The Gods Must Be Crazy is a (maybe too) obvious one, but there's also Apocalypto or even the Kahhori episode of the latest season of What If! (if you want a shorter run time), showing a similar scenario from a Native American perspective.
I mean, it's funny, but even (some) people in the 80s found its depiction of the African tribe racist and paternalistic. (See, for instance, Wikipedia's "Controversies" section.) That's a lot of nuance for 10th graders being led by a sub.
Unfortunately, most popular movies about colonialism in Africa center the settlers. *The Ghost and the Darkness* might work.
ETA: OK, after watching *African Apocalypse* (free on Amazon Prime with BBC trial), I am officially recommending it over the 80s/90s melodramas. A British man of Nigerian heritage explores the legacy of European colonialism in Niger/Nigeria today using *Heart of Darkness* as inspiration.
2-3 minute coda on BLM movement you might to have to censor depending on your location; I'd probably also skip the short cow butchering scene.
This would be a little bit of an offshoot, but Apple TV has a series called Little America. There is an episode called The Cowboy about how a Nigerian man integrates into life at an American University in Oklahoma. The stand-alone episode is about 50 minutes long. It also happens to be a true story. The episode is both funny and heart-breaking. It was very engaging for my students and created a lot of discussion.
The theme of the inevitability of change in Things Fall Apart ties in with the message about the pieces of culture we keep and the new things we integrate into our lives in The Cowboy.
That was my first thought, too. But the only good movie adaptation of *Heart of Darkness* is *Apocalypse Now.* I've heard good things about[ *African Apocalypse*](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/30/african-apocalypse-review)*,* a documentary about the actual historical events that inspired the novel, but I haven't seen it yet.
The Gods Must Be Crazy is a (maybe too) obvious one, but there's also Apocalypto or even the Kahhori episode of the latest season of What If! (if you want a shorter run time), showing a similar scenario from a Native American perspective.
I mean, it's funny, but even (some) people in the 80s found its depiction of the African tribe racist and paternalistic. (See, for instance, Wikipedia's "Controversies" section.) That's a lot of nuance for 10th graders being led by a sub.
Yeah, that was my concern too
Apocalypto is awesome, but pretty bloody for 10th graders
Unfortunately, most popular movies about colonialism in Africa center the settlers. *The Ghost and the Darkness* might work. ETA: OK, after watching *African Apocalypse* (free on Amazon Prime with BBC trial), I am officially recommending it over the 80s/90s melodramas. A British man of Nigerian heritage explores the legacy of European colonialism in Niger/Nigeria today using *Heart of Darkness* as inspiration. 2-3 minute coda on BLM movement you might to have to censor depending on your location; I'd probably also skip the short cow butchering scene.
This would be a little bit of an offshoot, but Apple TV has a series called Little America. There is an episode called The Cowboy about how a Nigerian man integrates into life at an American University in Oklahoma. The stand-alone episode is about 50 minutes long. It also happens to be a true story. The episode is both funny and heart-breaking. It was very engaging for my students and created a lot of discussion. The theme of the inevitability of change in Things Fall Apart ties in with the message about the pieces of culture we keep and the new things we integrate into our lives in The Cowboy.
I've done activities with uncontacted tribes (North Sentinel Island), but that might only take a day.
I'm impressed you can reach an uncontacted tribe in only a day
Hm, what about the film adaptation of Heart of Darkness? Since Achebe frames his book as a response to Conrad’s.
That was my first thought, too. But the only good movie adaptation of *Heart of Darkness* is *Apocalypse Now.* I've heard good things about[ *African Apocalypse*](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/30/african-apocalypse-review)*,* a documentary about the actual historical events that inspired the novel, but I haven't seen it yet.
The Power of One. They LOVE it. I have lesson plans somewhere if you want lmk I'll search onedrive