It is often said that records are meant to be made and then broken…only for new ones to be made all over again. Since its inception in 1955, the Guinness Book of World Records has served as a definitive source for vetting human records and achievement, and many people today actively look to have their names entered in to the record book.
Africa has had its fair share of record makers; therefore, Face2Face Africa looks at nine of the most unique feats from the continent that have made it in to the record books.
Moulay Sharif of Morroco was reputed to have fathered almost a thousand children Photo credit: Commons.wikimedia.org
Most Number of Children Born to One Man
The last Sharifian Emperor of Morocco, Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif, known as the Bloodthirsty for his legendary cruelty, was reputed to have fathered a total of 867 children: 525 sons and 342 daughters. He ruled present day Morocco between the years of 1672 to 1727. It is interesting to note that another African also holds the No. 2 position for this category. King Sobhuza II of Swaziland, the Father of the current king of Swaziland, reportedly had 210 children from 70 wives and concubines.
Beekeepers (wearing protective gear) at work. Photo credit: Cbsnews.com
Survivor of Most Bee Stings
Johannes Relleke of the Kamativi tin mine located in the Gwaii River in then-Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) was stung by more than 2,443 bees on January 28, 1962. He survived the attack, and all of the bee stings were later removed and counted.
Bird watching can be for scientific study or for fun. Photo credit: Fallsavenueresort.com
Largest Bird Count in 24-Hour Period
Three Kenyans, Terry Stevenson, John Fanshawe, and Andy Roberts, hold the record for the greatest number of bird species (342) spotted in a 24-hour period. They set the record on Day 2 of the Birdwatch Kenya 86 event that was held November 29 to 30, 1986.
Kimani Maruge in class as a pupil of kapkenduiyo primary school in Kenya. Photo credit: Kenyarecordsetter.blogspot.com
Oldest Person To Enroll in Elementary School
In January 2004, Kenyan Kimani Ng’ang’a Maruge enrolled into Standard One at Kapkenduiyo Primary School, Eldoret. And even though Maruge had no documents to prove his age, it was believed that he was born around 1920. Maruge’s school teachers described him as a model pupil, and in 2005, he was elected head boy of the school. Maruge said he was motivated to enroll in school when the Kenyan government made primary education free and accessible to all.
A set for a game of pick up sticks. Photo credit: GamesofthePast2014.Weebly.com
Largest Game of Pickup Sticks
The biggest game of pickup sticks was played by the pupils of St. Johns Preparatory School in Zimbabwe on 21 July 2007. The sticks measured 9.10 meters long and 14.5 cm in diameter. The game consisted of 30 plastic sticks (7 yellow, 7 red, 7 blue, 8 green, and 1 black). A full game was played by four teams of 112 children each.
The vuvuzela has come to define the culture of supporting sporting events in South Africa.
Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org
Most Vuvuzelas Played Simultaneously
The vuvuzela is a loud horn popular with South African sports fans. A common feature in many sporting events, especially soccer matches within the country, in July 2009, 12,511 spectators at a Vodacom Challenge soccer derby match set a record for the most number of vuvuzelas blown at the same time. The match was between the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Thousands of Nigerian school pupils work together to create a record for the most number of people brushing their teeth. Photo credit: Vanguardngr.com
Most People Brushing Their Teeth
In 2013, 300,000 Nigerian students from 600 public secondary schools in Lagos set a new record for the most number of people brushing their teeth. The students participated in an event that saw them brushing their teeth simultaneously for one minute at 376 separate locations. Before then, the previous record was held by India, when a total of 177,003 people gathered to brush their teeth in 2007.
Blessing Okagbare has the record for the most number of Diamond League appearances.
Photo credit: IAAF.org
Athlete with Most Diamond League Appearances
Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has competed in 38 Diamond League events in the course of her career. The Diamond League is a yearly series of track and field meets designed to replace the IAAF Golden League. In 2016, Okagbare entered in to the Guinness records as the athlete with the most number of appearances in the games. Okagbare, who is an Olympic medalist, also holds the record for the fastest time ran in the women’s 100 meters event in the British Commonwealth games.
DJ Obi now holds the world record for the most number of hours spent behind the “wheels of steel.”
Photo credit: Ynaija.com
Longest Hours Deejaying on Dance Floor
In July 2016, DJ Obi made it in to the Guinness record books for breaking the record for the longest running marathon music mix. To enter in to the record books, DJ Obi had to beat the previous record set by DJ Norbeto Loco from Poland whose record stood at a total of 200 hours or eight days deejaying. DJ Obi was, however, able to break that record and set a new one of 240 hours or a total of 10 straight days of non-stop music.
