Afua Asantewaa Owusu Aduonum, the Ghanaian women’s rights advocate, journalist, and event organizer who captivated the nation with her singing marathon Guinness World Record attempt has ended her quest after 126 hours and 52 minutes.
While verification from Guinness World Record judges is pending, Asantewaa’s effort is believed to have significantly surpassed the existing record set by India’s Sunil Waghmare in 2012.
The marathon commenced at midnight on December 24, 2023, and concluded on the morning of December 29, 2023.
Addressing her supporters after receiving medical attention behind a screen onstage, Asantewaa shared that she had lost track of time during the five-day endeavor.
Expressing her hope that the achievement would inspire women and youth across the country, Asantewaa expressed gratitude for the support received from musicians, politicians, and security officials at the Akwaaba Village in Accra.
“On behalf of my husband, my family, my team, volunteers, media, and Ghana Tourism Authority, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in this sing-a-thon attempt. This was a mere dream that was visualized in just five days, I say just because I don’t even remember how it started not to talk of how it ended,” Asantewaa said.
“We hope and believe that this will be an inspiration to all women and all youth or individuals to come out of their comfort zones and try new opportunities. There is a lot out there to do when you put your mind to it you will achieve it,” she further stated.
Tonight, Afua Asantewaa will host an all-white Thanksgiving event at 6 pm at the same venue as the singing marathon.
Initially, Asantewaa’s Singathon was planned for December 24-27, 2023. However, she extended it to account for potential deductions in her time for breaks by Guinness World Record judges. Dr. Grace Buckman, who led Asantewaa’s medical team, commended her efforts and described how much the team had been surprised by her endurance.
Dr. Buckman initially planned for the sing-a-thon to conclude at noon today but ultimately advised an earlier stop due to fatigue and prioritizing Asantewaa’s health.
“However, there is only so far you can go as a person… She has done 126 hours and let’s give her a round of applause. She has done so well and we are all proud of her, she has put Ghana out there and made the music industry proud. However, we have gotten to the point where as a medical team, her health is our topmost priority and we need to make sure that she is fine,” she said.
“We would have loved for her to probably go till 12 midday but at this point as a medical team, we want to put a hold on it and protect Afua as much as we can, fatigue has set in and all that. From now on, we will work on her to make sure she is fine and will bounce back again and address all of us,” she further revealed.
Current Guinness World Record Holder Visits Ghana
It was all love and tears when Sunil Waghmare, the current Guinness World Record holder for the longest singing marathon touched down in Ghana to support and congratulate Afua Asantewaa for unofficially breaking his record.
He’s been holding the record for the past 11 years since he broke it in 2012 having sang for 105 hours until Afua Asantewaa’s feat.
His presence delighted many Ghanaians and gave the people a feeling that the outside world was watching Ghanaians and it’s all thanks to the relentless Afua Asantewaa.
The task Afua took up came with a lot of challenges such as the verification of her songs by GHAMRO, the choice of songs, and the cracks in her voice.
Some of the rules that came with the sing-a-thon were that she could not repeat a song until after 4 hours, also she was not supposed to receive people in her glass cage and she could only take a twenty minutes break after doing 4 hours of non-stop singing, but could take five minutes break after doing an hour non-stop.
She broke some of the rules but stood firm to get it done.
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