Santos Kallon, Wood Carver from Freetown.

My name is Santos Kallon, I am 27 years old. In 1998 I had my right arm amputated by the rebels. In 2002 I started my wood carving. I just had a feeling in me to make wood carvings. I took a long knife and some soft wood and started to carve.  I started to carve cultural things that is what I had a feeling to do, that is what made me start the carving. I practised myself a lot and then I tried to mingle with people who knew how to carve more than me. I watched them and how they worked and talked to them and I kept on practising. Now I can do many things with this type of wood. I could now carve any design I was asked to do.I can even make beads myself from wood and from natural stones so I can put them together to make individually designed cultural necklaces.My tools are a vice, a tor, a chisel, a rough file, a smooth file, smooth and rough sandpaper and a special knife. Obviously I use polish to finish them.

At the moment business is not good, I am not getting many sales. The local artists were very happy when the Minister for Tourism and Culture said that we could sell our work on the Lumley roundabout each weekend. Some of us wanted to come here every day. If you like my carvings and would like to buy any of my work please contact me by phone on 00 232 (0)76 80 99 27 or through the contact page on this website.