Martiniano Eliseu do Bomfim whose Yoruba name was Òjélàdé (1859-1943), was born in Bahia, Brazil. His father, originally a slave from the Egba, a Yoruba sub-group, was freed in Brazil in 1842.
In 1875, at the age of 16, Martiniano traveled with his father, Eliseu do Bomfim, an import/export trader of Yoruba goods, from Salvador, Bahia to Lagos, Yorubaland, for education and apprenticeship. He attended the Church Missionary Society Alápákó Fàájì School in Lagos for nearly 11 years, becoming fluent in English and Yoruba. He also learned Ifá, the Yoruba divination system, and became a Babalawo. Additionally, he received training as a bricklayer and house painter.
Returning to Bahia in 1886, he worked as an English teacher for affluent Afro-Brazilians. Martiniano passed away on November 1, 1943, in Salvador, Bahia.
Photo: 1937. Source: Nigeria Nostalgia Project
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