Africa News of Wednesday, 15 November 2023

Source: bbc.com

Nigerian sets world record for longest handmade wig

Helen Williams made the wig stretching for over 350m Helen Williams made the wig stretching for over 350m

A Nigerian woman has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest handmade wig.

Helen Williams, from Lagos city, set the record after making the wig stretching more than 350m (1,150ft), the Guinness World Records (GWR) said in a statement.

A professional wig maker for eight years, Ms Williams spent 11 days and $2,493 (£2,031) making the wig.

She said despite the experience, it was not an easy task, including finding the materials - saying that she "felt exhausted” at some point, GWR quoted her as saying.

“However, friends and family encouraged me. I did not want to let them down, so I maintained my focus. The outcome is the longest handmade wig in the world,” she said.

She noted that the biggest challenge was getting space to have the wig laid out in a straight line and measured accurately.

She eventually did on an expressway – the road connecting the cities of Lagos and Abeokuta.

It comes after Nigerian chef Hilda Baci was last week dethroned as the world record holder for non-stop cooking.

Ms Baci won the title earlier this year, causing a sensation in Nigeria