“Zaka, as the locals now know him was born and raised in London, UK. The name ZAKA comes from the Haitian god of the forest, trees, earth and agriculture. By the age of 15 he was running a stall in Portabella market, buying & selling antiques and clothing. He attended the International Boatbuilding Training Centre in Lowestoft gaining a city and guild diploma as a shipwright.

In 1993 he decided to visit St. Lucia, the land of his father, in a bid to discover his roots. He loved the island so much, he threw away his return ticket to the UK. Within months he was running the wood shop at a marina boatyard and had no desire to return to England.

He started an art gallery in 1997 when his daughter Calypso was born. He carved a few Easter Island heads from a hardwood called Campeche, but they sat for some months unsold because collectors found them too heavy.

He split one of the heads in half, made a hanger by tying wire to the back and hanging it on the wall. He liked the effect but felt they could be more colorful, so he painted them using bright, bold colors. When a customer offered to purchase them, he realized the market lay in painted masks rather than wooden carved copies of Easter Island heads.”