Disabled man uses mouth and feet to paint works of art ++REPLAY++
1,191 views · Published 19 December 2018 · 3:23 · Indexed 22 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(14 Dec 2018) EGYPT HANDLESS ARTIST SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS RESTRICTIONS: AP CLIENTS ONLY LENGTH: 3:23 ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY Cairo, Egypt - 11 December 2018 1. Wide of Reda Fadl, handless painter, carrying canvas at his home 2. Various of Fadl preparing paints 3. Fadl mixing paint with brush held in his mouth 4. Various of Fadl painting with brush in his mouth 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Reda Fadl, handless painter: "I won first place in a national award and I participate in 99 percent of all art competitions, exactly like the able bodied artists and even the judging panel do not know of my disability until they see me and this gives me a great incentive to continue." 6. Various of Fadl painting 7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Reda Fadl, handless painter: "One of the obstacles that always faces me is that I don't have any sponsor to help me in participating in international competitions and representing Egypt abroad and I can't afford to go on my own." 8. Various of Fadl painting 9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Reda Fadl, handless painter: "I paint with my mouth and this usually takes more time to finish the painting. It is very tiring since it all depends on my jaws, muscles and neck. Painting with my legs is a bit faster." 10. Various of Fadl adjusting his trousers so he can paint 11. Various of Fadl painting with his feet 12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Reda Fadl, handless painter: "I wish that the outlook in the whole world for the disabled was better, because no matter what capability disabled people have, it is still different to the able bodied." 13. Various of paintings by Fadl 14. Low angle of Fadl painting LEADIN: An Egyptian man with no hands is proving that disability is no barrier to creativity. Reda Fadl has become an award-winning artist by painting with his mouth and feet. STORYLINE: Reda Fadl has everything he needs for his art: a canvas, paints and brushes. He doesn't have hands - but that is no problem. He has found other ways of painting. Born with this disability in Kafr El Sheikh, north of Cairo, Fadl couldn't take part in many childhood activities - but his talent for art was clear since primary school. He's so skilled at painting with his mouth that he competes alongside able-bodied artists. He's received awards from the Arab League, the Arab Youth Forum and the International Conference of the Arts for Special Needs. "I participate in 99 percent of all art competitions, exactly like the able bodied artists," he says. "Even the judging panel do not know of my disability until they see me." He studied at the art department of Al-Azhar University where he was first in his class. After graduating, he became an assistant teacher at the same university. But his ambition is to show his art around the world. He's taken part in more than 30 national and international fairs. But he can't afford to travel abroad regularly and wants to find sponsorship to help him do this. He is able to make some money from his works - he sells paintings through exhibitions with prices ranging from 700 to 12,000 Egyptian pounds (40 to 640 US dollars). Fadl doesn't just use his mouth to paint - his feet can hold a brush too. "I paint with my mouth and this usually takes more time to finish the painting. It is very tiring since it all depends on my jaws, muscles and neck," he says. "Painting with my legs is a bit faster." Fadl hopes to give inspiration to other disabled people - proof that physical limitations don't have to be a barrier to creativity. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/54a08ff4439e7e615578f3621b9974bf
