Ghanaian journalist and women’s rights advocate, Afua Asantewaa, who attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest sing-a-thon, has shared some horrifying details of her ordeal during the event.
She revealed that on the second day of her singing marathon, she lost her voice completely and went into a coma-like state, unable to wake up or respond to anyone.
She said she was saved by her faith in God and the power of Psalm 23, which she read from her Bible that she had brought with her.
She made these revelations when she went to Reverend Sam Korankye Ankrah’s Royalhouse Chapel International to thank God and also Ghanaians for their prayers and support.
During the service, the reverend called her up on stage and asked her what kept her going when she felt tired and exhausted and wanted to give up.
Afua Asantewaa answered and said, “Psalm 23. I had a Bible with me and prior to the attempt, I had the zeal that I shouldn’t leave my Bible behind. So I think on the second day I lost my voice totally. I didn’t know what was happening. It was beyond medical treatment, yeah and then I remembered that this is why I asked you to go with your Bible. So I opened Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters, he restores my soul. The second day was very terrible, we had an attack and it was meant to just shut the whole process down. According to my team I couldn’t wake up, they were calling, I was not responding.”
She continued, “I just have one thing to tell God. I have been his eye, regardless of everything. He has been with me and people didn’t understand the courage that I had, it’s not a mere courage. I know who I have trusted and who I believed in, so I say thank you to God. This is not my doing, he did it because I didn’t remember which day I was, along the way I don’t remember how we started on Sunday, all I realized that we have ended, so I give him the praise.”
She also encouraged the congregation to step out of their comfort zone and pursue their dreams with faith.
She said, “And to everybody here, I encourage you, I want to encourage each and every one to step out of your comfort zone, we are too comfortable, we are extremely comfortable and that hurts. Move out of your comfort zone with faith. All you need is faith. With faith, you move mountains. Ignore what people tell you, listen to your conscience and your faith and you’ll be guided to the right path, thank you.”
Afua Asantewaa, who has been appointed as a Tourism Ambassador, sang for a total of 126 hours and 53 minutes, from December 24 to December 29, 2023.
She sang about 120 Ghanaian songs, focusing exclusively on songs from Ghana, particularly celebrating Highlife, Hiplife, and Gospel genres
The current record, set in 2012 by Indian Sunil Waghmare, stands at 105 hours.
Afua Asantewaa started her sing-a-thon on December 24, 2023, at midnight and ended it on December 29, 2023, at 6:52 am, clocking 126 hours and 52 minutes.
Her attempt is yet to be verified by the Guinness World Record judges.