Burning from the Inside
This feature documentary is an interview with the high profile members of the Ijaws. The Ijaws are a collection of peoples indigenous mostly to the forest regions of the Niger Delta, the oil-rich
region of Nigeria.
Nigeria is the world's sixth largest exporter of crude oil, holds the fourth largest reserve of oil and gas and is an important supplier of oil to the US. Since the British left Nigeria in the 1960s the country has been in a state of semi-civil war, wracked by religious conflicts, and its natural resources looted by western companies, as a result of which millions of people have died.
The people interviewed in this film have all suffered horrendous violence in their struggle for
independence. Some have been on death row, some raped, some kidnapped and even tortured. Off camera they are quite willing to talk but on camera they were too scared because of possible repercussions.
Their story still transpires throughout these portraits.
The project started in January 1997 and by September 2006 the media had changed their general mood be describing the situation of 'gangs, local tribes and the oil companies in conflict' as 'armed militants and guerrillas against the government in a war zone'.
A book describing the whole project, the making of it and its reception by the media and all the players in the conflict and the fall-out between the director and some of the people interviewed is due to be published this year.