[2][3] It tells the story of the Benin Empire (located in modern-day Nigeria), how its treasures were looted in 1897 by the British military, what happened to them next, and examines the current debate about restitution.
The judges described it as 'a balanced and expertly-written history of how the world-famous Benin bronzes were stolen and their fate, which dives deep into the moral and ethical dilemmas of museums and collectors today.'
Whilst at the BBC, he worked extensively in the Middle East, West Africa and Asia, and has covered major stories such as the AIDS epidemic, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the wars in Liberia and Iraq, the 2002 Southern African food crises, and the South Asian tsunami.
[10] The documentary, tracing the extraordinary life of a Nigerian veteran of a Burma campaign, Isaac Fadoyebo, won a CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2012.
[12] It tells the dramatic story of the survival of Isaac Fadoyebo, a Nigerian soldier who was part of the forgotten African army that fought in Burma for the British in the Second World War.
Another Man's War was described by The Daily Telegraph as a "profoundly moving" book that "ranks alongside such classics of wartime literature as The Great Escape and Darkness Be My Friend".
[15] The Times Literary Supplement said it was "impressive....a gripping military history which brings African witnesses to the dying days of the British Empire out of the shadows".
[21] The Evening Standard said this 'compelling book is full of African voices...balanced, sternly critical of the Brits when that is appropriate, but at the same time humane, reasonable, and ultimately optimistic.'
Phillips has written a humane and thoughtful book, devoid of the sort of posturing that mars the debate over the repatriation of objects brought to the West during the colonial era.'