Samuel Tichafa Masakwa was born in 1971 on the 15th of September, the first born of nine siblings. He was educated at Zengeza No. Five Primary School and later, Zengeza Four High School. Out of keen interest, he started sculpting at a tender age of fourteen. His cousins were accomplished sculptors, Nicholas Mukomberanwa and Albert Nathan Mambura whose brotherly love nurtured the interest in him to greater heights. During Samuel's school holidays, Albert Mamvura shaped his pending career as an artist by engaging him as his assistant. In 1991 he completed his 'O' levels and began sculpting full-time at Albert's workshop. As an apprentice he learned how to carve Shona abstracts, figures and heads. While he was working with Nicholas Mukomberanwa he had the chance to learn how to clean hidden angles on hard stones like springstone, cobalt, serpentine and the original green opal. In 1996 his cousins advised him to be independent in order to explore the new avenues he was bringing into the field. He discovered he did not have his own trade mark so he went to yet another accomplished artist, Joe Mutasa. Joe came to his aid with his utopia finish of details. His tall and thin pieces were and are unmatched in this broad industry. He mastered his hand on torsos and various kinds of human figures. With the attainment of his own workshop and an enormous base of art collections, many apprentices have now started lessons of their own at the workshop. Among these apprentices is Samuel's wife, Hyarai. She now creates her own sculptures emphasizing lady figures and expressing women's activities in society. As a couple their art has grown in leaps and bounds and they have had successful exhibitions locally with private galleries and abroad in the Netherlands, the US, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the UK, Spain and France.