“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
From drawing on a piece of paper to sketching the French President, Kareem Waris Olamilekan, AKA, Waspa, may only be 12-year-old but proves that talent has no age. He is a prodigious kid who had dethroned the art world with his hyper-realistic portraits and skilled drawings.
On July 3, 2018, President of French H.E Emmanuel Macron was amazed when an 11-year-old Kareem made his portrait on canvas that he was not able to stop himself from calling him on stage. The sketch of the President was made in just 2 hours, during his visit to the Fela Kuti‘s New Africa Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria. President Macron was impressed and touched by Olamilekan’s work that he tweeted a short video featuring the young boy drawing.
Very touched, congratulations to this young boy! pic.twitter.com/hQd3ylxGnV
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 3, 2018
‘Daily Bread’
Kareem’s mom sells soft drinks on the streets, and his father sells spare parts. “We don’t always have enough money for the necessities, but we try,” says Kareem’s mom. Sometimes we have to paint in the light of a flashlight. “I use a flashlight if I draw at night because my sister is sleeping next to me. And sometimes there is simply no electricity in the house.
In an interview with BBC, he said, “Me and my family work very hard to have bread, to eat. This is what inspires me and motivates me to keep working hard every day”.
Kareem talked with DD News and explained the meaning behind his ‘Best Work,’ which he calls ‘Daily Bread.’ “The sweat on it symbolizes hard work and struggling, and the spoon symbolizes food. Everybody in my society has little now, or my streets, they struggle, struggle, they sweat for their eats.”
Kareem Waris Global Child Prodigy Awardee
Global Child Prodigy Awards is the world’s first and only award ceremony recognizing unique and talented children moreover Kareem Waris received Global Child Prodigy Award in January 2020, and was among the Top 100 Prodigies List of 2020!
Road to Glory
Kareem got a triumph over 2,723 participants worldwide and won “Taiwan’s Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Education Foundation award” in Taiwan. By this, he got an opportunity to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen for his incredible artistic skills. Olamilekan mostly uses charcoal and pencil as the medium for his art.
Future Aspiration
Kareem tries his best to show the beauty of Africa to the world with his realistic arts. The poverty-stricken children call him the little artist Robin Hood as he uses his artistic talents to produce alluring works in exchange for some food to fight against hunger and feed the hungry folks in the slum.
Waris revealed that in the future, he wants to see himself as an artist whose works will be exhibited in museums and galleries. Despite all the hardships in his life, Kareem never stops working to improve his skills and to provide for his family. His parents and our Team is undoubtedly very proud of him.
If you believe your child is a prodigy, register them at Global Child Prodigy Awards
If yoy know someone close to you who is extraordinarily talented, register them by clicking here.
Also Read: The Boy Who Predicted Corona Virus!
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Content Strategist at Global Child Prodigy Awards.
