Famous Nigerian Internet Bitty Artist - Waris Olamilekan Kareem
[Gaining worldwide recognition for his incredible drawings]
I always hope that not only can my artistic attainments be as powerful as the Renaissance Italian legend, Michelangelo, but also to draw real life in Africa, so that the world can help Africa!

—Waris Olamilekan Kareem

Little artist Robin Hood
When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Nigeria, Africa on July 4, 2018, to participate in a local cultural performance, the 11-year-old little artist, Waris Olamilekan Kareem, sketched a stunning portrait of Macron on the spot in just two hours, which made the global media and netizens appreciate and amazed

Olamilekan comes from the Egba slum family in Nigeria. Although he is only 11 years old, he is already a professional miracle artist who can draw with a pencil to create incredibly realistic portraits, as realistic as photos.

In 2018, he produced a hyperrealistic portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron in just two hours, which impressed Macron very much. He could not help but posted a tweet saying: “Very touched, congratulations to this young boy!”

Since six years old, Olamilekan has shown his talent in drawing. At that time, he drew his favorite cartoon characters to exchange some food to fight hunger, and also to feed the hungry companions in the slum. The poverty-stricken children all called him the little artist Robin Hood.

Early rising artist creates miracles
Two years later, Olamilekan met some caring teachers from a vocational art school after moving to another place. They discovered his talent. Under the encouragement of the teachers, Olamilekan entered this vocational school to learn drawing. He especially cherished the rare learning opportunities. He was always the first boy to attend the class every day and the last one to leave after school. The teachers and students of the school all called him an early bird artist. The early bird catches the worm, and the early rising artist creates miracles.

He draws the dilemma of life
Olamilekan always uses double effort to concentrate on drawing, and always uses the purest love to continue helping others to help themselves.

He draws bits and pieces of life, life difficulties, and even the hope for survival. Among his drawings are: “Daily Bread,” “The Weekly Fish,” “The Monthly Chicken,” “The Yearly Rice,” etc.

Besides drawing to exchange some food to fight hunger, and also to feed the hungry poverty-stricken people.

Famous Internet bitty artist
In the environment of overcoming financial difficulties, Olamilekan moves step by step and practices drawing painstakingly. After his drawing skills have advanced leaps and bounds, he has been recognized by all walks of life in Nigeria. Now his drawings have already become very popular on the Internet and attracted fans around the world.

Whereby, Waris Olamilekan Kareem is courageous to challenge adversity at a young age, using drawings that claimed to be “everything is good for something” to help others to help themselves. From the little artist Robin Hood, he has leaped to become an early bird artist; and jumped from an early bird artist to become a famous Internet artist. He is also deeply recognized by the French President Macron on the spot. He is determined to use his drawings to flip a new life and change Africa. He deserves to be praised as a “Famous Internet Little Artist,” and stood out among 2,723 recommended candidates from all over the world and earned him the “22nd Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2019” from Taiwan’s Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation

The Foundation welcomes all walks of life around the world at any time to recommend candidates of life warriors who possess the contexts of endeavors, love, braveness, and achievement.
 
The Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal - Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation, Taiwan
Recommended hotline: 886-2-29178770
Fax: 886-2-29178768
Address: 3F, No. 52, Mingde Road, Xindien District, New Taipei City 231, Taiwan
Website: http://www.ta.org.tw
Email: ta88ms17@gmail.com

Self-portrait introduction
My name is Waris Olamilekan Kareem, also known as Waspa. I was born on March 14, 2007, in a low-income family in Egba in Lagos, Nigeria.

My father’s name is Mutiu Kareem, and he comes from Abeokuta, Ogun State of Nigeria, whose occupation is selling recycled second-hand goods. My mother’s name is Zainab Kareem, and she is a housewife. I rank the second child in the family and have two brothers and sisters. My elder sister’s name is Sherifat Kareem, and my younger sister’s name is Fathia Kareem. We come from a poor family, so we have to work our way through school.

We formally lived in Iyana-ipaja, but now we’ve moved to Abule Egba (this place is in Oke-Odo District, an area with the largest local government in Lagos, Nigeria).

I’m now a first-year junior high school student, and meanwhile, everyone calls me the little artist Robin Hood, the early bird artist, and the famous Internet little artist. This urges me to go all out to inspire more people to live in hopes and flip a new life.

Drawing to fight hunger since childhood
I started drawing when I was six years old. While in school, I often drew with my friends. We often drew junior football stars, cartoons, and illustrations in newspapers in exchange for some food to feed myself, and I also distributed some food to the poverty-stricken children to eat.

When I was eight years old, I joined the art school, which changed my thoughts on drawing.

I’m good at expressing painting and surreal pencil art.

I always hope that my artistic attainments can be as powerful as the Renaissance Italian legend, Michelangelo.

Whenever I draw, I feel so happy. I never get tired of drawing, and I’m always happy doing it.

The founders of the art school train my drawing skills. I joined the art academy at the age of eight. Here, I received professional guidance and training.

I was taught how to draw professionally and draw to the level of hyper-realism, so I’m not self-trained but trained and mentored by the academy.

Going to school and also learning to draw is not an easy thing, but I stay patient and focus on the future. From Monday to Friday, I usually wake up at 6 am to prepare for school. When I come back after school, I go to the art academy to learn drawing.

Call me No. 1
At times I read at night and also at times draw at night. I didn't allow the school to disturb my art life and I didn't let my art to disturb my school life.

I am one of the best in the academy of art and also the best in my class. I took the 1^st position during the second term.

Sometimes, I also do some commissioned job, using the income earned to help maintain my family budget, and also help the poverty-stricken children.

I was fortunate to get a link from a bank in Nigeria. The bank saw my works on Instagram and decided to help me and invited me to attend an event that France President Emmanuel Macron would show up. That was an excellent experience for me. I was confident because that is not my first time facing the crowd.

My mentor used to take me to Yaba Polytechnic to draw or have my free time, so I’m used to be surrounded by audiences. But I don’t let all their sweet words get into my head but focus on what I’m doing.

What all artists need is to be known worldwide. The portrait drawing of French President Macron is of great significance to me because it has made me more widely known!

One Step at a time to trace the masters’ footprints
Michelangelo, Leonard Da Vinci, and Nigerian surrealist artist Stanley Arinze, whose works are the goals I’m looking for and pursue, and the standard I wanted to be.

If you’re not very patient, you can’t finish one thing. I’ve spent most of my time drawing and creating my surrealism, which has made me stand out.

I use charcoal and charcoal pencils to draw on pelican paper and cartridge paper.

Formally, if I just put some of my works and sketches inside our room, my mom would say with a smile that you've brought trash inside the room again. But now she only smiles and supports me silently. I’m happy because my family is supporting me in art.

In the future, I want to be better and become a great artist. I want my works to be famous internationally and can even be exhibited in renowned museums. I want my works to be appreciated like Mona Lisa and Sistine Chapel's paintings.

Besides drawing, I also like to play the talking drum, Gangan.

Stuns the world with a portrait drawing of French President
Olamilekan is a boy from Nigeria in Africa. Although he is only 11 years old, he is already a professional artist. He can draw very realistic portraits with pencils, which are as realistic as photos. While French President Emmanuel Macron was visiting the country a few days ago, Olamilekan drew a delicate portrait of him, which surprised the global media and netizens.

Macron visited Nigeria and participated in the local cultural exhibition. Olamilekan drew a hyperrealistic portrait of Macron in just two hours. Macron could not help but posted a tweet saying: “Very touched, congratulations to this young boy!”

Olamilekan began to draw at the age of six, showing his talent for drawing. At that time, he drew his favorite cartoon characters. Two years later, he met and known by some teachers of a vocational art school about his talent after moving to a new place.

With encouragement from the teachers, Olamilekan entered the school to study drawing. To overcome financial difficulties, he continued to improve his drawing skills and was recognized by the teachers. Meanwhile, his drawings have become popular online and attracted a group of fans.

The school’s teacher Adeniyi Adewole said that Olamilekan was one of his best students. He believes that Olamilekan can go far, farther than even beyond everyone’s expectations. He used to tell him not to see himself like a roadside artist but believe that he can have a name like Michelangelo.

Although Olamilekan has been recognized as the youngest professional artist in Nigeria and has more than a million fans on his Instagram site, his success has not been easy.

Olamilekan recalled that whenever he was asked by his mother to buy food, he would secretly buy 20 pieces of paper for drawing. Since there is no electricity at home, he must use a flashlight in the middle of the night to draw.

What makes his works so attractive is that, besides being very realistic, they are inspirational. For example, his most famous painting, “Daily Bread,” is inspired by the hard work of his family for the food on the table.

The “Daily Bread” is the most famous artwork of Olamilekan, which says: Thanksgiving to the hard-won meal.

He told the BBC: “It depicts a person eating in sweat and tears. My family, we work hard before we put food in our mouths to eat. That’s what inspires me.”

Takes Michelangelo as the master of the art 
Olamilekan describes his painting style as “hyperrealistic.”

This type of work is usually extraordinarily realistic and needs to be drawn for a long time, testing the artist’s patience. Olamilekan’s teacher said that he was the youngest and yet the best student in the class. He believes that Olamilekan can go far, farther than even beyond everyone’s expectations. He used to tell him not to see himself like a roadside artist but believe that he can have a name like Michelangelo.

His source of inspiration comes from his family and friends, and each piece is full of personal characteristics. Olamilekan said that his painting skills, besides depicting the master of the French Renaissance period, Michelangelo; is also more integrated with the contemporary artist Stanley of Nigeria.

Like Stanley, most of Olamilekan’s portraits are done with pencils. But he has also tried to draw with paint, pastels, and even ballpoint pen.

Flips new Africa with drawings
Olamilekan was born in the hometown of Africa. The Nigerian people in Africa are known for their hard work, frankness, and loyalty. Although the social status of them in Africa has marginalized, they are still working hard and striving for the upper reaches.

When Olamilekan was born, he was malnourished with a frail body and suffered from jaundice. So he was looked after attentively by his mother and the elderly grandmother at all times.

Olamilekan’s home economy is not stable as his father’s occupation is selling second-hand goods, but this meager income cannot supply adequate food for the whole family. So they have to rely on Olamilekan to exchange the drawings for food or pocket money to pay for the daily expenses at home.

The most valuable thing is that Olamilekan has never complained about being born in the most impoverished Africa and born in a humble family. He faces everything optimistically and determines to use his drawings to flip a new life and change Africa.

He always uses a hyperrealistic method to reflect the real society, and he continually draws hopes. 

African spokesperson of Global Love of Life
Olamilekan said that he is proud of being an African.

His drawings and speeches are incredibly excellent. Every time he confesses with his own experience to inspire many people, including the French President Macron.

Olamilekan told the Executive Director, Chou Ta-Kuan of Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation that: Nigeria is a West African country. It is located at the west coast of Guinea Bay in Africa, and with the neighboring countries such as Ghana in the west, Niger in the north, fringing a small section with Chad’s boundary in the northeast, and Cameroon in the east.

With a population of nearly 200 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the 17th largest population in the world, and a country with the highest population of Negro in the world. It is listed as one of the N-11 countries in the future and is also a member of the Great Britain Association.

Long-term national poverty and civil war have let Nigeria, with a population of nearly 200 million, with an impression to international media that the country is always in wars or genocides; if not, genocides or terrorist activities. Almost tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes every day.

Olamilekan is young though, but he is highly ambitious. He repeatedly said that he determines to use drawings to depict Africa vividly, awaken people’s love, affirm that life is priceless, and eliminate wars and bring peace.

Olamilekan’s life story is a role model that implies everything is born useful, an example in the slip generation, and even the spokesperson of the world who loves African life.

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