The Foreign Office has quietly signalled its backing for a documentary project that promises to reopen old wounds. Or heal them. Depends who you ask.
A Grammy-winning director, name not yet released but sources say it's a woman of Nigerian heritage, is tracing her grandfather's involvement in the Biafran war. The project has received what one Whitehall insider called 'soft support' from the UK government. 'They are not writing cheques, but they are opening doors,' the source said.
This is sensitive. The Biafran war, 1967-1970, remains a live wire in Nigerian politics. The UK's role then was controversial: arms sales to the federal government, despite evidence of starvation in Biafra. Now, with a new generation of diaspora filmmakers, London sees an opportunity to 'engage constructively with colonial legacy.'
But don't expect a mea culpa. The official line: 'We support efforts to understand the past.' That's boilerplate. The real game is influence. Nigeria is a key partner in West Africa. Oil, trade, security. The UK needs allies. Supporting this film is cheap goodwill.
Still, there are risks. The director's grandfather was a Biafran officer. That's a specific angle. Will the film be a personal quest or a political indictment? Whitehall is betting on the former. 'It's about family, not blame,' a diplomatic source stressed.
Yet the timing is curious. Just months after the UK unveiled its 'Global Britain' strategy, which emphasises Commonwealth ties. And with the Scottish independence referendum looming, the government needs to show it can hold the union together. A film about a secessionist war? That's a tightrope.
Labour backbenchers are already sniffing around. One told me: 'If this film highlights UK complicity in war crimes, the government will have to answer.' Expect parliamentary questions. Expect the usual defences about 'different times, different standards.'
But here's the thing: polling suggests the British public has little appetite for colonial guilt. Most people don't know much about Biafra. So the government can afford to be seen as supportive without facing domestic backlash.
The director is currently in Lagos, conducting interviews. She has also met with Nigerian officials. The BBC has expressed interest in broadcasting the final product. That would give it massive reach.
What happens next? The film will be submitted to festivals. If it gets buzz, the narrative becomes uncontrollable. The UK's 'soft support' could become a hard problem.
For now, the Foreign Office is playing the long game. 'This is about building bridges,' a spokesperson said. But in Westminster, we know bridges are also strategic fortifications.
Watch this space. The Biafran ghosts are stirring.
