The Gravitational Pull of Hilda Baci

On 02 April, 2023, Nigerian chef and restaurateur, Hilda Baci (born Hilda Effiong Bassey) announced her plan to break the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. In a social media post, Baci stated that she had been ‘planning this for five whole years.’ This record is currently in the hands of Indian chef, Lata Tandon. On 07 September 2019, the London-based chef broke the previous record of 68 hours 30 minutes and 01 second when she cooked non-stop for 87 hours and 45 minutes. On Monday morning, Baci smashed this record and went on to cook for over 100 hours (for every one hour on her feet, she had five minutes of rest).

Baci is not new to cooking competitions; she took part in the inaugural Jollof Face-off Competition in 2021 where she secured top spot, taking home the prize of $5000. Since Baci began her quest at 4 p.m. last Thursday and turned off the stove at around 8 p.m. on Monday, she has continued to receive support from Nigerians.

A PENDING WORLD RECORD?

Following Baci’s success at surpassing the current world record time, the Guinness World Records has acknowledged her effort. In response to questions on confirmation of her feat, the official Twitter handle of the global record keeper stated that, ‘we’re aware of this amazing record attempt, we need to review all the evidence first before officially confirming a record.’ A Guinness World Records spokesperson also stated that: ‘We are aware of the record attempt and are looking forward to receiving the evidence for our Records Management Team to review, before we can confirm the record is official.’

Typically, to enter for a world record, the institution, Guinness World Records, has to check an idea against the records in their database. Following this, an individual can then confirm if the record has been accepted with the title of their choice or has been rejected. If approved, the participant will receive an information packet with record guidelines outlining the requirements for the record, as well as the proof to authenticate the effort. The duration of this phase is determined by the type of application selected.

According to Guinness World Records, ‘it can take up to 12 weeks for us to review your documentation and let you know if your record attempt has been accepted as the new record holder or rejected.’

As an alternative, one can pay for a Priority Evidence Review service to have the evidence reviewed first and have the record attempt approved or rejected. The Priority Evidence Review service will guarantee that the evidence is evaluated within five working days. This service costs £350 / $550 US / €440 (plus VAT where applicable).

A NEW CULT HERO

Once Baci’s impressive attempt is confirmed by the Guinness World Records, she will join a host of other Nigerians who have their name written in history. For instance, in 2013, Stephen Keshi became the youngest person to win the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and coach. He achieved this at 52 years and 10 days when he won the tournament as head coach of Nigeria at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa.

In 2021, Bose Omolayo broke the record for the heaviest Para power lift by a female in the -79 kg category. Omolayo achieved this feat at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 2 December 2021. In 2021, Bayo Omoboriowo, the president’s official photographer, also secured the record for the largest photo book, measuring 60.84 m² (654 ft² 87 in²).

Afrobeats sensation, Ayodeji Balogun (popularly known as Wizkid), also has numerous world records under his belt. His 2016 collaboration with Drake, One Dance, became the first song to reach one billion streams in Spotify history. In 2021, he became the individual with the most Artist of the Year awards won at the All Africa Music Awards.

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The Gravitational Pull of Hilda Baci

A PENDING WORLD RECORD?

A NEW CULT HERO

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