Nigerian autistic teen sets world painting record and spotlights the disorder
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A 15-year-old autistic Nigerian has set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas to raise awareness for autism.
Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke's painting, which features a multi-colored ribbon — the autism symbol — surrounded by emojis, spans 12,304 square meters. It is aimed at highlighting the spectrum disorder and challenges that people like him face amid stigma and limited resources in Nigeria.
'I felt fine. Happy. Just fine,' said Tagbo-Okeke, whose disorder limits his speech.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
His artwork eclipsed that of Emad Salehi, the previous world record holder, who was nearly three times older at 42 when he set the record with a 9,652-square meter canvas.
The artwork, created in November 2024, was unveiled and officially recognized by the Guinness World Record organizers in Nigeria's capital of Abuja during the World Autism Acceptance Day in April.
Nigeria's art and culture minister Hannatu Musawa said Tagbo-Okeke's artwork is 'a beacon of hope and inspiration' for people with autism.
'We recognize the unique abilities and potential of individuals with autism and are dedicated to providing opportunities for them to thrive in the creative industries,' Musawa added.
'Impossibility is a Myth'
Born in Canada before moving to Nigeria, Tagbo-Okeke's upbringing has been challenging, his family said. His father told The Associated Press during a recent interview that there was often fear, confusion and sadness along the way.
'Not being able to communicate with your son or have regular activities you could have with any other child is quite depressing,' Tagbo Okeke said.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Many people on the spectrum face stigma and limited resources in Nigeria, but Tagbo-Okeke's family was determined to give him the best support.
The young artist's record-breaking attempt, accompanied by a campaign tagged 'Impossibility is a Myth,' was widely celebrated among Nigerians, partly because of his young age.
'We felt an overwhelming sense of relief and pride, knowing the countless hours and months of effort he poured into breaking the record,' his mother Silvia said.
Many young people in Nigeria have attempted to break the Guinness World Record in recent years. At least seven Nigerians have broken world records in the past three years, including Hilda Baci, who won the longest cooking marathon and Tunde Onakoya, who played the longest chess marathon.
Early support is key
Kanyeyachukwu's world record attempt also sought to raise funds for the Zeebah Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on providing support to those on the spectrum and their families.
While there are no official records from within Nigeria, about 1 in 100 children worldwide has autism, according to the World Health Organization.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Like in many other countries, autism is often not diagnosed in Nigeria until in older years.
The lack of reliable data on autism, adequate awareness and government support for the spectrum disorder are some of the biggest challenges autistic people face in Nigeria, said Stanley Effah, founder of the Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation.
Effah, whose child is autistic, said his foundation is planning to launch an annual musical concert featuring major artists as part of efforts to raise awareness about autism in Nigeria.
Access to stem cell therapy for autistic children should also be included under the Nigerian National Health Insurance plan as a way to improve their care, Effah said.
Kanyeyachukwu's mother said more government support was key to provide those on the spectrum the care they need early on in life.
Kanyeyachukwu was only diagnosed in Canada after years of failed attempts in Nigeria, the father said. The diagnosis paved the way to properly support him, including his love for drawing, discovered at the age of 4.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
'We've done a lot of work with him,' he said. 'Kanye can tidy his room, he can wash his clothes — all of this is because of early intervention. If left alone, he definitely would not be able to do these things.'
___
For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The world's oldest restaurant faces a challenge from another Madrid tavern that says its even older
MADRID (AP) — In the heart of Spain's capital, Sobrino de Botín holds a coveted Guinness World Record as the world's oldest restaurant. Exactly three hundred years after it opened its doors, Botín welcomes droves of daily visitors hungry for Castilian fare with a side of history. But on the outskirts of Madrid, far from the souvenir shops and tourist sites, a rustic tavern named Casa Pedro makes a bold claim. Its owners assert the establishment endured not just the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and the Napoleonic invasion in the early 1800s, but even the War of Spanish Succession at the start of the 18th century — a lineage that would make Casa Pedro older than Botín and a strong contender for the title. 'It's really frustrating when you say, 'Yes, we've been around since 1702,' but … you can't prove it,' said manager and eighth-generation proprietor Irene Guiñales. 'If you look at the restaurant's logo, it says 'Casa Pedro, since 1702,' so we said, 'Damn it, let's try to prove it.'' Guiñales, 51, remembers her grandfather swearing by Casa Pedro's age, but she was aware that decades-old hearsay from a proud old-timer wouldn't be enough to prove it. Her family hired a historian and has so far turned up documents dating the restaurant's operations to at least 1750. That puts them within striking distance of Botín's record. Clients and rivals Both taverns are family-owned. Both offer Castilian classics like stewed tripe and roast suckling pig. They are decorated with charming Spanish tiles, feature ceilings with exposed wooden beams and underground wine cellars. And both enjoy a rich, star-studded history. Botín's celebrated past includes a roster of literary patrons like Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Graham Greene. In his book 'The Sun Also Rises,' Ernest Hemingway described it as 'one of the best restaurants in the world.' While Casa Pedro may not have boasted the same artistic pedigree, it boasts its own VIPs. Its walls are adorned with decades-old photographs of former Spanish King Juan Carlos I dining in one of its many rooms. The current Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI dines there, too, albeit more inconspicuously than his father. But the similarities between the two hotspots end there. Casa Pedro was once a stop on the only road heading north from the Spanish capital toward France. Its clientele is largely local regulars, like David González and Mayte Villena, who for years have spent every Friday lunching at the tavern. 'It wouldn't change a thing for us,' Villena said about the restaurant someday securing the Guinness title. Botín, on the other hand, is a stone's throw from Madrid's famed Plaza Mayor, where any day of the week tour guides are herding groups around town — and often straight through the restaurant's front door. Antonio González, a third-generation proprietor of Botín, concedes that the Guinness accolade awarded in 1987 has helped business, but said the restaurant had enough history to draw visitors even before. 'It has a certain magic,' he said. Pretenders to the crown The question then becomes: How can either restaurant definitively claim the title? Guinness provides its specific guidelines for the superlative only to applicants, according to spokesperson Kylie Galloway, noting that it entails 'substantial evidence and documentation of the restaurant's operation over the years.' González said that Guinness required Botín show that it has continuously operated in the same location with the same name. The only time the restaurant closed was during the COVID-19 pandemic, as did Casa Pedro. That criteria would mean that restaurants that are even older — Paris' Le Procope, which says it was founded in 1686, or Beijing's Bianyifang, founded in 1416, or the 1673-established White Horse Tavern in Newport, Rhode Island — aren't eligible for the designation. La Campana, in Rome's historic center, claims over 500 years of operation, citing documents on its menu and in a self-published history. Its owners say they have compiled the requisite paperwork and plan to submit it to Guinness. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. A dream for Casa Pedro Guiñales and her husband couldn't consult archives from the former town of Fuencarral, now a Madrid neighborhood. Those papers went up in flames during the Spanish Civil War. Instead, they delved into Spanish national archives, where they found land registries of the area from the First Marquess of Ensenada (1743-1754) that showed the existence of a tavern, wine cellar and inn in the small town as of 1750. In their spare time, the couple continues to hunt for records proving that Casa Pedro indeed dates back to 1702, as is proclaimed on its walls, takeout bags and sugar packets. But even if they dig up the final documents and wrest the Guinness honor from Botín, Guiñales concedes that her restaurant's quiet location makes it unlikely to draw Botín's clientele in central Madrid. 'To think that we could reach that public would be incredible,' Guiñales said. 'It's a dream, but it's a dream.'
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Weinstein jury deliberations scrutinize one accuser's account
NEW YORK (AP) — Jurors in Harvey Weinstein'ssex crimes retrial are drilling down on one of the three charges against him: a rape accusation from a woman who also said she had a consensual relationship with him. The seven female and five male jurors are poised to start their fifth day of deliberations Wednesday by re-hearing Jessica Mann's testimony that he raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013. Mann's accusation was an apparent focus of Tuesday's deliberations, and the jury ended the day by asking to be re-read her testimony about what happened between her and Weinstein at the hotel. The group also indicated it wants to continue privately reviewing her emails with Weinstein and some 2017 medical records concerning her reaction to news accounts of other women's allegations against him. The former Hollywood powerbroker, 73, has pleaded not guilty to raping Mann and to forcing oral sex on two other women, Mimi Haley and Kaja Sokola. The Oscar-winning producer maintains that he never sexually assaulted or raped anyone, and his lawyers portrayed his accusers as opportunists who accepted his advances because they wanted a leg up in the entertainment world. While all three women stayed in contact with Weinstein despite what they say were assaults, Mann had a particularly complex history with him. During days on the witness stand, she testified that they had a consensual relationship that exploded into rape, yet continued afterward. Weinstein was one of the movie industry's most powerful figures until a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him became public in 2017, fueling the #MeToo movement and eventually leading to criminal charges. He originally was convicted in 2020 of raping Mann and forcing oral sex on Haley. Sokola's allegation was added last year, after New York state's highest court overturned the 2020 conviction and sent the case back for retrial. Meanwhile, Weinstein is appealing a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. After a couple of days of apparent interpersonal friction, the retrial jury worked through Tuesday with no further complaints. The Associated Press generally does not identify people without their permission if they say they have been sexually assaulted. Sokola, Mann and Haley have agreed to be named.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
K-pop stars Jimin and Jung Kook of BTS discharged from military service as band's reunion nears
YEONCHEON, South Korea (AP) — K-pop superstars Jimin and Jung Kook are the latest and final members of BTS to be discharged from South Korea's mandatory military service. The pair wore their military uniforms Wednesday, saluted and addressed fans who had assembled to see the pair after their discharge. They enlisted in December 2023, one day after RM and V did the same. The latter were discharged on Tuesday. They saluted upon their release Tuesday in Chuncheon City as about 200 fans, some of whom traveled from Mexico, Turkey and Brazil, cheered. V thanked fans Tuesday for their patience in waiting for him and RM's return and teased the band's reunion. 'If you can just wait a little bit longer, we will return with a really amazing performance.' The seven singers of the popular K-pop band plan to reunite as a group sometime in 2025 after they finish their service. Six of the group's seven members served in the army, while Suga is fulfilling his duty as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service. He will be discharged later this month. Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, was discharged in June 2024. J-Hope was discharged in October. In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea. The law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren't subject to such privileges. However, in 2020, BTS postponed their service until age 30 after South Korea's National Assembly revised its Military Service Act, allowing K-pop stars to delay their enlistment until age 30. There was heated public debate in 2022 over whether to offer special exemptions of mandatory military service for BTS members, until the group's management agency announced in October 2022 that all seven members would fulfill their duties. ___ Sherman reported from New York.
