Neat FM’s entertainment presenter, Abena Moët says she is struggling to understand why organizers of the Guinness World Records disqualified Ghana's Afua Asantewaa and Chef Faila in their recent marathon attempts.
According to her, the Guinness World Records’ basis for disapproving the respective attempts by Chef Faila and Afua Asantewaa in the cook-a-thon and sing-a-thon categories is untenable.
She also finds it puzzling that Nigerian chef Hilda Baci had her cook-a-thon attempt approved despite taking breaks just like the Ghanaian contenders.
Abena Moet called on the Guinness World Records team to come out and clarify how the two Ghanaians broke the "rest break" rule.
“Chef Faila’s cook-a-thon attempt was unsuccessful because according to Guinness World Records, she breached the rules concerning rest breaks. I think in all of this the problem is the breaks looking at hers and Afua Asantewaa’s own.
“But I don’t understand why Hilda Baci also took similar breaks and was deducted points, yet ours were disqualified, it is baffling,” she fumed.
About Chef Faila’s cook-a-thon attempt
The attempt by Chef Faila to set a new record for the longest cooking marathon in the Guinness Book of World Records failed.
According to a press statement signed by Kafui Dey, coordinator for Chef Faila’s cook-a-thon attempt, her effort fell short of the guidelines set out by Guinness World Records.
“The attempt, which captivated audiences worldwide, unfortunately, fell short of meeting the stringent guidelines set forth by Guinness World Records. A statement from the Records Management Team cited a violation of the rest break rules, resulting in an unsuccessful attempt,” the statement dated Sunday, March 3, 2024, stated.
While expressing gratitude to individuals and brands who supported her attempt, the statement added that Chef Faila remains undeterred and “committed to continuing to push boundaries in this culinary journey.”
In her attempt to break the world record for the longest cooking marathon, Chef Faila started cooking on January 1, 2024, at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale, and cooked for 227 hours non-stop, until January 10, 2024.
She cooked various dishes, mostly Ghanaian cuisine, and served them to the guests and the needy. She also promoted Ghanaian music and culture during the event.
About Afua Asantewaa’s sing-a-thon
On December 24, 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.
The event which took place at the Akwaaba Village in Accra, near the Kotoka International Airport, saw thousands in attendance in their bid to support her and be part of history
Unfortunately, Afua Asantewaa’s sing-a-thon attempt was ruled unsuccessful by the Guinness World Records team after scrutiny.
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, 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.
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