Nor Was This All By Any Means

1978, 24 min, color, sound

In this densely layered work, Ramos explores his cultural and personal heritage through a collage of recorded and appropriated footage. Juxtaposing African and American landscapes, personal and media imagery, he traces a spiritual and physical journey that moves from Harlem to Goree Island, Cape Verde and Tanzania. In a forceful portrait of cultural disenfranchisement that refers to the African diaspora and the bitter harvest sown by slavery, he challenges the veracity of mass cultural images of African-Americans.

Writer/Director: Anthony D. Ramos. Technical Assistants: Mike Frenchman, David Pentecost. Camera: Tony Ramos, Mike Frenchman, Jeff Hodges. Music: Tony Ramos. Audio: Tony Ramos, Mike Frenchman. Editors: Anthony Ramos with Mike Frenchman. Special Thanks: Kezia Moore, Simba Tayari, Khidir Rhazig, John Trayna, Faith Riviera, Juan Downey, The Alfamas, Kijton Ama, Kawe. This tape was made possible by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts through Electronic Arts Intermix, Inc.