Lanre Olagoke Mourns Bonnie Greer, Recalls Eight-Year Bond
Nigerian-British artist and humanitarian Lanre Olagoke, MBE, has paid an emotional tribute to renowned playwright, author and cultural commentator Bonnie Greer, recalling an extraordinary eight-year relationship that grew from mentorship into a deep family bond.
Greer, an influential American-born British cultural figure, died on September 15, 2026, at the age of 77, leaving behind a distinguished legacy spanning literature, theatre, broadcasting, cultural advocacy and public service.
For Olagoke, however, Greer was much more than the celebrated intellectual known to audiences across Britain and beyond. She became his “Egbon” — the Yoruba expression for an older sibling — while she affectionately regarded him as her “Aburo,” or younger sibling.
Their relationship, according to Olagoke, began after their paths crossed at the House of St Barnabas in Soho, London, and developed over eight years into a friendship rooted in art, intellectual exchange, culture and mutual affection.
Reflecting on their journey, Olagoke described Greer as his mentor and dear friend, recalling how her wisdom and probing questions constantly challenged him to examine ideas more deeply.
The bond eventually developed beyond professional collaboration.
Olagoke said Greer, whose relatives were largely based in the United States, effectively created another family around herself in Britain, with their Egbon-Aburo relationship filling an important familial space in their lives.
Their friendship survived the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic and extended into several creative projects designed to promote art, African history and the experiences of people of African descent.
Among their collaborations was a live painting session at the National Gallery connected to Greer’s creative work, as well as the “Reclamation” project, which explored African and diasporic history.
The relationship also reflected Olagoke’s wider commitment to using creativity for social impact.
Through Art-Alive Art Trust, which he founded in the United Kingdom in 1997, Olagoke has worked to give disadvantaged and vulnerable young people opportunities to develop their creative abilities.
His decades of humanitarian work through art earned him recognition as a Member of the Order of the British Empire, MBE, for services to charity and young people.
Greer had publicly celebrated Olagoke’s achievements, describing his recognition as significant not only for the artist himself but also for younger generations who could draw inspiration from his accomplishments.
Olagoke said getting close to Greer was itself a journey, describing her as a complex personality who carefully determined whom she allowed into her inner circle.
Behind the internationally recognised writer, broadcaster and cultural commentator, he said, was a woman whose personality contained dimensions that could only be fully appreciated by those who shared significant parts of their lives with her.
Born in Chicago on November 16, 1948, Greer established herself as an important voice in British cultural life after relocating to the United Kingdom in 1986.
Her career crossed several creative fields, including plays, novels, essays, broadcasting and cultural criticism.
She also occupied prominent institutional positions, including serving as deputy chair of the British Museum and chancellor of Kingston University, while holding roles connected with institutions including the Royal Opera House and London Film School.
Greer was awarded an OBE for services to the arts in 2010 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022.
Her contribution went beyond writing and broadcasting. She became known for engaging questions surrounding race, identity, culture, history and inclusion while encouraging younger creative voices.
For Olagoke, those public achievements formed only one part of the woman he knew personally.
He remembered a mentor who could challenge, encourage and inspire, but who also built meaningful relationships beyond geographical, racial and family boundaries.
As tributes continue following Greer’s death, Olagoke’s recollection offers another window into her legacy — not simply as an internationally recognised cultural figure, but as a mentor whose influence was deeply personal to those she welcomed into her life.
The Nigerian-British artist said the world had lost a brilliant mind and passionate advocate for Black history and creativity, but maintained that her influence would survive through her work and the people whose lives she touched.
For the man she called “Aburo,” Bonnie Greer’s departure represents the loss of much more than a creative collaborator.
It is the loss of an “Egbon,” mentor and adopted family member whose eight-year friendship demonstrated how art, culture and shared humanity could create bonds beyond blood.
