Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama considering legal action after alleged police assault

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama said he is considering legal action after alleging he was assaulted by police during a traffic dispute in Tamale in Ghana’s Northern Region over the weekend of 21–22 March 2026. Mahama told CitiFM the incident occurred after Eid-Ul-Fitr prayers on Saturday, 21 March, and videos showed him with blood-stained clothing describing a broken tooth, bleeding, and rib pain; he later spoke at a press conference on 23 March and said he was treated at a hospital in Tamale. Ghana’s Northern Regional Police Command denied his claim that the officers involved were from the inspector general’s special operations team known as “Black Maria,” stating that unit was not in the city at the time. Mahama said the injuries forced him to postpone scheduled lectures in London (including at the Royal College of Art, University of Cambridge, and Oxford University) and travel to Helsinki, Amsterdam, and South Africa; he is known for large-scale jute-sack installations and for founding cultural spaces in Tamale, and he topped ArtReview’s Power 100 in December 2025.

Read the full article at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events