Falsely accused of murder, beaten, chained and staring death in the face Arthur Judah Angel was sentenced to die at Enugu prison, Nigeria. His drawings, which depicted life inside the prison walls, got the attention of a British Council representative who organised an exhibition for him in 1993 and ultimately helped him be released from prison.

Beaten, threatened and thrown behind bars at the age of 21 for the sake of a couple of naira: this was Angel’s start in life.

He was fresh out of high school with intentions of furthering his studies, Angel says he had been visiting a friend who had been taken into custody at a local police station in Enugu Nigeria, 1982 when he was arrested, accused of murdering a police officer and sent to jail.

His mother was poor and couldn’t afford to pay the bribe required by the police, so he spent five days at the police station, until his trial date was set. So he was kept in jail until his trial date which was to be in two years from his time of his arrest.

After what seemed to him like forever, his trial was held and he was sentenced to hang despite insufficient evidence, dishonest policemen and witnesses.

Angel, now 47, says he is just like every ordinary person, but with a burning desire to do extraordinary things.

‘I am an agent of change, a dreamer, an activist, and an artist striving to give my generation a heart nurtured by art,’

His life story is certainly extraordinary, though.

He spent 16 years in jail, where he saw 450 people being executed. Traumatised by what was happening in the confines of Enugu prison and scared for his life, he started drawing the scenes around him.

During the day Angel drew pictures just to keep himself busy. Prison warders saw these, he says, and asked him to draw them too.

‘I would get a pencil in return,’ says Angel.

‘At night it was a different story,’ he says. He began depicting the life inside Enugu prison, somewhat releasing his pain through the drawings.

Prisoners piled next to each other, the hangman doing his gruesome work, prisoners cleaning the gallows after another one of them had been executed ... these were some of the scenes he recorded.

Luckily for him, Professor Reverend Father Obiorah Ikeh, then director of the Catholic Institute for Development, Justice and Peace, saw Angel’s works while visiting the prison and informed the then British Council Nigeria Country Director, Dr Harrison.

‘He [Professor Ikeh] visited me on death row and later showed my work to Dr Harrison. Their meetings eventually gave birth to my works being exhibited at the British Council Enugu in the year 1993.’

Angel says the publicity that he got while in prison, as a result of Dr Harrison’s involvement, marked a turning point in his life. It was with a sense of hope that he started sketching more drawings in the dead of the night because he felt that his saviour had come.

‘I became a name outside the prison walls. Civil rights groups and others came calling to see the death row inmate who could draw, paint and speak hope to hearts.

‘When my works began to attract attention, in my mind I was living outside the confines of my cell.’

Stuck in a cramped, stinking cell with up to 18 other condemned prisoners, Angel needed a way out.

His heart would pound as the hangman dragged the chain across the corridor for yet another execution. He would hear the trapdoor bang and feel his skin crawl.

During that time, Angel says, art was his only solace.

‘I witnessed so many executions,’ he says. ‘I saw the prison warders hang people before my very eyes.

‘I witnessed the death of over 450 inmates during my stay in prison and at any time it could have been me.’

Angel says that his love for art and the Lord is what got him through the dark times while on death row.

‘In that hell I saw a future. With Jesus in me, hope replaced fear and worry. I was able to live my life in jail full of activism, art and charity and I prepared myself for the outside world.’

He believes that the British Council should continue to promote art and education in Nigeria.

‘They are simply wonderful, but I think that they should embark on a hunt for individuals blessed with talents and ideas.’

Angel is now affiliated with two NGOs. One is Lifebridge International, which was set up to fight for prison reforms and the abolition of the death penalty.

‘The Lifebridge team and I have, in collaboration with other interest groups, held art exhibitions and drawing workshops in Nigeria and are campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty.

‘We are exploring every possible avenue through music, drawing, comedy and drama to address the issue of capital punishment.

‘Drawing Stampede is my other arm [the other NGO he works for], set up last year to tackle societal issues through drawing.’

According to a report published by Amnesty.Org.Uk in February 2008, there were 725 women and 11 women on death row in Nigeria.

The report said at least 135 prisoners were sentenced before 1999 and at least 444 after 1999. In 2005 more than 100 people were sentenced to death. Many inmates spend more than 15 years in jail; some have spent as many as 24 years behind bars.

Read more about Arthur Judah Angel and his artworks on this blog. Read more about the death penalty in Nigeria here. To read related stories, click here. To read more about British Council events and programmes, please visit this page. Read our latest news here: News in Africa section.