Ethiopian man uses mouth to create incredible paintings

Sitting in front of a canvas in his small living room in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, 49-year-old artist Yoseph Bekele is fully absorbed in the creation of his new piece of art, painting an Ethiopian countryside landscape with his mouth.

Around him, collections of his paintings over the years, landscapes, cityscapes and portraits, colorfully decorate his room.

Bekele lives in a small and compacted room along with his wife and three children in one of the slums located at the heart of Addis Ababa.

Born disabled, Bekele is chasing his dreams of becoming a painter against all odds and is now considered one of the admired artist painters in Ethiopia.

"I was born with my hands and legs paralyzed, but as time went by, my legs started to function with the help of medical treatment," he said.

Bekele had to ride on his mother's back while going to a traditional Ethiopian kindergarten, dubbed Priest's School, until he turned 11 when he started to stand on his feet and learned to walk gradually.

Bekele first started painting at the age of 12 when he started to use his feet to depict things around him, holding the brush between his toes.

"It was by chance that I started to paint with my mouth," he said. "It came about when my oldest daughter left the house without placing the drawing pencil between my toes," I picked the brush by my mouth and started to paint. I found my mouth more comfortable to paint."

Bekele's professional painting endeavor started back in 2005 when he joined a local fine arts and vocational training center where he acquired extensive painting techniques and enjoyed special support from the famous Ethiopian armless artist, Worku Mamo, who teaches aspiring painters.

His inspiration for painting often emanates from nature and the physical surroundings, portraits of spiritual figures such as saints and angels as well as human beings.

Now a famed painter, Bekele has exhibited his artworks across Ethiopia's major artistic sites, including the Ethiopian National Theater, the Addis Ababa Municipal Hall, and the National Museum.

His paintings are now also on display across various international hotels in Addis Ababa.

Genet Kebede, founder and owner of Abyssinia Fine Arts and Vocational Training Center, where Bekele learned professional painting, spoke highly of Bekele's transformation as a fine artist over the years.

"Bekele's painting skills have improved over time despite the unfriendly working environment that he is working with," Kebede said. "He painted fascinating pictures. The courageous Bekele would be one of the notable African painters if he is provided with favorable working areas and the much-needed financial support."

His paintings are being admired by many visitors, who are flocking to his house to see firsthand some of his works as well as his striking painting style.

In Ethiopia, where stigma and discrimination are often witnessed, Bekele emphasized that his success as a painter despite his physical condition is now igniting hopes for other disabled Ethiopians.

According to a survey released by the Ethiopian Statistical Agency in 2015/16, nearly 7.8 million people in Ethiopia are estimated to live with some form of physical disability.

Of these, up to 2.2 million people have very profound difficulties; while about 90 percent of them were engaged in begging to make a living, according to the survey.

With a proud smile, Bekele's mother Metekie Woldemariam said her son offered her big relief. Courtesy of his artworks, Bekele was also more financially supportive of his mother than his other siblings.

Despite the lack of a convenient working space and studio, Bekele aspires to be a role model for those who have similar physical conditions.