SOMA Magazine SOMA Film and Music Issue Aug 15 | Page 51

Awudu Saaed
West Africa
“My dream is to further my education and expand my workshop to
be able to train more people.”
As a child Awudu would hang out at a friend’s house whose
parents had a workshop making woodcarvings. He would love to
see them working and it wasn’t long before he was given a piece
of sandpaper to finish off the items. His mother was bringing up
six children alone and Awudu had to drop out of school to help

support the family. He found employment in the workshop and
managed to save money to buy basic tools to design and carve
his own masks. He had to travel long, often-treacherous routes
to Senegal, Mali and Dakar to sell his work at fairs but says it
was worth it.
“I was determined to take care of my siblings. The long travel
paid off, my work was selling well, and I was able to put my siblings through school. This inspired me to bare all the risks of
traveling.”
Now with NOVICA, Awudu has his own workshop with three
apprentices and has exhibited his work at Ghana’s Trade Fair.
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