Graffiti, Grief, and Rebellion: The Politics of Street Art in Nigeria’s #EndSARS Protests

Abstract

Abstract This study examines the role of street murals and graffiti as instruments of resistance, memory, and social change during the 2020 #EndSARS movement in Nigeria. Through a qualitative analysis of over 20 protest artworks, semi-structured interviews with participating artists, and a review of media and non-governmental organisations reports, the study explores how visual culture shaped and sustained collective action against police brutality and systemic oppression. Drawing on theories of protest aesthetics, spatial justice, and the radical imagination, the study argues that these artistic expressions were not peripheral to the movement, but central to its identity, emotional resonance, and global reach. The findings reveal that protest art operated on multiple fronts: symbolically confronting state violence, reclaiming urban space, facilitating communal healing, and circulating transnationally through digital platforms. In doing so, the #EndSARS murals and graffiti extended civic participation beyond the streets, embedding resistance into the urban fabric and digital memory. The study contributes to the literature on African social movements by foregrounding the aesthetic dimension of protest, offering new insights into how art functions as a political and affective practice in authoritarian and postcolonial contexts. It also identifies areas for future research, including comparative protest aesthetics across African cities and the long-term impact of art in transitional justice processes.