President Akufo-Addo (R) and Former President, John Dramani Mahama (L)
• Joel Acheampong is his name, and he has a rare talent
• He wants to meet President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Former President, John Dramani Mahama
• He has a peculiar reason which he shares in this episode of People & Places
He wants to meet the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President, John Dramani Mahama and that has been his wildest dream for a long time.
Joel Acheampong is an artist who does beautiful paintings with his mouth, a rare talent that he has harnessed so well.
After being paralysed in all 4 limbs at a very young age, Joel dropped out of school at the crèche level and only ‘parasited’ on the little information he could get from the books of his siblings when they returned from school.
With time, he discovered his love for painting but using his hand was an impossible task that threatened his talent.
Unwilling to succumb to the pressures of life, he decided to explore this passion for painting, using an unconventional means; painting with his mouth.
Today, he is a professional artist, self-trained and assisted by a benefactor he calls Mr. Nyanteh. Among his many paintings, he has striking paintings of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Former President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira Bawumia; the late Former President Jerry John Rawlings, Fadda Dickson of Despite Media, and a host of others.
But among the lot, he believes meeting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama will be life-changing. Why? Because he can then personally hand over paintings he has done of them to them, and share his story with them as well.
“I would want to meet President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President, John Dramani Mahama to give them their paintings. I believe this will encourage others in similar situations to push further,” he told Wonder Ami Hagan on the People & Places show on GhanaWeb TV.
Whilst waiting for this honour, Joel is making the most of his talent, making both portrait and landscape paintings of natural scenes and the likes.
Joel’s story is inspirational and he hopes to share this with the rest of the world to encourage other quadriplegics who may be facing similar challenges in their lives at various points.
Watch the full interview of Joel the Mouth Painter here: