Guinness world record attempt: Ghanaian sing-a-thon ends

Afua Asantewaa Aduonum looked exhausted as her singing marathon came to an end — unsure after days of vocal acrobatics what day of the week it was.

"At one point I kept asking which day it was, and I finally got to know that today is Friday," she quipped, as her sore voice looked forward to a break.

"This was a mere dream that was realized just in a period of five days. ... I don’t even remember how it started, not to mention how it ended."

Much more than a joke

Her brother, however, remembers exactly how this unusual journey for his sister began: "So it started as a joke [...] when she wrote to the Guinness book of records about the challenge," Afra Harrison Ofosu told DW.

The stunt has become so much more than a joke for Aduonum, her family and her team. Since Christmas Eve, crowds started gathering at a public park called the 'Akwaaba village' in the capital, Accra, to witness her attempt at breaking the world record, which was held by a singer from India, Sunil Waghmare.

"On behalf of my husband, my family, my team of volunteers, media, Ghana Tourism authority, l want to say a very big thank you to each and every one who participated in this sing-a-ton attempt," Aduonum said before taking a well-deserved vocal break.

The outpouring of love and support has indeed shocked Aduonum's team and family, who told DW that these gestures helped her to keep singing throughout Christmas.

A record-breaking attempt

But did she break the world record? That is the question that everyone is hoping to have answered. It might take a month or even longer to find out, as the team at Guinness will now scrutinize her attempt from every angle, examining the nonstop footage of her singing to the millisecond.

But broadly speaking, things are looking good for the Ghanaian songstress: Aduonum first started the singing stunt on December 24 at midnight. Her initial plan was to continue singing until December 27 to beat the existing record, but she extended the marathon until Friday to clock up enough time to make up for the numerous breaks and pauses during the remarkable singing session.

This means she should comfortably have sung past the 105-hour mark which she is trying to beat.

An inspiration to others

Aduonum, meanwhile, said the whole experience reminded her of the fact that she could achieve anything she set her mind on.

"It has been a smooth journey, a very successful one, and we hope and believe that this will be an inspiration to all women and youth or individuals to come out of your comfort zone and try new opportunities.

"There is a lot out there to do. ... When you put your mind to it, you can achieve it."

Support from her family — and beyond

Aduonum's father, Thomas Ofori Ofosu, told DW that the family initially had doubts about the plan.

"When she told me, I did not understand her," adding that one of Aduonum's main motivations was to promote the Ghanaian music industry — even though she is not a professional singer nor a musician herself. It was then that the father came around and saw the importance of the stunt.

"I feel very proud of my daughter," said her father.

Aduonum's sing-a-thon has meanwhile attracted a lot of attention, including from Ghana's vice president, Mahamadu Bawumia — one of many leading personalities to visit her singing booth and offer encouragement.

"I thought that, as Ghanaians, we should give her all the support and moral encouragement as we can," Bawumia told reporters.

"I came here to let her know that Ghana is behind her, and that she should go ahead and break the record."

Promoting Ghanaian music

Aduonum focused on singing Ghanaian songs exclusively, covering popular genres such as gospel, highlife and hiplife. Her proudly patriotic playlist alone moved scores of people in the country:

"She is trying to do this awesome thing by bringing all musicians [in Ghana] together by becoming one," said her brother.

Aduonum's record-breaking attempt has been trending all over social media this festive season, bringing Ghanaians old and young together in a nationwide party.

Here's hoping that the celebrations will continue when the final results are in.

Edited by: Martin Kuebler