Oguntola Sapara
Encyclopedia
Oguntola Odunbaku Sapara (June 1861 - June 1935) was a doctor, originally from Sierra Leone
, who spent most of his career in Nigeria
. He was best known for his campaign against secret societies that were spreading smallpox.
in Western Nigeria, and his mother was from Egbaland.
His brother was Christopher Sapara Williams, who became a prominent Nigerian lawyer.
His family moved to Lagos Colony
in 1876 and he attended the Lagos Church Missionary Society Grammar School
until 1878.
He became an apprentice to a Lagos printer early in 1879, working there for three years. He then became an assistant dispenser at the Colonial Hospital for a further three years before founding his own dispensary in Ghana
. Sapara traveled to London
, England
and entered St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in 1888 where he gained honours in midwifery.
Moving to Scotland
, in 1895 he obtained the L.R.C.P. and L.R.C.S. of the University of Edinburgh
, the L.F.P.S. of the University of Glasgow
and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Health.
Sapara made many contributions to improving public health. He fought for slum clearance, organized a society for scientifically training midwives, organized the first public dispensary in 1901 and identified causes of an epidemic of tuberculosis in 1918, which included overcrowding, poor ventilation and public ignorance.
He was Chairman of the Health Week Committee, leading the successful fight against bubonic plague which struck Lagos in 1924.
In Nigeria at that time there were a number of secret societies such as the "Sopona
" cult of the Yoruba people
that attempted to blackmail people, threatening that if they did not pay money they would get sick and die.
When a victim refused, they infected him with smallpox through applying scrapings of the skin rash of smallpox cases. In an attempt to maintain this oppressive situation, the societies naturally resisted vaccination. Sapara joined the cult incognito, at considerable personal risk. When he had learned the secret, he helped the government prepare legislation to ban the societies.
In the later part of his career, Sapara ran the Massey Street dispensary, serving most of Lagos. He persuaded the government to convert the dispensary into the Massey Street Hospital, opened by Governor Graeme Thomson
in 1926.
Sapara took a special interest in traditional herbal medicines, and spent much time in scientific investigation of their effects.
His efforts against some of the cults notwithstanding, he was a keen student of traditional Yoruba culture, and defended it at just about every opportunity.
Sapara retired in 1928, and died in Lagos in June 1935.
The famous Jùjú music
ian Tunde King
played at his wake.
African medical officers were also paid less than their European colleagues.
When W.H. Langley, principal medical officer in Nigeria, was asked about expanding the scope of work for African doctors, he responded by attacking their professionalism; in Sapara's case, he brought up the fact that Sapara had allowed clerks to take longer sick leaves than was allowed by government policy.
While visiting London in 1912, Sapara gave financial assistance to the struggling Pan-Africanist African Times and Orient Review published by Dusé Mohamed Ali
.
Sapara was on the list of invitees from West Africa to the 4th Pan-African Congress
, held in New York
in 1924, although he may not have attended.
King George V of England awarded Sapara the Imperial Service Order
with special reference to his smallpox activities in June 1923. Early in 1924, the Owa of Ijeshaland decorated Sapara with the insignia of Bashemi, a chieftaincy title, in recognition of his contributions to medicine.
The road behind the hospital was named Sapara Avenue in his memory.
James Churchill Vaughan attempted with little success to organize the fragmentary records of Sapara's work on traditional medicines, but some of his discoveries in herbal medicines were patented and are still marketed today.
A portrait of the Oloye Sapara by Aina Onabolu
hangs in the National Gallery of Modern Art
in Lagos.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, who spent most of his career in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. He was best known for his campaign against secret societies that were spreading smallpox.
Birth and education
Oguntola Sapara was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone on 9 June 1861 and was given the name of Alexander Johnson Williams. His father was a liberated slave from IlesaIlesa
Ilesa is a city located in the south west of Nigeria; it is also the name of a historic state centered around that city. The state was ruled by a monarch bearing the title of Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland...
in Western Nigeria, and his mother was from Egbaland.
His brother was Christopher Sapara Williams, who became a prominent Nigerian lawyer.
His family moved to Lagos Colony
Lagos Colony
Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centered on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 and declared a colony on 5 March 1862....
in 1876 and he attended the Lagos Church Missionary Society Grammar School
CMS Grammar School, Lagos
The CMS Grammar School in the Bariga district of Lagos is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, founded on 6 June 1859 by the Church Missionary Society...
until 1878.
He became an apprentice to a Lagos printer early in 1879, working there for three years. He then became an assistant dispenser at the Colonial Hospital for a further three years before founding his own dispensary in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. Sapara traveled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and entered St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in 1888 where he gained honours in midwifery.
Moving to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in 1895 he obtained the L.R.C.P. and L.R.C.S. of the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, the L.F.P.S. of the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Health.
Medical career
Sapara returned to the Lagos colony and in January 1896 was appointed an Assistant Colonial Surgeon. He served continuously in different stations for the next thirty-two years.Sapara made many contributions to improving public health. He fought for slum clearance, organized a society for scientifically training midwives, organized the first public dispensary in 1901 and identified causes of an epidemic of tuberculosis in 1918, which included overcrowding, poor ventilation and public ignorance.
He was Chairman of the Health Week Committee, leading the successful fight against bubonic plague which struck Lagos in 1924.
In Nigeria at that time there were a number of secret societies such as the "Sopona
Sopona
Sopona is the god of smallpox in the Yoruba religion.The Yoruba people of Nigeria believed that smallpox was a disease foisted upon humans due to Shapona’s “divine displeasure”, and formal worship of the God of Smallpox was highly controlled by specific priests in charge of shrines to the God...
" cult of the Yoruba people
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
that attempted to blackmail people, threatening that if they did not pay money they would get sick and die.
When a victim refused, they infected him with smallpox through applying scrapings of the skin rash of smallpox cases. In an attempt to maintain this oppressive situation, the societies naturally resisted vaccination. Sapara joined the cult incognito, at considerable personal risk. When he had learned the secret, he helped the government prepare legislation to ban the societies.
In the later part of his career, Sapara ran the Massey Street dispensary, serving most of Lagos. He persuaded the government to convert the dispensary into the Massey Street Hospital, opened by Governor Graeme Thomson
Graeme Thomson
Sir Graeme Thomson G.C.M.G. K.C.B. was a British Civil Servant in the Admiralty, who served as a colonial civil servant and then governor in several British colonies.-Civil Servant:...
in 1926.
Sapara took a special interest in traditional herbal medicines, and spent much time in scientific investigation of their effects.
His efforts against some of the cults notwithstanding, he was a keen student of traditional Yoruba culture, and defended it at just about every opportunity.
Sapara retired in 1928, and died in Lagos in June 1935.
The famous Jùjú music
Jùjú music
Jùjú is a style of Nigerian popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. The name comes from a Yoruba word "juju" or "jiju" meaning "throwing" or "something being thrown." Juju music did not derive its name from juju, which "is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or...
ian Tunde King
Tunde King
Tunde King was a Nigerian musician, credited as the founder of Jùjú music, who had great influence on Nigerian popular music.Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that...
played at his wake.
Discrimination and politics
As an African, Sapara faced some discrimination. In a report to the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines' Protection Society, Sapara noted that European medical officers were uncomfortable when ranked below African doctors, and in a 1901 conference some had described this as an "indignity".African medical officers were also paid less than their European colleagues.
When W.H. Langley, principal medical officer in Nigeria, was asked about expanding the scope of work for African doctors, he responded by attacking their professionalism; in Sapara's case, he brought up the fact that Sapara had allowed clerks to take longer sick leaves than was allowed by government policy.
While visiting London in 1912, Sapara gave financial assistance to the struggling Pan-Africanist African Times and Orient Review published by Dusé Mohamed Ali
Dusé Mohamed Ali
Dusé Mohamed Ali , , was an African nationalist. He was also an actor, historian, journalist, editor, lecturer, traveller, publisher, a founder of the Comet Press Ltd. and The Comet newspaper .-Early life:He was born in Alexandria, Egypt...
.
Sapara was on the list of invitees from West Africa to the 4th Pan-African Congress
Pan-African Congress
The Pan-African Congress was a series of five meetings in 1919, 1921, 1923, 1927, and 1945 that were intended to address the issues facing Africa due to European colonization of much of the continent....
, held in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1924, although he may not have attended.
Recognition and legacy
Sapara received numerous accolades for his great contributions over a 32-year period of service, the longest of any Nigerian colonial surgeon of his time.King George V of England awarded Sapara the Imperial Service Order
Imperial Service Order
The Imperial Service Order was established by King Edward VII in August 1902. It was awarded on retirement to the administration and clerical staff of the Civil Service throughout the British Empire for long and meritorious service. Normally a person must have served for 25 years to become...
with special reference to his smallpox activities in June 1923. Early in 1924, the Owa of Ijeshaland decorated Sapara with the insignia of Bashemi, a chieftaincy title, in recognition of his contributions to medicine.
The road behind the hospital was named Sapara Avenue in his memory.
James Churchill Vaughan attempted with little success to organize the fragmentary records of Sapara's work on traditional medicines, but some of his discoveries in herbal medicines were patented and are still marketed today.
A portrait of the Oloye Sapara by Aina Onabolu
Aina Onabolu
Aina Onabolu was a pioneering Nigerian modern arts teacher and painter who was an important figure in the introduction of arts into the curriculum of secondary schools in the country...
hangs in the National Gallery of Modern Art
National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos
The National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos is a major art gallery in Lagos, the largest city of Nigeria. It is a permanent exhibition of the National Gallery of Art, a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation...
in Lagos.