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The musical heartbeat of a city
brought down by racial division...
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There were raids, there were
arrests. People were taken away.
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00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,440
..A training facility in Belarus
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00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,880
used for a terrifying
show of strength...
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00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,080
Everyone in the
west is acutely aware
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00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:26,440
that this could
be world war III.
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00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,600
..And a mighty
fortress in Indonesia
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built in a time when
nations behave like pirates.
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This relic was once the
site of a furious battle,
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raged over the most
unlikely of treasures,
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worth more in weight than gold.
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00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:52,200
Decaying relics,
ruins of lost worlds.
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00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,480
Sites haunted by the past,
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00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,999
their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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Their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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In the state of Louisiana,
where the great Mississippi meets
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the Gulf of Mexico, lies the
vibrant city of New Orleans.
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We're on la salle street in
the central city neighbourhood.
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This is not a neighbourhood
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that tourists usually
spend a lot of time in.
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Among well-kept homes are a
scattering of rundown buildings,
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one of which could
easily be overlooked.
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It's dilapidated, some of
the windows are boarded up,
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and you can see where the old
signs and hoardings used to be.
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As you enter
through the old doors,
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you see what looks to be a
reception area or ticket booth.
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In one part of the complex, there is
a perfectly preserved barber chair.
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00:02:00,001 --> 00:02:03,001
In one part of the complex, there is
a perfectly preserved barber chair.
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Out front, one distinctive
sign has survived
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and reveals what
this place once was.
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And this sign should
call up memories
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for any fan of
American roots music.
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This locale has a legendary
name in music history.
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The dew drop inn was a light,
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and this light attracted people
from all over New Orleans
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and all over america.
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As well as great names, it
attracted huge controversy.
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This place was victim
to constant raids.
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The drop was pushing boundaries
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00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,520
and it would bring the
wrath of the local law.
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00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,640
Curtis doucette is
a property developer
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trying to restore this
club to its former glory.
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So we're in the space
that was the nightclub
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00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:00,000
and there was a stage here.
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00:03:00,001 --> 00:03:01,920
And there was a stage here.
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00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,240
It wasn't just music.
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00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,960
There was full entertainment,
I mean, a full show.
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00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,000
There was shake
dancers here, there was...
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00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:14,120
One gentleman I believe
it was iron jaw or metal jaw
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00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:15,160
or something like that.
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00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,800
I've heard stories,
it's unbelievable,
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but of him chewing
glass, for instance.
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00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,320
By the 1950s, the
drop, as it was known,
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had become a mecca
for america's R&B greats.
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00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,960
You had folks
like Duke Ellington,
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00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,080
Ella Fitzgerald,
ike and Tina Turner.
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00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,320
People like ray Charles,
Otis Redding, James brown.
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00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,320
Little Richard even
wrote a song about it.
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00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:45,720
There are stories about, like,
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00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:50,880
maybe the first rock’n’roll
song, you know, was sang here.
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00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:55,680
This was a gathering place, not just
to see great music being performed,
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00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:59,999
but a place where musicians
could hang out when they're in town.
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00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,376
But a place where musicians
could hang out when they're in town.
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00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:05,600
One newspaper called it "the
south's swankiest nightspot".
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00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:11,600
Its fame and
popularity were born
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00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,600
out of the restrictions of
living in the Jim crow south.
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00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,120
So Jim crow is the
colloquial name given
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00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,000
to the laws that separated
American citizens from each other.
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00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,600
White institutions were
financed and maintained,
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00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,880
whereas the
separate institutions
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00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:35,960
for African Americans were left
to dilapidate, or didn't exist at all.
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00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,640
In some cases
hotels were white only,
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00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,520
and there were no hotels
for African Americans.
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00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,520
One of the great ironies
and injustices of this era
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00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:51,520
was that black musicians were
often invited to play white clubs,
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00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,280
but they couldn't even
necessarily sit at the bar
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00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:55,960
and have a drink in that club,
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00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,999
or stay in the neighbourhood
where the club was located.
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00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:00,080
Or stay in the neighbourhood
where the club was located.
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00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:04,400
They had to find a place to
stay and hang out after the show.
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00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:08,000
That left a gap in the market,
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00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:13,400
a fact not lost on one young man
working nearby on lasalle street.
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00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,000
The man behind
this whole complex
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00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:26,920
was named frank g painia,
and he was a real visionary
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00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:32,600
and a real representative
of a kind of entrepreneurship
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00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,320
that helped build
the black community
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00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,000
in the days of Jim
crow and segregation.
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00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,320
His grandson Kenneth
Jackson recalls
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00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,960
how he seized the opportunities
these laws could offer.
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00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:52,600
He was a barber by trade and
he decided to bring his family
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00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:57,520
to New Orleans, and he
started his barber business,
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00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,999
and when the property
came up for sale,
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00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:00,280
and when the property
came up for sale,
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00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,456
he and his brother
decided to purchase
95
00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,880
one side of the building, and
they had the idea to start a club.
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00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:08,440
You know, to start, like, a bar
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00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,800
and then they added
on live entertainment.
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00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:17,400
Kenneth has fond memories
of living here as a child
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00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:19,696
and enjoying this
unusual playground.
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00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,640
We'd come in when they were
cleaning up the bar and they had
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00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,280
a set of instruments that were on
the stage and you could get up there
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00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,000
and beat on the drum,
or play with the piano,
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00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:32,520
or stuff like that, you know?
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00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:38,440
Always some entertainers
or musicians that were there,
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00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,640
that were, like, part
of the house band,
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00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,920
and they were basically almost
like relatives to us, you know.
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00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:47,760
My nickname was rooster,
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00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,040
so all of them would
call me rooster,
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00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,600
but it was a festive
environment.
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00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:56,416
Everybody wanted
to have a good laugh
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00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,800
and it just felt like a family.
112
00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:04,400
Frank had also purchased
the other side of the building,
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00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,160
allowing him to further
expand the enterprise.
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00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,880
So, the dew drop was a
multi-purpose business, right?
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00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,440
There was a barbershop here,
there was a restaurant here.
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00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,000
There was a bar,
there was a nightclub.
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00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,376
All of those things
existed within this space
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00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,720
which is about
13,000 square feet.
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00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:29,520
Hotel is pretty much now what
it was. There's 29 rooms here.
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00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,000
Most of them are
very small rooms.
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00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,240
So this is one of
the smaller rooms
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00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:40,480
and one of the few rooms that
actually have a bathroom in it.
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00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:45,160
Soon, the drop was added
to the famous green book.
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00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:47,880
So this was basically a guide
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00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,440
for how African American motorists
were to navigate the Jim crow south,
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00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,400
and let them know where they
could be arbitrarily denied service,
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00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,999
food, lodging, not to mention
be arrested for no good reason.
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00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,440
Food, lodging, not to mention
be arrested for no good reason.
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00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:02,800
This was an essential tool
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00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:07,000
for anyone black in
that age trying to travel.
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00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,600
The dew drop fit in
the green book network
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00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:15,480
because it was a place
where you could rent rooms,
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00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,200
you could eat, you
could get your hair cut.
134
00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:24,560
You know, it was just a
welcoming type of atmosphere
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00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:26,320
for people that
were coming to town.
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00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,360
The dew drop inn
therefore formed
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00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,760
part of a network of
green book-led institutions
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00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:40,120
that kept up and maintained a space
for African American entertainers.
139
00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:43,919
In many ways, these
places provided a heartbeat
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00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,480
and a lifeline for this culture.
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00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,520
It's heart-breaking to
think this was necessary,
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00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:54,520
and the injustice
of it still rankles,
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00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:58,640
but this was the reality, so the
dew drop inn was kind of a beacon
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00:08:58,680 --> 00:08:59,999
on this landscape of hospitality
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00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:01,136
on this landscape of hospitality
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00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,520
for anyone who
came through the area.
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00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:11,040
Ray Charles and little Richard
made the most of frank's hospitality.
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00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:15,320
Both lived and recorded
here in the mid-1950s.
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We're talking a who's who of
entertainment back in the days.
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00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:26,640
It was just a place where musicians,
if they weren't playing there,
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00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:30,040
they would come there to
find out where work was.
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00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:36,120
So the dew drop inn was an anchor
for the whole network of musicians
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00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,640
during a period
when these musicians
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00:09:38,680 --> 00:09:40,816
were not only transforming
American music,
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they were making music that
would transform popular music
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00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:46,840
around the world.
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00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:52,760
But it was frank's open-door policy
that was so unusual for the time.
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00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:57,320
You had guys that
dressed up like women,
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00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,999
and, you know, it was
just part of the atmosphere.
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00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,560
And, you know, it was
just part of the atmosphere.
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00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,360
At frank's request, the
famous female impersonator
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00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:12,840
patsy vidalia became resident
bartender, performer and mc.
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00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,920
Vidalia, known as the
toast of New Orleans,
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00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:20,960
hosted an annual gay ball
held here each Halloween.
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00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,800
(Cheerful music)
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00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,560
Frank painia, the organiser,
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00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,480
made a space that was
inclusive, not exclusive.
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00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:34,920
African Americans mixed
with their white counterparts.
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00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,920
They even embraced
notions of gender fluidity
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00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:42,200
and had themed nights in
which people were able to explore
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00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:46,120
various forms of sexuality in a
way in which would have been
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00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,960
unheard of in the established
nightclubs of New Orleans.
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00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,880
For the time, you know, it wasn't
acceptable everywhere, you know?
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00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:57,560
Everybody didn't
agree with that,
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00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,376
you know, that that
should be allowed.
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But it was ok at the
dew drop, you know?
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00:11:00,001 --> 00:11:03,000
But it was ok at the
dew drop, you know?
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00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:09,080
That was a part of society
that people were overlooking,
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00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,960
but my grandfather didn't care.
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00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,360
You know, it was
like he felt that,
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00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,360
you know, they deserve
to be seen in their own way.
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00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,240
But in such a racist,
divided society,
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00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:28,680
this level of tolerance and
success drew some serious heat.
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00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,376
It really took an immense
amount of courage
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00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:37,720
for him to offer this open-door
policy, but he did suffer for it.
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00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,400
The authorities decided to
shut down the dew drop inn.
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00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:44,360
This meant that
on a weekly basis,
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00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,240
there were raids,
there were arrests.
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00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:48,560
People were taken away.
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00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:53,960
The attempt was to make
sure that the inn closed for good.
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00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:59,999
There were times when my grandfather
actually had police pull up outside,
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00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,136
there were times when my grandfather
actually had police pull up outside,
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00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:04,680
with what they called
paddy wagons back then,
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00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,200
and if they knew that they
had white people in here,
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00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,000
they would arrest everybody in
the place and take 'em all down
196
00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,160
and charge them
with racial mixing.
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00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,040
There's also times
198
00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:18,960
when there weren't just raids
but there was just harassment,
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00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,816
police driving by and telling
people, "you better not go inside.
200
00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,601
If I catch you inside there,
then I'm taking you to jail."
201
00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:28,680
These arrests were commonplace,
202
00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,840
but one particular raid
made national headlines.
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00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:38,960
In 1952, the actor
Zachary Scott got arrested
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00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,360
at the dew drop inn
for disturbing the peace,
205
00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,480
and frank painia got arrested
206
00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:48,560
for the crime of serving
blacks and whites together,
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00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,600
which was actually against
the New Orleans city code.
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00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,000
After years of
constant harassment,
209
00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:58,120
frank sued the city,
210
00:12:58,160 --> 00:12:59,999
arguing that the Jim crow
laws were unconstitutional.
211
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,296
Arguing that the Jim crow
laws were unconstitutional.
212
00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:05,480
Painia took the suit all the
way up to a federal court,
213
00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:07,656
but before a verdict
could be reached,
214
00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:13,240
the civil rights laws were passed
in 1964, legally ending segregation.
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00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,360
This is absolutely what
frank wanted, but incidentally,
216
00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,120
it actually contributed to the
demise of the dew drop inn.
217
00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:26,000
You would hear people around
that time, in reference to integration.
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00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:28,056
They would say, "well, you
know, white man's ice is colder,"
219
00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:30,680
and so people didn't
come to the dew drop
220
00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:32,576
as much as they did
because they had options,
221
00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,176
and particularly options that
had been taken away from them
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00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:36,560
for a very long time.
223
00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,040
Sadly, frank died of cancer
224
00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:44,760
just a few years after the dance
hall closed in the late 1960s.
225
00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:50,600
As a person, my grandfather
was a real all-around nice guy,
226
00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:54,520
and he loved for people
to enjoy themselves.
227
00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:58,080
He tried to help people
whenever he could.
228
00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:00,000
In 2005, a deadly
blow was delivered,
229
00:14:00,001 --> 00:14:03,880
in 2005, a deadly
blow was delivered,
230
00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:07,280
not just to the drop, but to
the whole of New Orleans.
231
00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,136
Those of us who were here
during hurricane Katrina,
232
00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,000
we remember the
infamous watermarks.
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00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:15,336
This is one of the
ways that we know
234
00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,840
how high the water
settled in a place like this,
235
00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:22,360
so this, you know, looks
like maybe 2.5 feet or so
236
00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,480
that the water settled.
237
00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,480
The impact of the
hurricane was so great,
238
00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:34,240
the rest of the business closed
and has sat abandoned ever since.
239
00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,800
Though devastated, this
place is far from forgotten,
240
00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:47,600
and Curtis hopes
to bring it back to life.
241
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:52,880
I would say my day job is an
affordable housing developer.
242
00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,120
When I found out about this
place, really, the history of it
243
00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,999
is what made me fall in love, and
so this is a passion project for me.
244
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:00,480
Is what made me fall in love, and
so this is a passion project for me.
245
00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:02,000
My goal for the dew drop inn
246
00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:06,440
is to make it as close as
possible to what it used to be.
247
00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:08,440
You walk in to the building now,
248
00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:13,920
it’s kind of a
bittersweet situation.
249
00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:21,560
I basically have to realise
my mortality, you know?
250
00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:23,000
I'm getting older.
251
00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:29,520
It's kind of like I need to pass
the torch to a younger generation.
252
00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,136
It's in need of a lot
of repair, of course,
253
00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:38,440
but I feel lucky, or blessed,
to have it still in existence
254
00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:40,560
and with the potential
255
00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:45,880
of being refurbished and reborn.
256
00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,040
In a remote region of Indonesia
257
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:59,120
is a defensive structure
built in an age of discovery,
258
00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:00,000
conquest and greed.
259
00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:01,200
Conquest and greed.
260
00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,720
It's an island paradise.
It's hot and humid.
261
00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:09,776
There are fishing boats
dotting the landscape,
262
00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:13,680
and at the water's edge, there's
a cluster of one-storey buildings.
263
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,640
Further up the hill is
what looks like a castle.
264
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:24,000
The imposing structure
suggests a military history,
265
00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,160
but just whose battleground
was this tropical island?
266
00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:32,160
The brutal construction,
267
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,840
at odds with the serene
beauty of the surrounding land,
268
00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,240
suggests it was built by
people a long way from home.
269
00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,800
This design is typical of the
Pentagon-shaped fortresses
270
00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:46,320
found across Europe,
271
00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:51,120
but here, it's on the remote
island of banda neira in Indonesia.
272
00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:54,320
There's a courtyard
at the centre,
273
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:58,320
with what looks like a well,
and these strange square blocks,
274
00:16:58,360 --> 00:16:59,999
where it's really not clear
what their purpose was.
275
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,600
Where it's really not clear
what their purpose was.
276
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,400
From the outer wall,
still armed with cannons,
277
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,160
you can see miles
into the distance.
278
00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,319
So clearly this was set up to
stave off any threat from the oceans.
279
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,319
What was it here that required
such immense protection?
280
00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:21,920
And what foreign
force risked slaughter
281
00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:26,839
by launching a daring raid to
seize control of the prized asset?
282
00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,000
This relic was once the site
283
00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:36,800
of a furious battle raged over
the most unlikely of treasures.
284
00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:49,720
The Indonesian island of
banda has long been coveted
285
00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:51,480
for its natural resources.
286
00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:54,840
Lukman ang is a local guide,
287
00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:58,040
born and raised in
this tropical paradise.
288
00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:02,680
(Speaks foreign language)
289
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,640
For hundreds of years, the
location of the banda islands
290
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:25,240
and their sought-after riches
remained a closely guarded secret.
291
00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:29,720
Their eventual discovery
would change everything.
292
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:32,880
(Speaks foreign language)
293
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,880
We've all heard the phrase,
"money doesn't grow on trees."
294
00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,680
Well, here in banda, it did.
295
00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:55,280
Spice was really the most
valuable commodity of the age,
296
00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:59,999
and the banda islands were the
Jewel in the crown of this trade network.
297
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,656
And the banda islands were the
Jewel in the crown of this trade network.
298
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,520
It was the only known
place in the world
299
00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,120
where you could grow
nutmeg and mace.
300
00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:13,000
Nutmeg was especially important,
as it was thought to prevent plague.
301
00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:16,616
What value would
you put on something
302
00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:18,840
that could cure
you of the plague?
303
00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:23,560
Unsurprisingly, Europeans
would pay an extortionate amount
304
00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:25,040
for this medicine.
305
00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,880
In the early 1500s,
306
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:34,880
only Asian and arab traders knew
where to find the prized spices.
307
00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:38,680
Among Europe's
fledging colonial forces,
308
00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,040
the race was on
to find the islands
309
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:44,520
and seize control of the
lucrative trade for themselves.
310
00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:47,080
(Speaks foreign language)
311
00:19:57,120 --> 00:19:59,840
The Dutch were next
to discover the islands
312
00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:00,000
and they swiftly forced
out their European rivals.
313
00:20:00,001 --> 00:20:03,280
And they swiftly forced
out their European rivals.
314
00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,920
At first, they tried to strike a
peaceful deal with bandanese nobles
315
00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,480
that would Grant them exclusive
rights to the islands' riches.
316
00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,960
But this contract alone wasn't
enough to guarantee a monopoly,
317
00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,360
and they soon turned to
another means of control.
318
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:28,320
In 1609, the Dutch
admiral verhoeven
319
00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:31,720
arrives in the banda islands
with a request to build a fort,
320
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,840
but the banda people aren't
gonna hand over their land so lightly.
321
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:38,600
Verhoeven and his men
were ambushed and killed.
322
00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,400
The Dutch responded
by destroying local ships,
323
00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:44,360
plundering villages and
executing local leaders.
324
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:51,240
This extraordinary violence led
to the signing of a peace treaty,
325
00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:54,080
which recognised Dutch
authority over banda,
326
00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:56,640
and even more importantly,
over the spice trade.
327
00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:00,000
And so what began
as, you know, trade,
328
00:21:00,001 --> 00:21:03,040
and so what began
as, you know, trade,
329
00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,800
really involved
colonisation and occupation.
330
00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,440
Fort Nassau, built in 1609,
331
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:17,600
would prove to be only the
first of a number of strongholds
332
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:21,200
constructed to safeguard
Dutch interests in the area.
333
00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:27,080
What unfolded was a tragic
story, stained in the blood of locals
334
00:21:27,120 --> 00:21:30,280
spilled at the hands
of foreign invaders.
335
00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,520
By 1621, the Dutch still felt
336
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:40,360
that they didn't have a secure
monopoly on the nutmeg trade.
337
00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:44,840
Some locals continued
to trade with other nations,
338
00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,520
in defiance of their
treaty with the Dutch.
339
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:53,160
The Dutch had all the excuse
they needed to initiate a massacre.
340
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:56,400
Nobels were beheaded,
341
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,480
villages razed and
islanders tortured.
342
00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:00,000
It was a bloodbath.
343
00:22:00,001 --> 00:22:01,560
It was a bloodbath.
344
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:09,200
The native population
fell from 15,000 to 1,000,
345
00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,760
and maybe even less than that.
346
00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:13,976
By virtually annihilating
the bandenese people,
347
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,480
the Dutch secured their
monopoly, but at a horrible cost.
348
00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,320
In fact, the Dutch had killed
so many bandanese people
349
00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:25,440
that they needed to turn to
and bring in enslaved labour
350
00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:28,240
from India and China to
work on the plantations.
351
00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:32,920
(Speaks foreign language)
352
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,360
But the Dutch weren't
alone in their endeavours.
353
00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,360
The British also had
their eye on the region.
354
00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:00,000
The spice wars were about
to enter a dangerous new era,
355
00:23:00,001 --> 00:23:03,600
the spice wars were about
to enter a dangerous new era,
356
00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:07,200
and for that, the Dutch
needed a new stronghold.
357
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:11,120
As tensions increased,
358
00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:16,240
the Dutch built the larger
and more strategic fort belgica.
359
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:18,760
(Speaks foreign language)
360
00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:32,296
The belgica fort, which
is still standing today,
361
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:36,080
was begun in 1667 and
took six years to complete,
362
00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:40,080
and once completed, it
could Garrison 400 troops.
363
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,800
Every inch of the fort's
construction was intended to inspire
364
00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,800
fear among locals and deter
any would-be European attackers.
365
00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:55,680
(Speaks foreign language)
366
00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:19,640
The outer ring
consists of a low wall,
367
00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:23,280
designed with five
bastions to cover all angles.
368
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,176
The inner ring was
built much higher,
369
00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:31,080
with five circular towers
that offer panoramic views.
370
00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:34,960
(Speaks foreign language)
371
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,400
From here, it was easy to spot
372
00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:50,680
anyone trying to
smuggle spices illegally.
373
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:56,120
Those whom they caught they
threw into these cramped prison cells.
374
00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,040
They were built for
political prisoners,
375
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:00,936
but also for any of the locals
but also for any of the locals
376
00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:03,520
who dared to sell nutmeg
to anyone but the Dutch.
377
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,760
Capture didn't just
mean imprisonment.
378
00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:12,440
It often meant a death sentence.
379
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:16,760
(Speaks foreign language)
380
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,440
But Dutch domination
of the islands’ people
381
00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:54,960
and the money-spinning trade in
nutmeg and mace was nearing its end.
382
00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:56,360
The British were coming.
383
00:25:58,120 --> 00:25:59,800
The British had
never relinquished
384
00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:00,000
their desire to get their
hands on the spice trade.
385
00:26:00,001 --> 00:26:02,840
Their desire to get their
hands on the spice trade.
386
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:08,240
And when the Netherlands fell
to France in the napoleonic wars,
387
00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:11,960
the British sensed an opportunity
and invaded the islands.
388
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:18,640
In August, 1810, a naval squadron
commanded by captain Cole arrived
389
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:21,000
in the waters of the banda sea.
390
00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:23,640
(Speaks foreign language)
391
00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:37,880
From the towers of this bastion,
392
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,920
it seems impossible the British
could have avoided detection.
393
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,840
The guards in their sentry boxes
394
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,960
would have sighted them as
soon as they came over the horizon.
395
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:49,960
But captain Cole was clever.
396
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,160
He arrived at night under
the cover of darkness.
397
00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:56,680
At sunrise, Cole and his men
398
00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:59,999
launched their surprise
attack and stormed fort belgica.
399
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,016
Launched their surprise
attack and stormed fort belgica.
400
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,360
They threw ladders against
the side of the ramparts
401
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,480
and climbed up under
heavy musket fire.
402
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:12,840
Rather than stand and fight, the
Dutch soldiers fled for their lives.
403
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,120
Within hours, the
battle was over,
404
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,840
and the British claimed control
over the rest of the island.
405
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:28,200
The Dutch were in no mood to
give up their prized asset so easily.
406
00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:31,560
They rallied their
troops and hit back.
407
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,600
It wouldn't be long before
the Dutch reclaimed their stake,
408
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:41,480
but Cole and his men uprooted
hundreds of nutmeg seedlings
409
00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:43,880
to replant in other colonies.
410
00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:51,600
With that, the
Dutch stranglehold
411
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,160
on the spice trade
was fatally weakened.
412
00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,560
And as the colonial
era faded into history,
413
00:27:57,600 --> 00:27:59,999
so too did the
fort's significance.
414
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:01,400
So too did the
fort's significance.
415
00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:05,120
By the mid-1900s, it was
completely abandoned.
416
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:14,080
In 1991, fort
belgica was restored
417
00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:17,440
and now serves as
a tourist destination.
418
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,760
Today, it's a powerful reminder
419
00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:26,400
of a brutal era when savagery
and greed ruled supreme.
420
00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,200
(Speaks foreign language)
421
00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:43,040
The ruins at fort Nassau
and belgica stand as a sign
422
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,600
of the violence and destruction
423
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,160
wrought on this region
by the colonisers.
424
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:52,120
The bandara really suffered
under European colonialism.
425
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,760
These were state-funded
trading organisations
426
00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,880
with the aim of increasing
influence on the world stage.
427
00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:00,000
But in essence,
they were just pirates.
428
00:29:00,001 --> 00:29:02,400
But in essence,
they were just pirates.
429
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,360
And we can still
see this dynamic
430
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,656
playing out in the
modern world today.
431
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:12,560
We can still see war
being fought as a business.
432
00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:18,680
We can still see economic interest
driving conflicts of various sorts,
433
00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:22,160
and you still see corporations,
backed by governments,
434
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:24,216
trying to seize
control of resources,
435
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,280
seize control of certain
regions for their resources.
436
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,840
In the former Soviet
republic of Belarus,
437
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:40,320
near the Russian border,
438
00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:44,120
is a disturbing reminder
of more troubled times.
439
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,680
It's actually very hard to
make sense of this complex
440
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,600
when you first see it,
and that's kind of the point.
441
00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,600
Crumbling interiors reveal
442
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:00,000
a construction designed
to command and conquer.
443
00:30:00,001 --> 00:30:02,800
A construction designed
to command and conquer.
444
00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:07,760
There are bunker-like structures
445
00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,680
built with thick,
reinforced concrete,
446
00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:14,680
meant for keeping whoever was
on the inside safe from something,
447
00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:19,440
and yet they afford a very good
view of the surrounding landscape.
448
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:20,760
That was no accident.
449
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,760
This complex was built way
out in the middle of nowhere,
450
00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:28,920
and that's crucial.
451
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:30,480
Given what they were doing here,
452
00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:34,760
they could not be near
any large residential areas.
453
00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:40,800
This was a theatre of power
and the drama that played out here
454
00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:45,680
was intended to strike fear into
the hearts of enemies near and far.
455
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:49,000
In some ways, what happened here
456
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:51,640
draws parallels with
modern-day Russia.
457
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:58,440
An event of this size looked
like it could only mean one thing...
458
00:30:58,480 --> 00:30:59,999
A full-scale invasion.
459
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,000
A full-scale invasion.
460
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:06,960
How important was this structure
461
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:11,520
to an event that caused
the cold war to turn red-hot?
462
00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:18,000
(Serious music)
463
00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:22,360
Yuriy shapovalov was an
officer in the Soviet army.
464
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:25,640
He first came to
this location in 1981.
465
00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:32,480
(Speaks foreign language)
466
00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:51,880
At the time of yuriy's visit, the
world was a very different place.
467
00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:55,560
(Speaks foreign language)
468
00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:18,760
You would have had men in
uniform swarming all over this place,
469
00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,240
whistles, shouts, crashes
booming all around.
470
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:27,120
It would have felt like utter chaos.
But this was organised chaos.
471
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:31,760
Whoever was in charge here
needed to build something that was
472
00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:36,720
almost a fully functioning city,
and they had to do it in record time.
473
00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:40,200
And the superpower behind it
474
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:44,640
had all the motivation it needed
to achieve the staggering feat.
475
00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,440
Up until 1980, when the Soviet
union invades Afghanistan,
476
00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:56,080
there had been a decade of
detente, of increasing normalisation
477
00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:59,280
of relations between
the west and the east.
478
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:02,720
But by 1981, that was done with,
479
00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,800
and the cold war was
heating up all over again.
480
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:10,200
To make matters worse,
communist rulers in Moscow
481
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:14,040
were also facing growing
unrest within their own borders.
482
00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,920
In the late 1970s
and early 1980s,
483
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:22,480
there's a wave of anti-Soviet
sentiment in Poland,
484
00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:25,040
and this is not good
news for the Soviet union.
485
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:31,720
The election of a Polish pope
only served to add fuel to the fire.
486
00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:38,520
When pope John
Paul ii is elected,
487
00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:45,520
he is the senior holy man in
a technically atheist country,
488
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:51,160
and that was a poke in the eye
489
00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,000
to officially atheist communism.
490
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:58,840
Even under communist rule,
Poland had remained one of the most
491
00:33:58,880 --> 00:33:59,999
catholic countries in Europe, so
to now have a catholic Polish pope
492
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:05,880
catholic countries in Europe, so
to now have a catholic Polish pope
493
00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:10,440
calling so visibly
for resistance
494
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,760
was a real threat to
communist rule in the region,
495
00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,840
so they needed to take
care of things very quickly.
496
00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:22,480
Moscow goes to the Polish
defence minister and says,
497
00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:25,280
"you will crack down,
or we will invade."
498
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:31,240
Soon, troops begin to amass in
the Soviet-controlled state of Belarus,
499
00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:33,360
which shares a
border with Poland.
500
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:36,600
(Speaks foreign language)
501
00:34:58,440 --> 00:34:59,999
So western analysts see
502
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:01,480
so western analysts see
503
00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:06,320
the Soviet army massing
in Eastern Europe,
504
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:10,160
and they have got to
take seriously the idea
505
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:17,000
that this is a Soviet land
attack against NATO.
506
00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,040
Something of this scale
507
00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:24,080
definitely looked like the
precursor to an invasion.
508
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:27,040
But not all was as it seemed.
509
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:31,040
These are the dretun
training grounds,
510
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:36,520
the site of one of the largest
military drills ever performed.
511
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:44,000
It was called
west-81 or zapad-81,
512
00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:46,760
'zapad' being the
Russian word for ‘west’.
513
00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:51,920
And on the surface, it was
just a massive military exercise,
514
00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:54,280
but it was something
more than that.
515
00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:00,000
The zapad exercise
program is a proof of concept,
516
00:36:00,001 --> 00:36:03,400
the zapad exercise
program is a proof of concept,
517
00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:06,920
and the concept
they’re proving is
518
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:11,400
that the Soviet army can survive
519
00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:17,440
an American nuclear attack and then
command and coordinate a response.
520
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:23,400
(Speaks foreign language)
521
00:36:58,800 --> 00:36:59,999
Zapad-81 may have been presented
522
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:01,920
zapad-81 may have been presented
523
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:04,800
as a carefully orchestrated
training exercise,
524
00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:09,760
but the west continued to
observe with deep suspicion.
525
00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,040
This was an era
when one false move
526
00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:15,680
could have unleashed
nuclear armageddon.
527
00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:22,800
There was great uncertainty about
what was going to happen next.
528
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:26,240
Everyone in the
west is acutely aware
529
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:33,240
that this could be
cover for world war III.
530
00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:36,880
(Speaks foreign language)
531
00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:09,240
All the west could do was watch
and wait as the drama unfolded.
532
00:38:10,240 --> 00:38:13,240
The Soviets filmed
the entire production,
533
00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,080
running it like the set
of a Hollywood movie.
534
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:20,280
Only here, the
missiles were all real.
535
00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:25,960
(Speaks foreign language)
536
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:53,400
News of the exercises quickly
spread around the world.
537
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:57,040
(Speaks foreign language)
538
00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:15,280
It was theatre. It was
national security theatre.
539
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:23,160
The Soviet army had a lot of
amphibious armoured vehicles,
540
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:25,960
and the problem is that
the armoured vehicles
541
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:30,680
could not cross rivers very well,
so what they did was they built
542
00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:36,360
concrete lanes across the bottoms
of the rivers just for this exercise.
543
00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:40,080
It was a demonstration
to the rest of the world
544
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:43,200
that the Soviets had
the numbers and the will
545
00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:46,440
to overrun Europe
if they so wished.
546
00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:52,560
But western leaders were
not the only ones spooked
547
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:56,640
by this massive display
of Soviet strength.
548
00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:59,400
The intimidation tactics
were also intended
549
00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:00,000
to send a very powerful message
to Poland's dissenting population.
550
00:40:00,001 --> 00:40:03,520
To send a very powerful message
to Poland's dissenting population.
551
00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:07,960
One of the reasons
to look really good
552
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:14,960
is that this is meant to make
clear to the Polish government
553
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:19,200
that the Soviet army is
ready to invade Poland
554
00:40:19,240 --> 00:40:24,200
and there will be nothing that the
Polish government can do about it.
555
00:40:24,240 --> 00:40:27,840
That is very clearly
intended here.
556
00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:32,720
The exercises at dretun played
out for eight consecutive days
557
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:37,560
and are said to have
involved up to 150,000 troops.
558
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,880
In Poland, the Soviets
didn't have to mount
559
00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:46,880
a military incursion to put
down anti-Soviet demonstrations
560
00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:49,840
in the way they had done
in czechoslovakia in ’68,
561
00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,080
so you could say that the
show of force was a big success
562
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:54,600
from the Soviet perspective.
563
00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:59,040
And much to the relief
of nervous NATO forces,
564
00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:00,000
on the 12th of September, 1981,
565
00:41:00,001 --> 00:41:02,200
on the 12th of September, 1981,
566
00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:05,840
the Soviet military simply
packed up and headed home.
567
00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,720
The dretun training fields
568
00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:15,760
would never again host military
manoeuvres of such magnitude.
569
00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:20,760
(Speaks foreign language)
570
00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:32,320
There have been many
exercises in the following decades,
571
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:35,360
but none that could
quite match this one
572
00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,840
in terms of the scale
and global attention.
573
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:50,120
Today, the war games at dretun
are over, but danger still remains.
574
00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:52,360
(Speaks foreign language)
575
00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:10,920
For soldiers like yuriy, the
cold war cast a long shadow,
576
00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:13,880
and although full-scale
war never erupted,
577
00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:18,680
the events of west-81
had a lasting impact.
578
00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:37,239
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