Latest news with #KanyeyachukwuTagbo-Okeke
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Nigeria: Autistic teenager sets world painting record
Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke (Image Credit AP) In an effort to raise awareness of autism and the challenges faced by autistic people, a 15-year-old Nigerian boy has made global headlines after he set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas . Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke , who is autistic, created a work of art with a multicolored ribbon, a symbol of autism, surrounded by "emojis" on a canvas measuring 12,304 square meters, much larger than the size of a typical football field, which is 7,140 square meters. The artwork was created in November 2024. It was unveiled and officially recognized by Guinness World Records organizers in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, during World Autism Acceptance Day in April. "I felt fine. Happy. Just fine," Tagbo-Okeke told the Associated Press. His painting eclipsed that of the previous world record holder, Emad Salehi, who was nearly three times older at 42 when he set the record with a 9,652-square-meter canvas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Oran: AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Aroun... Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Tagbo-Okeke was born in Canada before moving to Nigeria, and his upbringing was challenging, his family said. 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 they could. Nigerians celebrate the record The young artist's record-breaking attempt, accompanied by a campaign entitled "Impossibility is a myth," was celebrated among Nigerians. Nigeria's Minister of Arts and Culture, Hannatu Musawa, said Tagbo-Okeke's artwork was "a beacon of hope and inspiration" for people with autism. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also congratulated the teenager. "You are Brave, Audacious, and Tenacious. Congratulations on your recognition. Your story has made history, and Nigeria is proud of you, Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke," he wrote on X. Kanyeyachukwu's initiative was also aimed at raising funds for the Zeebah Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for people with autism and their families. In Nigeria, as in many other countries, autism is often diagnosed later in life and there is no official data in the country. However, according to the WHO, approximately one in 100 children worldwide is autistic.
Times of Oman
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times of Oman
Nigeria: Autistic teenager sets world painting record
Abuja: In an effort to raise awareness of autism and the challenges faced by autistic people, a 15-year-old Nigerian has set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas. Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, who is autistic, created a work of art with a multicoloured ribbon — a symbol of autism — surrounded by "emojis" on a canvas measuring 12,304 square metres, much larger than the size of a typical football field, which is 7,140 square metres. The artwork was created in November 2024. It was unveiled and officially recognised by Guinness World Records organizers in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, during World Autism Acceptance Day in April. "I felt fine. Happy. Just fine," Tagbo-Okeke told the Associated Press. His painting eclipsed that of the previous world record holder, Emad Salehi, who was nearly three times older at 42 when he set the record with a 9,652-square-meter canvas. Tagbo-Okeke was born in Canada before moving to Nigeria, and his upbringing was challenging, his family said. 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 they could.
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
Nigerian teenager sets world painting record with canvas that's bigger than a soccer field
ABUJA, Nigeria -- A 15-year-old Nigerian has set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas to raise awareness for autism. Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, who is autistic, executed a painting featuring a multi-colored ribbon — the symbol for autism — surrounded by emojis, covering 12,304 square meters. That's a lot bigger than a typical soccer field, which is 7,140 square meters. The massive painting 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 is autistic, according to the World Health Organization. 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. '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.' ___
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nigerian autistic teen sets world painting record
A 15-year-old autistic Nigerian has set the Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas to raise awareness for autism. Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke's painting, which features a multi-coloured ribbon - the autism symbol - surrounded by emojis, spans 12,304 square meters. It is aimed at highlighting the spectrum disorder and the challenges that people like him face amid stigma - like the highly controversial comments made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The US Secretary of Health and Human Services recently declared autism an 'epidemic', while stating that many autistic people will 'never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem, they'll never go out on a date.' We'd like to see him achieve something halfway as impressive as Tagbo-Okeke's painting. The artwork, created in November 2024, was unveiled and officially recognized by the Guinness World Record organizers in Nigeria's capital of Abuja during 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. 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. Indeed, 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. '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. 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. There are limited resources in Nigeria for initiatives like this one, and while there are no official records from within Nigeria, about 1 in 100 children worldwide has autism, according to the World Health Organization. Like in many other countries, autism is often not diagnosed in Nigeria until in older years.
Toronto Star
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Nigerian teenager sets world painting record with canvas that's bigger than a soccer field
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A 15-year-old Nigerian has set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas to raise awareness for autism. Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, who is autistic, executed a painting featuring a multi-colored ribbon — the symbol for autism — surrounded by emojis, covering 12,304 square meters. That's a lot bigger than a typical soccer field, which is 7,140 square meters.
