Kwasi Aboagye is a popular Ghanaian journalist
Popular Ghanaian broadcaster, Kwasi Aboagye has recalled an instance when Fadda Dickson, the Managing Director of Despite Media, asked him to apologize for criticizing Afua Asantewaa's capabilities during the sing-a-thon contest.
In an interaction with entertainment pundit Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo, Kwasi Aboagye described the moment his boss called for the apology as unexpected and unforgettable.
It can be recalled that the Peace FM radio presenter’s comments about Afua Asantewaa were met with disapproval from Ghanaians who felt they were inappropriate and offensive.
In response to the criticism at that time, Aboagye issued a formal apology to Asantewaa, acknowledging the potential discomfort his comments may have caused.
However, in the wake of Afua Asantewaa’s disqualification by Guinness World Records, Kwasi Aboagye has bitterly recounted the barrage of criticisms he faced from the public when he registered his opinion about her.
Describing how he felt when his boss (Fadda Dickson) reproached him, Kwasi Aboagye, while interacting with Arnold on the Entertainment Review show said, “My disappointment was when Fadda Dickson sent me a voice note that I should apologize. If you ask me how far this went, that was it for me. He hasn’t done anything of that sort before. So, out of respect, I had to heed.
“I was in the U.S. at that time, I checked my phone at dawn and I saw several missed calls from him and the voice note as well. As for the insults [from the public], I don’t want to go there. Because I am used to it.”
What Kwasi Aboagye said about Afua Asantewaa
A few hours before the start of Afua Asantewaa’s singing marathon contest in December 2023, Kwasi Aboagye made headlines with his critical remarks.
Expressing what seemed like frustration, he urged Afua to cease speaking and focus solely on her attempt to break the record.
He also commented on her vocal abilities, suggesting that she should avoid interviews and concentrate on improving her voice.
“You are about to sing for four days, yet, this is how your voice sounds like. Even though your voice isn’t nice, let’s put that aside... You need to stay indoors and rehearse properly for this because Hilda Baci did not do 'try and error' with her cooking contest. Stay indoors and rehearse and shut up! Keep quiet, you are talking too much,” he earlier stated.
The controversial comments sparked a backlash with many questioning the appropriateness of such statements.
On December 24, 2023, Asantewaa embarked on a mission to break the Guinness World Record for the longest singing marathon. She was the toast of December in GH as she sang for 126 hours and 52 minutes. She initially planned to end on 27th December; however, after consultation with her team, she decided to sing continuously for five days.
Disqualification
Officials at the Guinness World Records (GWR) have disclosed reasons Afua Asantewaa could not achieve the ‘longest singing marathon by an individual’ mark.
In a response to an email by JoyFM's Kwame Dadzie probing into the disqualification, the entity stated that Afua Asantewaa’s sing-a-thon attempt was unsuccessful because the guidelines around rest break timings were not met.
In the statement by the PR Executive for the Guinness World Records, Alina Polianskaya, sighted by GhanaWeb, it was established that these are standard rules that couldn’t have been overlooked.
“Afua Asantewaa’s sing-a-thon attempt was not successful due to guidelines around rest break timings not being met. These rules are standard across all of our ‘longest marathon’ records. We've seen how inspirational it has been for her fans…We wish Afua the best of luck with any future record attempts," the statement contained.
EB/BB
