Biography

Rasheed is passionate about inspiring youth to develop their creative and artistic skills as a means of self-expression and as a potential livelihood.

Imagine bringing light to the lives of others by sharing with them what you love most. Rasheed Akindiva uses his greatest passion, art, to inspire youth in Ghana to develop their own creative and artistic skills. Famous for turning discarded items into colorful artworks, Rasheed is an experimental artist who never stops searching for objects and adopting new materials into his artwork. Through his paintings, drawings, sculptures and performances he “speaks” about education, the changing environment, social issues, health and everyday people on the street. And it all began in 1991 when, as a young student of science, he stumbled upon an art class. What he saw in that class—the process of creating art—stunned and amazed him to the point where he could think of nothing else. He began to make his own art and eventually began helping other young people tap into their own artistic abilities.

When Rasheed was awarded the 2010 GO Innovation Award, he used the opportunity to conduct workshops focused on sharing his talent and skills with Ghanaian youth, including workshops aimed at mentally disabled youth.