The Rich Legend of DaRocha Drawing

This is my ink on Bristol paper drawing. I was inspired by the legend of the stupendously wealthy Nigerian called DaRocha. There is a popular Yoruba saying which when translated means 'spending money like Da Rocha.' Da Rocha was a descendant of Brazilian African immigrants to Lagos. As legend goes, he was despondent and sat on a beach in Lagos, South West Nigeria, Africa. At dawn, a woman carrying twin newborns approached him begging for alms. He gave her the last bit of money in his possession, thinking her plight was worse than his. Suddenly her hair grew longer and she cast off her old clothes and shone brightly. She was the sea goddess. She gave him a golden comb with fish tail design at the tip. Anytime he combed his hair, his bags filled with money. He became a very rich man beyond anything anyone had ever seen. Cattle, gold, land and more. Before he died he set the comb on a miniature wooden boat and returned it to the sea. A giant fish came up and swallowed the comb. DaRocha sang praises to the sea as the fish swam away. He died in his sleep the next day. Some of his descendants still live in Lagos today. In reality, they claim the comb legend is hocus pocus. Candido Da Rocha was a very wealthy Lagosian. It is also popularly believed that he was the first known billionaire in Nigeria. It is said that he was so wealthy that he sent his dirty clothes to London for laundry. Da Rocha as he was fondly referred to was born in 1860 as the son of Joao Esan Da Rocha, a former slave who returned from Brazil to start a business empire Candido Da Rocha was said to have laid water pipes from Iju to Lagos Island, Yaba Ebute Metta and other areas where there were high demand of pipe borne water. He was said to have lived in his house and operated the Iju water works.that served the whole of Lagos in the 20s. The colonial administrators were said to be paying Da Rocha for the supply of water to Lagos state. His house had the first bore hole and also the first water fountain. He was said to have sold water to the people from his house, hence his wealth....or so. It is a

Drawing:Ink on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:19 W x 24 H x 0.1 D in

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