This black & white educational film from the 1930s is about the “Land of Rhodes” – Rhodesia and South Africa, which features many of the landmarks, including Johannesburg, and the railroads built by Cecil Rhodes. An ardent believer in British imperialism, Cecil John Rhodes and his British South Africa Company founded the southern African territory of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia), which the company named after him in 1895. South Africa’s Rhodes University is also named after him.

Opening titles: The Land of Rhodes (:08). Rhodesia in South Africa, a man sits under a rock (:17). A statue of British mining magnet, Cecil John Rhodes; he was the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896 (:30). Home where Rhodes lived (:40). Hut used by Rhodes (:52). Cars and people go about daily life in the city (1:01). White people walk; do calisthenics (1:26). Little girls look and play; people swim (1:41). Wings over Africa airline brings travelers (1:54). To link the Cape and Cairo was the builder’s dream (2:12). Rhodesia Railways train cars (2:16). Great railway and locomotive plant in Livingston (2:24). Men at work in the plant (2:36). From the Cape to Cairo the train goes (3:01). Cows graze and wander (3:14). A man milks a cow with modern equipment (3:31). Milk is poured from jugs (3:47). Rhodesian mines – chrome mine (4:07). Train goes by with mine cars (4:29). Resting place of Cecil John Rhodes; his gravestone (5:01). Coal mines of Rhodesia (5:29). Ovens of coal (5:55). Brick making with modern methods (6:24). People take a boat up the Zambesi River (6:47). Cape to Cairo Railroad Bridge; Train goes across a gorge (7:22).

David Livingstone statue (7:36). Beautiful Victoria Falls (7:43). People look over the falls (8:22). End credits (8:32).

The Cape to Cairo Railway was a project to create a railway line crossing Africa from south to north, it would have been the largest and most important railway of that continent. It was planned as a link between Cape Town in South Africa and Port Said in Egypt. Important parts of its intended course to cross Africa are incomplete or inoperative due to wars, lack of financial capital, geographic and geological obstacles, and low political will. This plan was initiated at the end of the 19th century, during the time of Western colonial rule, largely under the vision of Cecil Rhodes, in the attempt to connect adjacent African possessions of the British Empire through a continuous line from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com