Afua Asantewaa and her brother
As Ghanaians are coming to terms with the disqualification of Afua Asantewaa Aduonum’s sing-a-thon attempt by the Guinness World Record on Friday, February 23, 2024, a video of her brother who described her as not a human being has resurfaced online.
Analyzing how Afua Asantewaa handled the challenge, he said he marveled at his sister's energy and determination at her sing-a-thon.
Expressing his conviction that Asantewaa would break the record, he mentioned that after the record was broken by Indian singer Waghmare Sunil in 2012, six people attempted to break the record but they failed.
“My sister is not a human being. Come to think of it, you’ve been working and came with a machine to interview us. How have you been feeling? She has not slept from Saturday till now and the energy she still keeps exhibiting is awesome.
“The record holder attempted in 2012. Six people tried after that but they couldn’t. I have gained some respect for her and I am so proud," he said in an interview with JoyPrime sighted by GhanaWeb on Instagram.
Afua Asantewaa’s sing-a-thon was one of the events that made the celebration of 2023 'December in GH' memorable.
Deprived of sleep for five days, Afua Asantewaa began her sing-a-thon challenge on December 24, 2023, and ended on December 29, 2023, achieving 126 hours and 52 minutes.
The challenge saw the attendance of prominent figures like Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and showbiz personalities like Efya, Kwabena Kwabena, Stonebwoy, Nana Ama McBrown, Piesie Esther, Shatta Wale, and Akuapem Poloo.
After waiting for some months to be declared as the holder of the Guinness World Record longest singing marathon, in an unfortunate turn of events, the organization announced that her challenge was unsuccessful.
In a tweet on Friday, February 23, 2024, the official response read: “Unfortunately Afua's Guinness World Records attempt for the longest singing marathon was not successful, but we hope that she will make another attempt soon. We've seen how inspirational it has been for her fans.”
Guinness World Records explains why Afua Asantewaa was disqualified
In a response to an email by JoyFM 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 a statement by the PR Executive for the Guinness World Records, Alina Polianskaya, spotted 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.
Watch the video below:
ED/BB
