Nigerian Sunderland Student set to break Guinness World Record for Longest Portrait Drawing

History is about to be made in Sunderland as Praise Abidemi, a final year film production student at the University of Sunderland will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for Longest Marathon Portrait Drawing.

Born in Nigeria, Praise came to the UK in January 2021 for an undergraduate foundation programme and afterwards began a 3-year BA course in film production at the University of Sunderland. Her passion for arts began since childhood, venturing into different fields of arts such as fashion design, sewing, acting, film production and drawing.

Praise is attempting to break the Guinness World Record by continuously drawing portraits that are not only relatable but accurately depicts the subjects for 80 consecutive hours. The quest to break this record starts on Monday July 1st, 2024, by 5pm at the Diego Joint, Norfolk Street, Sunderland. SR1 1EE.

Abidemi Praise draws inspiration from previous record-breakers like Hariom Kumar Singh from India, who set a record for the Longest Marathon Drawing Caricature, and Chef Hilda Baci from Nigeria, who also broke the Guinness World Record Holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. This monumental 5-day expedition is sponsored and powered by Fedash Consultancy Limited, Sunderland in collaboration with the International Office at the University of Sunderland.

The Director of Fedash Consultancy Limited, Mrs Damilola Oyeniyi expressed delight in Praise’s attempt to break the record, which she hopes will inspire others to push themselves and dream big. She also expressed her appreciation to Carol Mallon and the entire team at the International Office, University of Sunderland for their support at all times. Amazed by the level of support her organising team has received from the African community in Sunderland and the North-East of England, she solicits for more all-round support for Praise to make this a dream come true.