Sika Dwimfo, South LA’s “Baba of Leimert Park,” dies at 83

Sika Dwimfo — an artist, fashion icon and community activist known as the “baba,” a father figure or godfather of Leimert Park — died in the South Los Angeles neighborhood on June 22, his family said. He was 83 years old. A cause of death was not given.

His self-named store, Sika, has served the Los Angeles community since 1992 selling African-inspired art and jewelry, home decore, incense, and other pieces of interest curated by Dwimfo.

Sika, which remains open in Leimert Park at 4330 Degnan Blvd., is stocked with handmade jewelry, eclectic art and African goods. Dwimfo was dedicated to his store and kept it going through many adversities, from the Los Angeles riots, through neighborhood gentrification and the COVID-19 pandemic, said his daughter Milan Dwimfo.

On June 22, his daughter Milan wrote on Instagram, “My heart is broken to share that Sika is our newest ancestor… He loved you, Leimert.”

Born in New Orleans in on December 26, 1940, Dwimfo moved to Chicago in 1953 at a young age after his caretaker and grandmother died. In 1971, Dwimfo moved to Los Angeles and opened his first shop, Jua – meaning “the sun” in Swahili – on Adams Blvd. where he got his start selling art and handmade gold jewelry.

Dwimfo fought to “keep Leimert Park Black,” his daughter said, setting up opportunities for Black vendors to sell their art and other works at street festivals. There were times when his was one of only a handful of businesses open in Leimert Park, but he remained persistent in Sika’s presence in the ever-changing neighborhood.

The Leimert Park community saw Dwimfo as a father, godfather and even a “mayor” figure. His daughter said that Dwimfo watched over the residents, checking on them. He had “a welcoming presence, and could talk for hours about anything he was approached with,” Milan Dwimfo said.

One of the store’s most coveted services was the “old school” nose piercings. “If I don’t pierce your nose, don’t have it pierce,” he wrote on Instagram.

He started doing his own piercings and making jewelry, or as he called it “wired ornaments,” in the 1960s. Nose piercing, still done by other Sika employees today, is a “heavily spiritual” experience, his daughter said. Before each piercing, Dwimfo would play a sound bowl and encourage the customer to take deep breaths to alleviate any fears and “get everyone’s energy nice and right.” He wanted the process to be a “peaceful” experience.

Piercing stories spread in the community by word of mouth, eventually becoming a “generational experience” for local parents and children to share together.

Sharon Williams-Askia, the owner of a Leimert Park hair-care store called Nappily Naturals, got her nose pierced by Dwimfo in December. It was a “life-long fear,” she said, but Dwimfo immediately put her mind at ease and brought her a sense of peace.

“I am so grateful to have been touched by the hands of this wonderful master and consummate artist in every sense of the word,” Williams-Askia, 57, said. “Every time I touch my nose ring, I will always remember this giant of a man.”

Dwimfo always lived on his own terms, friends and family said. His unique fashion sense and lifestyle was never inspired by others, but rather by his own life experiences — from nature, music and sports, to his African heritage and connection to culture.

His death also caught the attention of Los Angeles local politicians.

L.A. County 2nd District Supervisor Holly Mitchell said on Instagram that Dwimfo “provided a gateway that connected South L.A. to the African diaspora through jewelry he created, and fine art, fabrics, literature and cultural pieces curated by his impeccable taste and love for the community.”

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Heather Hutt, whose district includes Leimert Park, was “deeply saddened to hear of the passing of a pillar of our South L.A. community.” On social media, she called him “a tireless champion for our community’s well-being and growth, at the forefront of every crucial moment, advocating for what mattered most.”

Three days before his death on June 19, a section of Dengan Blvd in Leimert Park was dedicated to Dwimfo on Juneteenth. Community members celebrated his life with speeches, art and music, as the city installed a new “Sika Dwimfo Corridor — Baba of Leimert Park Village” sign. On June 30, community members also held a “Freedom Ride” through Leimert Park Village in Dwimfo’s memory.

“I look around at all the businesses here now, and I know that my dad fought for that,” his daughter Milan shared. “To see the sign there, it means a lot to me.”

People praised Dwimfo online, posting memories of personal encounters with him in the neighborhood or getting their noses pierced at the jewelry store. Some described “magical” experiences and called him a “beautiful spirit,” a legacy who “truly touched hearts.”

She said she feels her family is rooted in Leimert Park, and she feels proud that her 15-month old son can grow up on the Sika Dwimfo Corridor.

Dwimfo is survived by his five children and six grandchildren. The family is planning a private celebration of life and a public one for the South L.A. community.