In 2016, Joseph Awuah-Darko, a recent Ghanaian graduate from Ashesi University, created a song called Melanin Girls. The song was later accompanied by a music video, which became controversial.
The video, which went viral, encouraged dark-skinned girls to post photos of themselves with the hashtag #melaningirls, with the possibility of winning GHC 1000 as a prize.
After the competition, there were allegations of Joseph’s failure to pay the eventual winner. (The winner was eventually paid after public outcry)
The virality of #melaningirls thrust Joseph Awuah-Darko into the public spotlight and made him somewhat of a controversial figure amongst his peers in Ghana.
Over the years, Joseph has been discussed, analysed, praised, and criticised on social media and news stories.
His trail of controversies has been documented on Reddit, a popular social media platform, on a page called “okuntakintesnark“.
To folks outside Ghana, this might look like an innocuous page. Created in April 2025, the page has grown to more than 5000 members and counting.
The creators describe the page as “discussing the antics and postings of narcissist Joseph Awuah-Darko, aka @okuntakinte, a known compulsive liar, scammer, and attention seeker.“
Screenshot of the okuntakinte subreddit page
Members constantly detail Joseph’s exploits over the years and do not hold back their vitriol and criticism.
One user posted:
“As someone who has known Joseph since high school, I am not surprised in the least bit by his actions. Attention has always been his oxygen and his antics have progressively gotten more ridiculous…”
Another user posted:
“I had the displeasure of meeting Okuntakinte a few years ago in Ghana at an event at his fraudulent art gallery. It’s unfortunate because there were so many talented artists displaying their work there and he scammed them all.
I immediately told my colleague he was full of shit. I also definitely believe he’s a narcissist as well, because imagine our surprise when we found out he hired a cultural troupe to sing accolades to him like he was a king.”
The Labari Journal could not independently verify some allegations.
However, it has been publicly documented that Joseph has been embroiled in some controversies, especially within the Accra art scene, which are discussed in this article.
Different news sites have written and published profiles on him, including a UK-based outlet called The Times, which interviewed him for his “Last Supper” project. (More on that later)
On August 10, 2025, The New York Timespublished a lengthy article, interviewing Joseph about the Last Supper, mental health, past controversies, and his recent change of mind to forgo euthanasia.
The Labari Journal’s piece focuses on Mr. Awuah Darko’s personality, background, and public projects, which have put him further in the spotlight and invited more attention to his exploits.
Several people we contacted did not want to speak on record because of the negative attention it might bring to themselves.
One person we contacted in Ghana’s creative space was indignant when we mentioned we were writing a story on Joseph.
“I don’t even want to talk about that guy,” they said.
Others were open to discussions, including his early life in high school.
“He Was An Attention Seeker”
Joseph Awuah-Darko (popularly known as “Okuntakinte”) was born in London on August 31, 1996. He moved to Ghana at age five.
His family is considered “well-to-do”, with reports saying his grandfather founded Vanguard Assurance, one of the most well-known insurance companies in the country.
It’s been reported that his family is valued at $650 million. (This has not been independently verified)
Vanguard Offices. Image Credit: Tortoise Path
He attended popular international schools in Accra, including Ghana International School (GIS) and SOS HGIC.
One person we contacted from the “okuntakinte” Reddit page (who claimed they attended school together) said that Joseph loved attention and the spotlight.
“He was an attention seeker“, they said. “He loved fame, popularity, and so badly wanted to be perceived as wealthy.”
They also claim that Joseph was a compulsive liar.
On multiple occasions, they said he would lie about his grades and embellish events in his life, including the purchase of a private jet by his family (which they say was leased).
The SOS HGIC campus. Image Credit: SOS HGIC
They claim Joseph would frequently name-drop famous people he had encountered and discuss popular brands he purchased, all of which they say was for attention.
On one occasion, they revealed that Joseph was caught purchasing followers on social media and was publicly called out by his peers.
This event resulted in the creation of a hashtag called #suffsy in 2013, which was used to mock him.
The Labari Journal could not find any instances of the hashtag on social media. Our contact said this was an inside joke at school, and most users had locked their accounts, which made searches harder to confirm.
Personality-wise, they said Joseph seemed like a “nice guy“, but were uncomfortable with his habit of massaging the truth.
“I would find him lying about some interpersonal relations he had with different people in high school.”
In The Public Eye
In January 2017, he and Cynthia Muhonja, a fellow student from Ashesi University, co-founded a non-profit organization called The Agbogblo Shine Initiative.
The NGO sought funds for social enterprises and projects dedicated to applying design thinking to solve problems regarding electronic waste (e-waste).
He and his team’s efforts in climate action and environmental conservation earned them recognition, including being featured in a story about turning e-waste found at the Agbogbloshie dump site into high-end furniture.
“The main focus of my work is to shed light on how human beings need to change how they treat the environment, and that is why these three themes – consumerism, capitalism and climate action— are captured in my work,” Joseph said at the time.
His efforts earned him an award at the West African Business Excellence Awards as “Most Promising Social Enterprise”. He was also listed by Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 game-changers in the creatives category.
However, his detractors say the project was another example of Joseph “seeking attention” and was not as effective as advertised.
They note that Joseph pledged to build 1,200 school stools for underserved communities, but fewer than 100 were built.
Joseph with some stools he built for schools in Ghana.
In 2020, Joseph embarked on another creative project when he founded an artist residency programme called the Noldor Artist Residency.
The idea behind the project was to invite emerging African artists every year to the art studio space in Accra to help with training and resources.
But things took a turn when artists at the residency accused Joseph of failing to pay them for the sales of their work.
Noldor Residency building in Accra. Image Credit: Whitewall
“Misunderstandings Happen All The Time”
In June 2024, an artist called Foster Sakyiamah sued Joseph for $266,527, claiming that Noldor Residency and JAD Advisory Limited (Joseph’s company behind the Residency) withheld payments for sold artworks.
According to Sakyiamah, they signed an agreement in 2021 that stipulated a 40:60 profit split, but he alleged that funds from fully paid sales were never remitted.
Awuah-Darko’s legal team countered that Sakyiamah received $338,886.98, offsetting any debts.
One of Foster Sakyiamah’s artwork at the Noldor Residency. Image Credit: Noldor
Other artists echoed similar grievances, accusing Joseph of selling pledged artworks without consent or payment.
An artist, Ishmael Armarh, alleges that Joseph owes him $62,000. He claims that Joseph kept making excuses, promising to pay him.
On one occasion, Joseph told Ishmael, “Last night I considered suicide,” when he asked about the delay in payments. These revelations were made in an interview conducted by de Volkskrant, a Dutch newspaper.
All the artists’ accusations were detailed in an Afrikmag’s 2024 investigation called Gallery of Greed.
To help settle his legal fees from the lawsuits, Joseph sought help on social media, asking for donations to reach a $200,000 goal. He promised a gift of an origami horse to persons who donated to his cause.
Screenshot of a GoFundMe for his legal fees
There have been no updates on whether he reached his goal. The lawsuits are reportedly still in court.
In a recent interview with the New York Times on the Noldor controversy, Joseph proclaimed his innocence, pushing back against accusations of scamming artists.
“Misunderstandings happen all the time,” he said. “I’m not saying that I’m a perfect person, but I never set out to scam artists.”
According to the article, his parents are paying his legal fees in the Noldor suit. A family spokesperson added that stories of Joseph being cut off from the family (as stated by Joseph himself) aren’t accurate.
“The family is not estranged from Joseph, and continue to support him as he addresses his personal challenges,” the spokesperson said in an email to the New York Times.
Mental Health Victim Or Narcissist Starved for Attention?
Joseph has been an advocate of mental health, publicly revealing online that he constantly battles depression.
He claims that he was diagnosed with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder at 16 years old and has been on medication ever since.
Using a combination of social media and online blogs, Joseph has discussed his challenges, including suffering from complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and self-mutilation.
On May 18, 2018, he uploaded a YouTube video on mental health awareness. It features shots of Joseph walking along a beach, looking directly into the camera, while his voice-over addresses the stigma surrounding mental health in Ghana.
The video is reminiscent of a video from Kanye West, the popular US rapper, who also suffers from mental health issues.
In Kanye’s video, titled “I Feel Like That”, Kanye sings about his mental state with several shots of himself looking at the camera.
Kanye has been described as a “narcissist” by the media and some of his peers.
One might even say that both Joseph and Kanye have similar personalities, with both displaying characteristics of narcissistic tendencies and having frequent mental health breakdowns.
Some former schoolmates The Labari Journal spoke to said they were unsure if Joseph was bipolar, but did not dismiss the diagnosis.
A screenshot of a post from a person claiming to be a former friend of Joseph (which was posted on the “okuntakintesnark” Reddit page), said that they had witnessed his struggles with mental health.
“In my opinion, Joseph absolutely struggles with his mental health. That is not in question,” they wrote.
“However, that does not give him an excuse to exploit and cause suffering to others. I think his latest exploits online are so dangerous and (even if he doesn’t mean to) he may cause harm to others through his actions. It’s just seriously so problematic,” they added.
“I Hope He Gets The Help He Needs”
Joseph has publicly come out as a gay man. He stated that Ghana’s harsh laws, including an upcoming anti-LGBT bill, made it difficult for individuals like him to feel safe in the country. (He currently lives in the Netherlands)
A former schoolmate we spoke to claimed that there were rumors of his sexuality in high school. They say these rumors bothered Joseph to the point where he would lie about dating different girls at school to save face.
Over the years, Joseph is said to have been engaged four times and is alleged to have had a close relationship with the well-known artist Kehinde Wiley.
But in 2021, Joseph accused Wiley of sexual assault on two occasions.
Kehinde Wiley. Image Credit: OutSmart Magazine
Wiley publicly denied the allegations.
“These claims are not true and are an affront to all victims of sexual abuse. I have no idea why he has decided to target me in this way…“, he said in public statements.
He claims his encounters with Joseph were consensual, and he was “blindsided” by his accusations.
“I have no idea why he has decided to target me in this way—particularly when there is a litany of evidence showing his claims are false—but I hope he gets the help he needs for whatever he is going through.“
According to reports, no criminal charges had been filed against Wiley.
Wiley’s lawyers sent Joseph a cease and desist letter demanding that he delete his Instagram posts and refrain from making false statements against Wiley.
The Last Supper Project
On December 9, 2024, Joseph announced his intention to pursue assisted euthanasia in the Netherlands, citing unbearable mental suffering.
In an online post, he announced that he was launching an initiative called the “Last Supper”, asking to have dinner with friends and strangers to celebrate human connection as he counted down to the end of his life.
Similar to his past projects, this new initiative received a lot of public press.
In May 2025, an online website called The Times published an article about his dinner experiences.
So far, the project has resulted in over 152 dinners, which have seen Joseph travel to different cities, including Paris, Milan, and Berlin.
Joseph having dinner with a host. Image Credit: The New York Times
While some saw this as a heartfelt farewell, others questioned its motives. They question its $21 fee for “virtual Last Suppers” and 150 euros for in-person dinners.
His detractors, especially on the Reddit page, say this is just a “scam”, accusing him of using sob stories and mental health issues as an excuse to make money.
In the New York Times article, it notes that the dinner hosts cover Joseph’s travel expenses and accommodation.
He has denied romanticizing his mental health for personal gain in various Instagram posts.
“He Paints an Overly Romantic Picture of Euthanasia”
As his Last Supper project gained notoriety, more media outlets started to dig deeper into the story.
Early this year, in a June interview with de Volkskrant newspaper, he admitted that he had not started the euthanasia application process.
He commented further that he had not seen a psychiatrist or taken any medication for his condition in three years.
The newspaper, which spoke to medical experts, argues that “he paints an incorrect and overly romantic picture of euthanasia.”
In the Netherlands, assisted dying for psychiatric conditions is legal but requires rigorous psychological assessments, a process Joseph claims took years.
The article interviewed dinner hosts whose impressions of Joseph range from “weird” to “feeling used“.
One host was surprised that he had not applied for euthanasia, doubting the authenticity of his story.
“It reminded me of Belle Gibson, the Australian influencer who faked that she had cancer,” they said.
Belle Gibson, a social media influencer who faked that she had cancer. A Last Supper host stated that she and Joseph have similarities. Image Credit: BBC
“I Finally Have Something I Did Not Have For a Long Time”
Since 2016, after the release of “Melanin Girls“, Joseph Awuah-Darko has made a name for himself on the world stage.
From his public struggles with mental health to getting invites from US musician SZA, Joseph’s spotlight has only grown bigger.
But the controversies he’s been embroiled in along the way have raised questions of inauthenticity.
From his exploits, one might say his actions seem like a cry for attention. Most of his personal stories, including his battle with cancer, are hard to verify, taking into account his habit of embellishment.
Recently, Joseph announced on Instagram that he’s found a new lease on life and that his journey to euthanasia is “on hold”.
According to reports, he proposed to a man named Alex Miller, whom Joseph described as giving him new life.
Joseph with his fiancée, Alex Miller, whom he met during his Last Supper dinners. Image Credit: The New York Times
“I met a guy who made the idea of sticking around more bearable than the idea of leaving,” Joseph said of Alex, whom he proposed to less than a year after meeting each other.
“I believe with him I finally have something I did not have for a long time — hope.“
Joseph continues to attend Last Supper dinners, with the most recent one in July in Poland. He has not announced if he will continue the project or abandon it.
His detractors continue to cry foul at his actions. But for Joseph, it looks like he might be getting exactly what he wants — attention.
If you are experiencing emotional distress, mental health challenges, we strongly encourage you to seek help from a licensed therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or a reputable mental health NGO or clinic.
