Where were the African scenes of Roots filmed?

Question

Were those scenes filmed on location in Africa? The scene where Kunta Kinte first sees white slavers sorta looks like Florida. I'd appreciate any links that could verify your information. Thanks.

zroger, I see you have modernized Kunta Kinte's name to be spelled like al-Qaeda or Qadaffi. However, Alex Haley, who wrote the book, spelled the name "Kunta Kinte."

Answer 1

The African scenes were shot in Savannah, Georgia.

"After a long and painstaking search, Savannah, Georgia, had been chosen as the American location that looked most like West Africa of Roots. Stan Margulies tells why the site was selected. 'During 1975, we had done a lot of location-looking in Southern California. We had to find both Africa and Annapolis, Maryland, in one site. We needed a ship, and we needed places that would represent cotton and tobacco plantations in Virginia and North Carolina. Well, we found a couple of very good ships on the West Coast. But there was no California place that in any way, shape, or form was going to look like Africa. I was really terrified, because David told me we didn't have enough... budget to go to Africa, and I felt if we started shooting in Souther n California and said that it was Africa we'd face a total disaster. So I called some of the good production managers I know and asked them if they knew some place that looked like Africa where we could film.'"

Eventually, a production manager with ABC named Marty Katz told Margulies that Savannah looked like Africa. They checked with Alex Haley, who visited the location and said that it looked exactly like Juffure in the Gambia.

Answer 2

Where Was Roots Filmed

Answer 3

According to the imdb, here is the list of filming locations:

*Administration Building, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA
(plantation house)

*Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, California, USA

*Santa Clarita, California, USA

*Savannah, Georgia, USA

*St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA

Answer 4

QUNTA QUINTE!