The Guinness World Records (GWR) has provided clarity as to why Afua Asantewaa’s attempt to break the record for the longest singing by an individual was unsuccessful.
According to the GWR, Afua’s disqualification was “due to guidelines around rest break timings not being met” which they assert is “a standard rule across all of our [GWR] longest marathon records.”
The explanation by the GWR was contained in a response to an email by the Ghana Business News questioning why Afua Asantewaa was disqualified.
A report from the Ghana Business News indicated that it wrote to ask “have you reached a verdict? If you have. What verdict did you reach? And have you communicated your decision to Aduonum?”
According to the Ghana Business News, a spokesperson of the GWR replied “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.”
“This was 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 Afua’s attempt has been for her fans and we wish her the best of luck with any future record attempts,” a spokesperson of the GWR responded to the Ghana Business News.
Sing-a-thon: Guinness World Record disqualifies Afua Asantewaa’s record attempt
Afua Asantewaa completed her singing marathon at 126 hours and 52 minutes on December 29, 2023 aiming to break the current record by Sunil Waghmare, an Indian who sang for 105 hours in 2012.
Reacting to the news about her disqualification, Afua in a Facebook post on said “the news of the outcome of my Sing-a-thon attempt came few minutes as I was preparing to host a gala dinner and the launch of the Lebanese Scholarship Alumni Network attended by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. I would announce my next line of action in few days. Thank you all for your love and support.”
Afua’s disqualification has met with mixed reactions from Ghanaians. While others are sad about the news and wishing her luck, some have also confirmed their long-standing view that she will not succeed with the record attempt.