Betrayals and threats of death: Why Ghanaian artist who painted mural of Kudus Mohammed cried

Moh Awudu has been one of Ghana’s biggest fine artists, whose work has received several global attention, so it did not come as a big surprise when he announced ahead of Ghana’s World Cup game with Uruguay that he wanted to paint a huge mural of Kudus Mohammed.

When Moh accomplished this dream, he shed tears because of not just the excitement of seeing such a vision come true but also because of all the things that had led him to that point.

Kudus Mohammed won many Ghanaians’ hearts after the second Group H match between Ghana and South Korea, in which the player displayed world-class performance.

And being a product of Nima, one of Ghana’s biggest slums, Moh Awudu, also from the same community, decided that it would be worthwhile enough to honour and celebrate the young 22-year-old Ghana Black Stars midfielder.

But it all began with a simple post on Facebook by Moh Awudu, expressing his desire to execute the mural of the youngster.

In hours, all he needed – the support and the motivation -to complete the work was ready, and by the following day, the work was ready to be done.

On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Moh was able to bring to life his dream, and with the global attention that his work got yet again, by the time the officially completed work was being unveiled, he could not help but shed tears.

Why Moh Awudu cried:

In a post on his Facebook page, the celebrated fine artist spoke about his past and how many had wanted him dead.

Looking back at all the things that had led him to that point in his life, plus the huge inspiration he had from working on the Kudus mural, Moh explained that he was grateful for the support of some other very important creatives.

He, however, could not hold back his tears, as he said, because some people he had once trusted and worked closely with stabbed him in the back and wanted him dead.

“I cried and everyone knows I’m a hard guy. I cried because of the love and pain I felt throughout my life as an artist. I love what I do since day one, I had a big heart for everyone. I sacrifice my life for people’s visions. I was dead for 3 years, but I found myself back through art.

“I made a lot of good friends who supported me: Emmanuel Bobbie, Alhaji Haruna Rashid Ibrahim, Marietta Brew Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui Adjie Sowah Rabiu Maude etc. I sacrificed 10 years of my life for Chale Wote festival, just wanting to see the development of art scene in Ghana. Later I was betrayed.

“Some people who came to the space that was made by my sweat wanted to see me dead, tarnish my image, even one person telling me they will make sure I stop doing art. It wasn’t easy for me some years. But I thank Allah for the protection,” he wrote.

Moh Awudu’s work on Kudus Mohammed has received wide circulation and commendation, and although the Black Stars failed to advance in the World Cup, there is no doubt that the honour done to the youngster is a testament to the hopes that Ghanaians still have in their country.

See Moh Awudu’s post below: