BBC Announces Landmark Documentary on Biafran War, “Surviving Biafra”

The BBC World Service has announced a landmark 75-minute documentary on the Biafran War. Directed by award-winning Nigerian filmmaker Meji Alabi, the documentary features eye-witness accounts, highly personal accounts of the time, and previously unseen archive footage from the frontline, presenting differing perspectives from those on both sides of the conflict.

Produced by the award-winning BBC Africa Eye team, Surviving Biafra explores one of the most devastating periods in Nigerian history through conversations with soldiers and civilians who lived through the war. In the documentary, Meji Alabi interviews his grandfather, a former army commander, alongside people his grandfather fought with and against. With many survivors now in their 70s and 80s, the film arrives at a critical moment in preserving the memories and experiences of those who witnessed the conflict firsthand.

The Nigerian Civil War claimed the lives of between 600,000 and three million people amid allegations of war crimes and genocide, with many victims dying from starvation. Decades later, the traumatic impact of the war continues to shape conversations around identity, memory, and nationhood in Nigeria, particularly as secessionist groups once again operate in the country’s Eastern Region.

Speaking on the documentary, Meji Alabi said: “Like so many Nigerians, my grandfather’s life was forever shaped by the Biafran War. With each passing year, fewer survivors remain — but the memories of what they witnessed have never left them. It is now the responsibility of younger generations to preserve these stories before they disappear forever.”

Liz Gibbons, Director, BBC Global Journalism, says: “As we approach the sixtieth anniversary since the start of the conflict, the BBC World Service is sharing this incredibly powerful film with our international audience. As well as hearing deeply personal perspectives, we document the events that led up to the war and its devastating impact on so many.”

Surviving Biafra will be available from Monday 1 June on BBC iPlayer and YouTube. The documentary will also be accessible in Hausa, Pidgin, Igbo, Yoruba, and French.

Credit: Surviving Biafra / BBC World Service