Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, at work, Ibadan, Nigeria

"Born in 1928 at Ila Orangun, Lamidi O. Fakeye took to woodcarving early and naturally, for the Fakeyes are renowned woodcarvers. In this autobiography, Fakeye writes a beguilingly conversational account of his peripatetic childhood, his fortuitous meeting with Father Kevin Carroll in 1949, and his apprenticeship under master sculptor George Bamidele Arowoogun at the Oye-Ekiti workshop. Fakeye's association with the Catholics led to numerous prestigious commissions for doors, panels, posts, and statuary, and in 1960 to his first solo exhibition in Ibadan. The following year, a second exhibition resulted in forging links with Americans from Western Michigan University, then working in Ibadan. Fakeye's friendships and long associations with his colleagues in Kalamazoo, Michigan (his American home town) culminated in the 1996 retrospective exhibition in Kalamazoo and the present book." [Haight B. and Curl D., 1996: Lamidi Olonade Fakeye: A Retrospective Exhibition and Autobiography; Oak Woods Media]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.