Outrage over colonial painting that ‘celebrates invasion’ displayed at British Embassy

The Foreign Office has been branded ‘disgusting’ for installing an artwork at the British embassy in Nigeria that ‘celebrates’ the country’s invasion.

The British Deputy High Commission in Lagos installed a painting of a Royal Navy attack on the port city in 1851 which toppled the region’s king, Metro can reveal.

Officials took the decision after Labour came to power in July 2024, but are now facing calls to take it down or risk undermining diplomatic relations.

British-Nigerian historians and activists said the artwork gives the impression the government is ‘celebrating’ colonisation and regime change, but the Foreign Office insists it is there to ‘prompt reflection’.

The painting at the centre of the furious row is ‘British Men of War Attacked by the King of Lagos’, by James George Philp.

It depicts the Reduction of Lagos in 1851, when the Royal Navy stormed the city, deposed King Kosoko and replaced him with their ally Akitoye.

Historians have argued the invasion was to stop Kosoko’s involvement in the slave trade, and to protect British economic and political self-interest.

The attack is widely seen as the first step before full British colonisation of Nigeria in 1861.

Hakim Adi, award-winning British-Nigerian historian, said the Foreign Office should be ‘ashamed’ for putting up an artwork that ‘celebrates invasion and regime change at a time when the world needs to condemn such crimes’.

The professor and African affairs scholar told Metro: ‘The fact that it apparently celebrates the crimes of the past speaks volumes and perhaps provides some indication of its continuing attitude towards Nigeria and Nigerians.’

Professor Kehinde Andrews, co-chair of the Black Studies Association, said it was ‘frankly disgusting but not altogether surprising’ that the Foreign Office would display the picture.

He added that it showed a ‘lack of understanding of the horrors of empire’.

Academic and campaigner Toyin Agbetu said it was ‘deeply distasteful’ that officials chose to display an image that ‘celebrates colonial violence against Nigeria’.

The UCL lecturer called on the government to remove the painting.

He added: ‘While the UK is free to display its bad taste on embassy walls, this directly contradicts any stated commitment to building positive, non-racist relationships with African nations that value the so-called Commonwealth.’

Kim Johnson MP said the FCDO should reconsider their ‘deeply concerning’ choice to install the artwork.

She said: ‘We need transparency about who authorised this and why such a choice was made.’

The UK-based African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) agreed with fears that the art could upset vital political ties between Britain and Nigeria.

Onyekachi Wambu, who coordinates AFFORD’s Return of the Icons Programme, said: ‘At a time when Britain has invested considerable effort in strengthening ties, it seems contradictory, even provocative, to display artwork that commemorates a violent episode widely understood as the foundation of colonial domination.’

Britain installed Akitoye into power after bombarding Lagos and established a ‘quasi-protectorate’ over the region, before annexing it totally as a colony in 1861.

The Foreign Office told Metro they hosted a descendant of the Kosoko family after installing James George Philp’s painting at their site.

The motives for the initial British invasion in 1851 that deposed the king has been contested by scholars.

The official explanation at the time was that the British wanted to replace the pro-slave trading king with his rival, who promised to abolish the abhorrent practice.

However historians – particularly Nigerian scholars – have more recently challenged that view.

J.F.A. Ajayi, one of Nigeria’s most famous historians, argued the British intervened to gain economic control over the region.

One Nigerian museum, the Centre for Memories, told Metro that the Reduction of Lagos was ‘not a neutral or benign episode in Nigerian history’.

The museum’s executive director Iheanyi Igboko added: ‘It represents a moment of violent intervention, political disruption, and the beginning of a trajectory that culminated in colonial rule.

‘To present such an image, particularly within an official diplomatic space, without clear contextualisation risks appearing as a celebration, or at best, an uncritical memorialisation, of imperial force.’

However Nigerian historical preservation group Legacy said it is ‘understandable that a diplomatic mission would seek to acknowledge the history of its past citizens and the naval tenacity displayed during that era.’

They continued: ‘The painting captures the sheer scale of the Royal Navy’s presence a force that was, at the time, instrumental in the difficult and protracted campaign to suppress the transatlantic slave trade along the West African coast.’

‘We do not necessarily view the display as a “celebration” of forced regime change, but rather as a provocative reminder of the forces that shaped modern Lagos.’

Since Labour won the 2024 general election, more than 20 paintings have been installed in the Deputy British High Commission in Lagos. Britain’s High Commission is in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja.

Most of these have highlighted modern works by British-Nigerian artists.

These include Yinka Shonibare’s The Hibiscus and the Rose and Joy Labinjo’s Wash Day.

Other paintings are pictuersque British landscapes, such as Norman Stevens’ Lower Wessex Lane.

Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, Publicity Officer at Legacy, said they were ‘ncouraged to see the inclusion of contemporary voices like Yinka Shonibare and Joy Labinjo’.

They added: ‘Shonibare, in particular, is a master at deconstructing colonial identity, and his presence alongside the Philp painting creates a silent, necessary dialogue between the past and the present.’

Six artworks and sculptures have also been removed from the Lagos Deputy High Commission.

These include pieces by legendary Nigerian artists Ben Enwonwu and Justus Akeredolu, which are both on display at the Tate Modern.

The placement of colonial-era photographs has given officials a headache before.

Buckingham Palace was critcised in March after King Charles posed with Caribbean officials at a London reception ‌beneath a portrait of George IV, who profited from slavery.

A FCDO Spokesperson said: ‘The British High Commission residence in Lagos displays a wide range of modern and historical Nigerian art that we actively use to prompt reflection, including on the complexity of our shared history. 

‘As part of this commitment, we hosted a descendant of the Kosoko family and leading Nigerian historians at the residence to discuss the piece by James George Philp and the events depicted.’

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