WIDE ANGLE | Once Upon a Coup | PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wideangle Check local listings. A failed coup attempt. A British mercenary in a notorious African prison. A dictator suspicious of Western powers. And beneath it all, a spectacular underwater oil reserve that the worlds major powers would love to get their hands on.

It may sound like the latest John LeCarré bestseller, but in fact its the real-life intrigue of Once Upon a Coup, WIDE ANGLEs penetrating look at the mysterious goings-on in Equatorial Guinea, a tiny West African nation newly rich with oil and infamous for corruption. The story begins in 2004, when a group of mercenaries, including a British ex-special forces officer named Simon Mann, is arrested in Zimbabwe. Equatorial Guineas president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, accuses them of plotting a coup against him. When Mann is sentenced to 34 years in Equatorial Guineas notorious Black Beach prison, he claims to be only one piece of an international plot to control the countrys vast oil resources. Once Upon a Coup travels the globe to unravel that plot, which stretches from Africa to the U.K., from a prime ministers son to Zimbabwean arms dealers, from South Africa to Spain.

But as this all plays out, another actor is bidding for a share of the oil: China. The Chinese government has showered the country with glittering new buildings and a new administrative capital. If President Obiang has grown skeptical of Western intentions, he has welcomed China as a new business partner. Starting with a small West African nation and stretching around the globe, Once Upon a Coup sheds light on the uncomfortable realities of oil politics in the 21st century.

Deep Link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/once-upon-a-coup/introduction/5309/
Also on the WIDE ANGLE website: Watch a video about the controversial world of private security contractors, read about Chinas footprint in Africa and scroll through an interactive timeline of Equatorial Guineas history. All at : http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/once-upon-a-coup/introduction/5309/

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Black Beach Prison
• Equatorial Guinea
• Gulf of Guinea
• Mark Thatcher
• Simon Mann
• Teodoro Obiang

[TheGoddessNetworks]

Whites would NOT be able to go into that land and take ANYTHING without some help from Blacks (within). The Real is WE are our OWN worse enemy.

[krj0829]

We must take it upon ourselves to act, GOD gives us the ability to act, He does not act for us.

[waffiki]

how will it end ?

[guineanoable]

el diablo en la iglesia despues de la iglesia a matar , torturar y robar al pueblo guineano . se ha hecho del pretroleo propiedad suya el pueblo en pobreza y el gran hijo de puta en riquezas

[77rand]

That "guy" is Simon Mann. He's one of the main players in this "story".....

[fraster]

vergonzoso y que en ese pais haya tanta miseria.¿donde esta la moraL DE ESTOS DICTADORES?,CLARO QUENO LA TIENEN ..

[MonSwon]

Look at the guy holding his fingers up to his chest at 2.00 minutes, it is a type of sign to some one.

[thekingofmoney2000]

Equatorial Guinea is a former Spanish colony, it is the only country in African where Spanish is the official language...

[ArtBear88]

I did a project on this country in school. I made a note of this scandal in my report but I got points taken off because I forgot to list the reference in the bibliography. ha ha

[macadamien11]

Here we go again! When will God pay these devils back for how they've exploited Africa and how they continue to exploit Africa?