Video Review: Cultures Around the World

1)    Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above. - I chose the video African Art: Legacy of Oppression because I do not know that much about the oppression of Africa so I wanted to know more about it. I chose the video African Art because like the first video I did not know that much about Africa let alone its art so I wanted to know more about it. I chose the video Hinduism because I am very interested in the Hindu religion so learning more about it would interest me. I chose the video Buddhism because if I wanted to change my religion it would be to Buddhism so I want to learn as much as possible on it.

2)  For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
- In the video African Art: Legacy of Oppression the key concepts I learned was that soldiers in the Congo area use to cut the hands off of villagers, dead or alive, every time a bullet was fired. I thought that was so sad and scary to live in that time in history; that part of the film shocked me. The video African Art I learned that many of the masks that were made didn’t last too long because they were made of wood or straw, the oldest masks are about 200 years old. People can find the oldest existing African art in the driest part of Africa, mostly because there is no humidity to ruin the art. In the video Hinduism I learned that everything in Hinduism is symbolic, even the dead bodies was full of symbolism to the believer. Also the Kandariya Mahadev Temple was built during the golden age of Hindu art and architecture. This temple was built to worship Shiva, the god of death who lived in the mountains, and that is why the temple looks like a mountain. In the video Buddhism I learned that after the death of Buddha, some would say, that it was the end of the golden age of Buddhism. Also I learned that the Borobudur Temple took almost 100 years to build but only lasted 30 years before a volcano erupted covering it up for over 800 years, then it was rediscovered in 1815 and finally restored in the 1990s.

3) How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
- The videos relate to the readings in the text because each explains the concepts clearly and I was able to better understand the cultures of the different parts of the world. Both, the reading and the videos, had interesting facts that kept my attention and I felt better after reading and watching them.

4)  What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
- I really liked the films because I was more informed about each of the cultures around the world. After viewing the videos it did add depth to my understanding of the readings and art concepts because I learned some key concepts for the African, Hindu, and Buddhist culture.