Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, whose renowned installations and large-scale sculptures interrogate his home country’s civil and material society, has threatened to sue his government after members of its police force allegedly assaulted him.
According to local news coverage, members of Ghana’s Special Operations Team, also known as the “Black Maria,” allegedly assaulted the well-known artist on March 21, following Eid al-Fitr prayers in Tamale, the northern city where Mahama founded the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art and Red Clay Studio.
Officers reportedly began assaulting several motorists, including Mahama, after attempting to clear traffic. Mahama reportedly lost two teeth and was treated in a local hospital.
In a March 21 press release, the Ghana Police Service called media reports stating that its Black Maria unit perpetuated the assault “false.” The agency claimed its officers were not in the region at the time of the assault and were removed from the area on March 5. An investigation into the incident is being launched, the Ghana Police Service claimed.
It is unclear whether Mahama was specifically targeted. The Ghana Police Service has not responded to Hyperallergic‘s inquiry.
Hyperallergic has attempted to reach Mahama for comment via his gallery, White Cube, the Savannah Centre, and Red Clay Studio.
During a media conference on Tuesday, March 24, Mahama said he would pursue legal action against the Black Maria officers to deter them from carrying out similar assaults around the country. According to the news website GhanaWeb, the Black Maria has been accused of using excessive force against civilians as it carries out its mandate to reduce electoral disruptions.
Mahama also reportedly accused the police force’s leader, Bawah Abdul Jali, of attempting to slap him. One of the other alleged victims said the officers forced them to delete their video footage of the event and took them to a local police station, where they were beaten.
“We’ve heard many stories about this same unit and the brutalities,” Mahama told reporters on Tuesday. “They’ve done so many things. That’s why they could say that we could kill you and nothing would happen. So certainly there has to be some kind of justice.”
When asked if he would pursue legal action against the Black Maria, Mahama called the move a “no-brainer.”
“If this could happen to me, as known as I am, then what about the people on the street if they [the Black Maria] go for an operation and then they beat someone up, and the person dies of internal injuries, who’s going to speak for that person?” Mahama continued.
Mahama was one of six artists selected to represent Ghana in the country’s first-ever pavilion, Ghana Freedom, in 2019. In his installations, he frequently repurposes industrial materials, including rusted sewing machines, to examine interactions between his home country and exploitative European colonial powers.
“The reason why I brought Red Clay to Tamale was because I wanted to see some kind of cultural justice,” Mahama said during Tuesday’s media event. “Why can’t we redistribute culture to people ordinarily and all that?”
