Since then the Nigerian chef Hilda Batchi (real name Hilda Effiong Bassey) broke the Guinness World Record in 2023 for the longest cooking marathon at 93 hours, (in November Irish chef Alan Fisher at 119 hours and 57 minutes), the rise of Guinness World Record attempts has taken over many parts of the African continent. Only in Ghana, 355 submissions were recorded in the Guinness World Records until January 2024, while in Nigeria the body says it recorded approx. 1,572 applications until July 2023, shortly after Bachi’s successful attempt. One such app involved a man who tried to sing for 200 hours and another who accepted a crying challenge. Others have attempted reasonable to downright weird challenges for everything, including one for the longest time spent kissing. The question on the minds of many continues to be: what is driving the rise in the rise of would-be Guinness World Record holders on the continent?
Strengthening Culture
On December 24, 2023, Ghanaian media personality and entrepreneur Afua Asantewaa took to the stage in Akwaaba village, Accra in a widely publicized attempt to break the world record for the longest singing marathon by one person. It was a bold effort. Firstly, Asantewaa has no traceable singing career and describes herself as an “ardent music lover”. There was also the fact that she would be up against the previous record holder Suni Waghmare who had won the title by singing for 105 hours (four days and some hours). However, Asantewaa continued, saying Okay Africa that the intention behind her mission was simple: “to promote Ghanaian music”.
The feeling of promoting one’s culture was a recurring motivation for some Africans who decided to make world record attempts. In a Press conference which she held right after completing her Guinness World Record attempt, Chef Baci, shared that her goal in taking on the challenge was to promote Nigerian cuisine globally while expanding her business and employing more hands. A teacher in a Nigerian school, John Obott who took on the challenge for the longest time reading aloud told the BBC that he aimed to improve the reading culture in Nigeria through his challenge. While many cite enhancing one’s culture or drawing attention to important causes as reasons for the increase in record-breaking attempts, some cultural experts suggest that some of them are motivated solely by the fame and publicity that successful record holders tend to receive Guinness. , as in the case of Baci.
For passion or fame?
Asantewaa spent the next few days of her challenge sitting, squatting, standing and even lying down as a large crowd of supporters cheered her on. By the time he stopped singing five days later, he had been in the challenge for 126 hours, unofficially beating Waghmare’s previous record by 21 hours – almost a full day. Asantewaa had also become, due to the many vocal difficulties she encountered while attempting this challenge, a meme. One standout finds the 33-year-old straining to reach a key on Gyakie’s “Something,” her voice fading out completely at intervals.
Following the attention the event garnered, Asantewaa was appointed a Tourism Ambassador by the Ghana Tourism Authority the following month, but in February, after studying her attempt to break the record, Guinness World Records announced she was unsuccessful. The body shared that Asantewaa had breached some of its rules, specifically, the rest guidelines. Despite this, Asantewaa says Okay Africa that life after taking on the challenge has been filled with life-changing experiences. The experience has now “revived the tourism in me,” he says. “Taking it up a notch now with the support of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).”
In January 2024, Ghanaian chef Failatu Abdul-Razak took on the world’s biggest cooking marathon challenge. Razak cooked for more than 227 hours, unofficially breaking Fisher’s record. Like Asantewaa, Razak’s effort attracted national and international interest as well as support from fellow Ghanaians. Some of the most important people in Ghana including the Vice President Mahamudu Bawmia lent their support to Razak’s marathon. And while Razak’s attempt was deemed unsuccessful by Guinness World Records, the time she attempted the record drew attention to her work.
For many, the outpouring of goodwill, fame and acclaim that Baci received after completing her cook-a-thon has been seen as an attractive byproduct of the Guinness World Record attempt. Unfortunately, this fame or publicity does not find everyone, even those who actually break records. For example, when Tonye Solomon broke the record for most steps taken while balancing a football on his head, the news barely made waves. And when Helen Williams, a Nigerian woman broke the record for the longest handmade wig, a feat also poorly documented. This all boils down to the powerful marketing strategies behind some of the most famous attempts like Baci’s when it was revealed that spent over ₦80 million ($57,000) to prepare for her cook-a-thon.
Almost a year after Baci’s monumental success in Lagos, the record-breaking fever has yet to dip much and new challenges keep cropping up here and there. However, for Asantewaa, this may be her last world record attempt for a while. “It’s still early for the management and I to decide,” he says.
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