In a little-known but extraordinary episode of history, a Yoruba monarch once stood up to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi propaganda machine — and won.
Chief Ladapo Samuel Ademola II, the Alake of Egbaland, made international headlines in 1934 when he successfully sued the German state broadcaster over a racist documentary that insulted African people and culture. The offensive film, widely aired across Europe, portrayed Africans as primitive and ridiculed African royalty and traditions.
At the time, Chief Ademola was in Europe on a diplomatic mission. Outraged by the derogatory portrayal of his people, he took the bold step of filing a defamation suit in a Berlin court — right in the heart of Nazi Germany.
Defying the odds, the court ruled in his favor. The German broadcaster was ordered to pull the film and issue a formal apology. It was an unprecedented legal victory: an African traditional ruler had not only defended the dignity of his people but had outmaneuvered one of the world’s most notorious regimes — in its own court system.
Though history has largely overlooked this remarkable moment, Chief Ladapo Ademola’s courageous stand remains a powerful reminder of African resistance, intellect, and diplomacy in an era dominated by colonial narratives.
It’s time the world remembered the Nigerian king who defeated Hitler’s propaganda — and made history.
