Trails And Rails (1930-1939)

Produced by British Instructional Films Ltd. Documentary about building railways in West Africa. Map of Africa. Footage of African people playing indigenous musical instruments and performing traditional dances. A large group of “slaves“ dig in synchronicity with a “conductor“ indicating when they should raise and lower their tools. “Slave trails“ in West Africa replaced by iron rails. British and Portuguese building a railway from Benguela to Angola, Elizabethville then on to British South Africa and link up with the Cape to Cairo railway in Rhodesia. Terminus of railway at Lobito Bay. Shots of the docks. Bags of Maize being loaded along with livestock. New carriages for railway unloaded from steamer. Shot of a busy railway station. Shot of steam train. Train running through sugar cane growing district. Three women eating sugar cane and laughing. Sacks of mealies piled high, shot of train carrying the sacks. Landscape shots. Brick works. Young boys carrying bricks. Ox pull wagons of bric