Broadcaster, event planner, and entrepreneur Afua Asantewaa Owusu Aduonum has indicated she does not like staying in her comfort zone.
This trait is one of many reasons that led her to take on the Guinness World Records (GWR) singing marathon in December 2023.
Asantewaa sang only Ghanaian songs for 126 hours and 52 minutes, attempting to break Sunil Waghmare’s 105-hour record from 2012.
She revealed another reason she attempted the GWR challenge was to project Ghana’s music, and, finally, to demonstrate that GWR glory can be clinched by diverse people, including Africans like herself.
“I keep saying this, I don’t like being comfortable. I want to always be doing something, and it should be something impactful and very positive. I love music, and when I went to their [GWR] website, I could have attempted a lot of challenges. I noticed some people have recorded holders for doing peculiar things for 28 hours, 72 hours, etc, but when you want to do something to elevate your country, you must look at something important that a lot of people have great interest in, which is our Ghanaian music,” the 33-year-old said.
“When I saw the record – 105 hours – I told myself there’s been challenges I’ve gone through that I never thought I could overcome so I encouraged myself to do this for the music industry and to also satisfy my passion and curiosity. I mean, we see the Guinness World Records as a worldwide thing but oddly, when you visit the page, it’s a lot of White people who are record holders. You rarely see Africans doing something like this, and so I dared myself and made the attempt,” she explained.
Insinuating That More People Can Attempt Same GWR Challenge
Afua Asantewaa Owusu Aduonum insinuated that there is nothing wrong with multiple people from a country attempting the same Guinness World Record category.
In Asantewaa’s view, seeing as the slightest thing can disqualify an aspiring GWR holder, a country’s chances are improved when multiple people attempt the same thing.
She further added that it is an opportunity that does not discriminate and so is available to anyone.
“There have been complaints about a lot of people attempting the same challenges, for instance, the cook-a-thon… I mean, it’s allowed. A country can have about 20 people attempting the same challenge. It’s an attempt. There’s no need to rush. The slightest thing can disqualify you. So I see it as an opportunity that has opened up to everyone,” the entrepreneur and broadcaster argued.
For five days since December 24, 2023, Asantewaa dazzled thousands at the Akwaaba Village, Airport City, Accra, singing numerous Ghanaian songs including hits from Gospel, Highlife, Hiplife, Afrobeats, and Reggae artists.
For those worried that the London-headquartered Guinness World Records is delaying in issuing an official verdict for her singing marathon, Asantewaa assured that it will eventually come.
She asked fans to calculate the waiting days not from when she started but when she finished and turned in the evidence for her attempt.
She worried that hiccups like the power trip during the 2023 attempt could impact the waiting period, even though she had disclosed paying GWR to fast-track their evaluation.
Should Asantewaa receive positive news from GWR, she would have broken incumbent Sunil Waghmare’s 105-hour record from 2012.
Since chef Failatu Abdul-Razak’s 227-hour cooking marathon in Tamale, from the first to the 10th day of January 2024, several individuals have announced their cook-a-thon. Currently, Chef Smith cooking at the Amadia Shopping Centre, Spintex, Accra, is on a 50-day cooking adventure.
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