Grammy-winning director explores his Nigerian grandfather's role in the Biafran war

Meji Alabi has directed immoderate of the biggest selling euphony artists connected the planet: Beyoncé, Burna Boy, Davido and Stormzy. But thing prepared the Grammy Award-winning manager for his caller documentary connected Nigeria's civilian war.

Warning: This nonfiction contains details immoderate readers whitethorn find disturbing.

Surviving Biafra: Voices from the Nigerian Civil War, produced by BBC Africa Eye, includes antecedently unseen footage taken connected the beforehand enactment of the devastating warfare that lasted from 1967 until 1970 erstwhile taste tensions threatened to teardrop isolated the young West African nation.

"It was precise overmuch an oculus opener for me. I conscionable grew up not knowing overmuch astir the warfare astatine all, oregon who was warring who," said the 37-year-old, who was calved successful London to Nigerian parents earlier moving to Texas successful the US to spell to school.

A highpoint successful his vocation came 5 years agone erstwhile helium won a Grammy for co-directing the euphony video for Beyoncé's deed Brown Skin Girl.

It was not until helium teamed up with his uncle Leke Alabi-Isama, who is besides a filmmaker and co-founder of their Lagos-based accumulation institution PriorGold Pictures, for the past documentary task that they some began to realise the extent of Nigeria's traumatic past.

The small they did cognize was learnt from Leke's begetter and Meji's grandfather, Godwin Alabi-Isama, a erstwhile service commando who fought connected the broadside of the national service against taste Igbo separatists warring successful the south-east of the state for a breakaway authorities called Biafra.

"I lone conscionable saw it from a Nigerian [federal army] perspective," said Leke. "I ne'er knew of the horrors. I ne'er knew of the suffering and the symptom of the different side."

Throughout the Africa Eye documentary, survivors, present successful their 70s and 80s, recount their experiences of surviving and warring during a play that shaped the lives of millions and inactive has relevance today.

The conflict, besides known arsenic the Biafran war, began aft a bid of subject coups and months of massacres against Igbo radical surviving successful the northbound successful Nigeria.

Around a cardinal Igbos past returned to their accepted location portion successful the south-east of the country, wherever 3 states broke distant to signifier the autarkic Republic of Biafra.

The Nigerian authorities declared warfare - 1 of the bloodiest and astir divisive conflicts ever fought connected the continent.

It is estimated that betwixt 500,000 and 3 cardinal radical died, galore of them children, and it became the world's archetypal televised humanitarian disaster.

Graphic footage of starving children was broadcast into surviving rooms for the precise archetypal time. After 30 months of warring Biafra surrendered.

Most Nigerians larn astir this section of their past done stories handed down done generations. For much than a decennary earlier September 2025, past was not formally portion of Nigeria's nationalist schoolhouse curriculum.

For 44-year-old Leke, who was calved and grew up successful Abeokuta, Ogun authorities successful south-western Nigeria, it was "a enactment oregon 2 lines successful a book".

"It's inactive not afloat covered, you know, the grade of the suffering. And I think, for me, Nigeria is conscionable frightened to face its ain truth," helium said.

Leke and his 23 siblings grew up proceeding warfare stories from their dad, Godwin Alabi-Isama, who served arsenic main of unit to Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle of the 3 Marine Commando during the conflict.

"It conscionable felt similar my dada was known for helping liberate this municipality and these villages. I saw him arsenic a warfare hero," helium said.

It was not until his aboriginal 30s erstwhile Leke started to probe what happened during the warfare that helium learnt of the wide starvation successful Biafra, of his father's arguable relation successful the struggle and the existent grade of the suffering.

The national army, including 3 Marine Commando, person faced allegations of warfare crimes for their behaviour successful Biafra, including executing civilians.

"The archetypal clip I saw those clips of people, children starved… it was horrific. And I deliberation that was a infinitesimal of information for me," Leke said.

"That was the infinitesimal for maine wherever the horrors of the warfare past became facts. Like, OK, thing truly unspeakable happened and my dada was connected the different broadside of it.

"When you find retired that, you know, your information is not the lone truth, it was a humbling moment."

Leke and Meji said they could not recognize wherefore determination were not galore films astir the civilian warfare made by Nigerians, describing however hard it was to find a truthful relationship of what happened.

This is 1 of the galore reasons the duo, who usually enactment with planetary euphony stars, wanted to marque this documentary.

"It's a taxable that, you know, is whispered," said Meji, whose euphony video productions person played a important relation successful bringing Nigeria's euphony country to the world's attention, with their characteristically analyzable choreography and colour attracting tens of millions of online views.

"It hasn't been attacked caput connected and, you know, presented from an inquisitive younger procreation similar this before," helium said.

The documentary pulls unneurotic endowment from crossed the portion - with Meji convincing Ghanaian composer Ray Michael Djan Jr, who worked connected the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, to bash the music.

It besides relied connected the expertise of the BBC's Igbo service, Igbo historians and features first-hand accounts from survivors, immoderate of whom person ne'er spoken publically astir their trauma before.

"This procreation is dilatory fading, and if we bash not sphere their testimonies now, we hazard losing not lone their memories, but the accidental to afloat papers this past successful a mode that tin lend to knowing and healing," said Leke.

Two of the cardinal characters are erstwhile pistillate soldiers, who fought connected other sides. There are besides interviews with an assistance idiosyncratic and erstwhile BBC analogous Martin Bell, who some dependable disapproval astir the planetary effect to the crisis.

While Leke and Meji had heard galore warfare stories from Godwin Alabi-Isama before, they had ne'er been successful a presumption to inquire the pugnacious questions.

The BBC editorial squad led the interrogation to guarantee the erstwhile commandant was pushed connected the warfare transgression allegations made against 3 Marine Commando.

During the conflict, the Nigerian authorities besides blocked nutrient from entering Biafra - cutting the region's entree to seaports, airfields and overseas supplies.

The blockade led to famine and it is thought starvation is however hundreds of thousands of radical died.

Leke described the infinitesimal wherever helium showed his dada the black-and-white footage of emaciated children and said until past successful his "43 years of existence" helium had ne'er heard his father's dependable shake.

"Even each clip I ticker it back, erstwhile it gets to that point, I get, goosebumps," helium said.

During the interrogation his begetter besides described how, unbeknown to him astatine the clip of the conflict, helium ate quality flesh. The infinitesimal of cannibalism happened erstwhile his portion was served nutrient by villagers successful occupied Biafran territory.

In effect to the forthcoming documentary, Nigeria's authorities said it hoped it would service arsenic a reminder of however acold the state had travel successful the past 59 years "and of the enduring value of dialogue, reconciliation and shared intent successful gathering a stronger federation for generations to come".

Both Leke and Meji would similar that - and more.

"My anticipation is that this movie encourages Nigerians to face the darker parts of our shared past with honesty, reflection, and empathy," said Leke.

Meji agrees: "We truly anticipation this documentary encourages much survivors to archer their stories and papers our past further. It's up to america to bash it."

Additional reporting by Charlie Northcott, Izzy Fleming and Adline Okere