GEORGE THE POET REJECTED MBE

George Mpanga, better known by his stage name George the Poet, is a UK-based African spoken-word artist, poet, rapper and podcast host.Show more

For @georgethepoet’s achievements, the British Empire chose to award him Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), which the 33-year-old rejected in 2019 because of how the empire treated his homeland, Uganda, and other colonial holdings.

In this 30 April interview with the UK’s Channel 4, George the Poet said all Global South people should question what the British Empire stands for and reject such awards. He also spoke about how British politics has morphed into displaying indifference toward the working class, which may have more to do with the evolution of capitalism than a breakdown of ethics.