Watch: Water Get No Enemy

Liberia was ravaged by a pair of civil wars from 1989-1997 and from 1999-2003. The wars killed about 500,000 people, and many children were forcibly recruited to serve in the army. 

The nation is situated in West Africa, and the coastline tilts to the south, granting it exposure to the swells that erupt in the Southern Atlantic from about May until August every year. Pair that with warm water and a variety of wave setups and you find that, today, some of the former child soldiers have dropped their machine guns and picked up surfboards. 

This is the focus of Water Get No Enemy [buy here].

Written and directed by French professional surfers and filmmakers Damien Castera and Arthur Bourbon, and produced by Hand Studio and Almo Film, Water Get No Enemy was originally released in the French language last year. The film toured around festivals, winning awards, and earning mainstream media coverage in Europe. Stab Premium is proud to share the recently finished English version of the film. 

The release on Stab Premium coincides with a GoFundMe to build a surf club at Robertsport, which is home to one of Liberia’s best waves (as you’ll see in the film).

As surfing makes its way into the Olympics, the hallmark of a truly global sport, something is becoming increasingly clear. Wherever there is a coastline and some swell, it seems that people are gravitating to surfing. 

It can be easy to scoff at crowded lineups, shout profanities in the general direction of the WSL, or cringe at whatever products surf brands create when they attempt to tap into our collective consciousness. 

However, films like this pull the perspective back and remind us of the simple joy of riding waves, and that joy’s ability to change our lives. We’re all lucky to have stumbled into this. 

Learn more about Water Get No Enemy and Almo Film here. 

And read an interview with one of the film’s directors, Arthur Bourbon, here.