Nikki Comninos’ ‘Unspoken War’ reveals SA's hidden conflicts

AFTER working on several hit documentaries, including Tracking Thabo Bester and Devilsdorp, South African filmmaker Nikki Comninos is thrilled for the nation to delve into her latest project, Unspoken War.

- KARISHMA DIPA

The local documentary, which will premiere on Showmax on November 12, reopens some of the nation’s deepest wounds. The six-part show chronicles the nation’s covert war across Angola, Namibia, and within its own borders between 1966 and 1989.

Often referred to as the South African Border War, the Angolan Bush War or the Namibian War of Independence, the production aims to give a voice to those who could not speak for themselves at this time.

Comninos explained that one of the reasons she decided to helm this series was because no formal declaration of war was ever made.

In addition, the soldiers were ordered not to speak about it, leaving their families uncertain about the circumstances which led to their loved ones’ deaths.

“The subject of this series is also incredibly important,’ she stressed during an interview with Independent Media Lifestyle.

“It is such an unexplored, yet deeply impacting, part of our past.”

“Once I started researching the subject, I realised that the reverberations of these conflicts are everywhere you look - within generational relationships, within community dynamics, in the security industry, within boarding school and hostel culture - the list goes on”