Marco the Sculptor
Samuel S. Marco, also known as “Marco”, was an accomplished sculptor and street artist in Sierra Leone, Africa. All of these magnificent statues were carved from single pieces of African mahogany. He beautifully depicted life-like detail in these life-sized statues.
Marco has been recognized for his work by his own country, Sierra Leone, and the United Kingdom.
“In 1993 sculptor Samuel Samei Marco from Freetown, Sierra Leone carved this fantastic statue from English oak in Hull. It depicts an emancipated African slave making a pilgrimage to visit William Wilberforce. The wood carving was given to Wilberforce House as a gift from Marco and remains on display today.”
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Images below taken from the Hull Daily Mail flashback series and Wilberforce House.
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Source: Dr Lauren Darwin, African Stories Project Researcher, Picture Blog #4: Carving of an Emancipated Slave by Samuel Samei Marco, 1993, 7/6/17.
"Thirty-Four people from all walks of life on Tuesday received National Awards from President Ernest Bai Koroma at the State House in Freetown. . . Carver and Sculptor, Samuel Samei Marco ... [was] among those who were made members of the Order of the Rokel. This year’s awards ceremony was held as part of the activities marking Sierra Leone's fiftieth independence anniversary."
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Source: Sierra Leone National Presidential Awards 2011, 29 April 2011, http://www.cottontreenews.org/political?start=5
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Note: "The Order of the Rokel, together with the Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone, is the country's highest award. The OR has three levels: Grand Commander of the Order of the Rokel (GCOR), Commander of the Order of the Rokel (COR), Officer of the Orderof the Rokel (OOR) and Member of the Order of the Rokel (MOR)." Source: www.abbreviations.com/term/1521121
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Samuel Marco died in May, 2018 .
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