours sail, the ship arrived at Lagos, where this market scene was taken. A thriving market is filled with local goods and the filmmaker captures children carrying items on their heads. Title - Garden cities are becoming the fashion here too; Col. Rowe, the land commissioner for Nigeria, is pulling down the slums of Lagos & moving the natives into new well planned houses. Two men wearing expensive suits stand outside a plush house beside a motorcar. There are then shots of the Garden city slums, which include shots of people washing in the streets, sitting outside their makeshift houses and a shot of a young girl standing in front of a deserted market district. By contrast, the filmmaker then cuts to several shots that show the wealthy streets Lagos and the two storey town houses that line the streets. The filmmaker then moves the action to a bay area which has a small beach packed with the surf boats. Title - At Apapa, the port for Lagos, you may see cocoa being taken from the warehouse to the ship. Sacks of cocoa are carried down to the beach by local men. There is also a shot of a mother holding a screaming baby. Title - Bag of cocoa an 'upcountry' collecting station, ready for loading intop lorries. Men stand beside sacks of cocoa receiving instructions from the team leader, before women are captured playing traditional African drums. Title - Friday night may be 'Amami night', but Sunday is washing day at Agege. On a beach people wash their clothing in the sea. Local children then gather round a woman, quite possibly the filmmaker's wife, who hands something to them. Title - The native chieftain at Otta welcomes the visitors. The chief in ceremonial clothing stands before the camera and welcomes the visitors. There are then shots of another bustling market place and locals, who look with intrigue at the camera. Title - The cocoa warehouse at Otta is guarded by a sacred tree. The opening shot in this sequence shows the warehouse and the sacred tree which stands before it, at a rather precarious 45 degree angle. Title - In the bush country here huge pineapples grow wild, and this what you see on the roadside. Shots of pineapple trees beside the road are followed by many people relaxing outside a temple with grand stone pillars. A small market area is then captured, and the primary item for sale is chickens which are kept in wooden cages.