Nigerian man ‘goes blind’ during bizarre seven-day ‘cry-a-thon’
A Nigerian man who forced himself to cry for an entire week has told how he went temporarily blind.
Tembu Ebere’s non-stop ‘cry-a-thon’ — a Guinness World Record attempt — left him battling headaches, puffy eyes, a swollen face.
But the BBC claims he even went partially blind for 45 minutes.
Ebere, who claims to be a comedian, promoted his efforts on TikTok and, under the username @237_towncryer, told followers: ‘Send me your problems I will be crying for you.’
The video has since gained 5.3 million views as bewildered TikTokers cheer on his attempt
He sat wailing and grasping his head next to a live timer, which read two hours and seven minutes.
Ebere’s video has gained 5.3 million views from confused TikTokers across the globe, with some even cheering him on. One said: ‘Go man, you can do it.’
Others joked: ‘Honestly I’ve cried for longer I think,’ and ‘Nah I still hold that record.’
Speaking to the BBC, the ‘town cryer’ said: ‘I had to re-strategise and reduce my wailing,’ adding that he was determined to sob towards his goal.
The BBC did not reveal how he went temporarily blind. However, the sensation can occur from headaches and a build-up of pressure inside the eye.
Despite the difficulties he has faced, he has not officially applied to Guinness World Records so his attempt won’t be recognised, it was claimed.
This is despite him posting on social media that it was an official attempt.
The official records site has seen a frenzy of record-breaking attempts in Nigeria, sparked by a chef’s-four day cooking marathon which captured public attention.
Hilda Baci attempted to cook continuously for 100 hours, which was so widely followed that it caused Guinness World Records official website to crash for two days.
As she strived to ‘put Nigerian cuisine on the map,’ she was cheered by the public, celebrities and Nigeria’s vice president.
Hilda Baci sparked a record-breaking frenzy in Nigeria after she attempted to cook continuously for 100 hours,
She managed 93 hours smashing the previous cook-a-thon in India in 2019, and captured the interest of viewers all over the globe
The 26-year-old reached 93 hours 11 minutes, which smashed the previous cooking marathon record set in India in 2019.
Her success saw a surge of similar attempts, which saw people partake in kiss-a-thons, sing-a-thons and pray-a-thons.
John Obot, a schoolteacher from Nigeria, told the BBC he would be attempting to spend 140 hours reading classic literature aloud in September 2023.
He said he had chosen a record that is meaningful, adding: ‘The motivation is to promote reading culture in Nigeria.’
Other attempts have faced backlash for being offensive. A suggested world record attempt for kissing was banned in Ekiti state and authorities told organisers they would be punished with jail time if it went ahead.
‘[The] ‘kiss-a-thon’ as an event is not only absurd, immoral, unhealthy [but] capable of denigrating the image of Ekiti,’ a statement from the culture ministry said.
Meanwhile, a masseuse, attempting a 72-hour massage-a-thon, fainted during a live broadcast. The young woman managed 53 hours before collapsing on her female client and being revived by an assistant.
Guinness World Records has advised hopeful record-breakers to take caution and liaise with the body, or risk being disqualified.
‘Please, enough of the record-a-thons,’ the organisation wrote on social media.
The remarks sparked criticism from some Nigerians who questioned whether the record organisation was ‘tired’ of their country, which prompted it to state that it welcomed ‘applications from all over the globe’.
