Black History Month: Painting protest — Dreph’s street art as activism
For Black History Month, Evga writes about the inspirational and uplifting street art of Neequaye “Dreph” Dsane.
When people take to the streets, they carry placards and banners. They’re not just cardboard signs – they’re art, designed to provoke, inspire, and demand change. Activism has always leaned on creativity.
That’s what I love about the work of Ghanaian British artist Neequaye “Dreph” Dsane. Instead of slogans, he paints faces. His huge murals are bold, unapologetic statements about identity, pride, and resilience, claiming public space for stories that need to be seen.
There are three that really stay with me:
Ignatius Sancho in Southwark: On the wall of the Africa Centre, Dreph honours Sancho – writer, composer, abolitionist, and the first known Black Briton to vote. It’s powerful seeing his portrait right there in the heart of London.
You Are Enough series: In 2017, Dreph painted ten portraits of Black British women across London. These weren’t celebrities, but friends doing extraordinary things for their communities – teachers, mental health professionals, survivors of domestic abuse, youth mentors, caregivers, and community builders. He put them on the same large scale usually reserved for politicians or stars, making their strength and brilliance impossible to miss.
Duality – Hillary and NJ in Tottenham Hale: Two sisters, different personalities but inseparable. Painted during the first London Mural Festival in 2021, it turned a neglected wall into a symbol of sisterhood and local pride.
Like protest art, these murals push boundaries. They declare: we are here, see us.
This Black History Month, I’m reminded that activism takes many forms. Some march with banners. Others carry paint to a wall. Both make history impossible to ignore.