LoBagola, Bata Kindai Amgoza Ibn, 1877-1947

Originally from the French Sudan, educated in Scotland, LoBagola lectured throughout the United States about African tribal customs and his own experiences as a Black Jew by birth. He later converted to Catholicism, and was also imprisoned in New York State, 1931-1932.

From the description of Bata Kindai Amgoza Ibn LoBagola papers, 1928-1933. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122597284

Bata Kindai Amgoza Ibn LoBagola, an African American, was born Joseph Howard Lee in 1887 in Baltimore, Maryland. As early as 1907 he was using the name "LoBagola," claiming that he was from the French Sudan, and was on the lecture circuit speaking about African customs and his claims that he was a Black Jew. In 1930 he published, "LoBagola : An African Savage's Own Story," which was translated and sold in a number of European countries, and "The Folk Tales of a Savage." LoBagola died in 1947 while in Attica Prison, having been arrested and imprisoned several times for petty theft and sexual crimes.

From the guide to the Bata Kindai Amgoza Ibn LoBagola papers, 1928-1933, (The New York Public Library. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division.)