An autistic Nigerian teenager set a world painting record after painting a canvas that is bigger than the size of a soccer field.
The 15-year-old artist's work was officially recognized by the Guinness World Record and aims to highlight the various challenges that people like him face amid all of the stigma and negative perspectives about autism itself.
Nigerian Teen Breaks World Record With Artwork
The teenage boy was identified as Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, whose painting features a multi-colored ribbon, which is the symbol of autism. It can be seen surrounded by different emojis and the canvas itself spans 12,304 square meters.
His art aims to highlight the spectrum disorder and the various challenges that autistic people face in their everyday lives. One example of this was when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made some controversial comments recently.
Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, declared autism as an "epidemic." He also said 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," according to Euronews.
The teenager created the massive artwork in November 2024 and it was unveiled and officially recognized by the Guinness World Records' organizers in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, during World Autism Acceptance Day in April this year.
The country's art and culture minister, Hannatu Musawa, said that the young boy's artwork is a "beacon of hope and inspiration" for people who also have autism. She added that they recognize the unique abilities and potential that these individuals possess and are dedicated to supporting them so they can thrive.
Raising Awareness About Autism
Tabo-Okeke's artwork beat the former record holder, Emad Salehi, who created an artwork that spanned 9,652 meters, which he created when he was 42 years old, nearly three times the age of the latest record holder, the Associated Press reported.
The teenage boy was born in Canada and later moved to Nigeria and had a very challenging upbringing because of his condition. The teen's father said that there was often fear, confusion, and sadness in their lives.
The father revealed that not being able to communicate with his son or have regular activities he could have with other kids was quite "depressing." Many people who are on the spectrum typically face stigma and have access to limited resources in Nigeria.
Primarily because of the teenage boy's young age, his artwork, which was accompanied by a campaign tagged "Impossibility is a Myth," was widely celebrated in Nigeria, as per ABC News.
