The CEO of 6chi crocheting brand, Chidinma Modupe Okafor, has attributed her interest in showcasing Africa’s creativity to Guinness and the world at large, as her reason for attempting a 72-hour marathon in crocheting to hold the Guinness world record.
Okafor said this during a press conference, which held in Lagos on Friday, where she also identified some of the challenges she faced during the exercise.
According to her, “I actually decided to go into Guinness World Record because I want to showcase Africa in the area of crafts, and showcase what Africa have, especially as in Nigeria, and showcase the skills. Alexandra Hayden from the US is the last person to do this, which took her four hours and seven minutes. And she made blankets and I felt since I can make blankets, shoes and anything else to think of. While trying to showcase what we can do as Nigerians, I also saw it as a means of reaching out to other people who are actually trying to come out to limelight, who might be feeling I can’t do anything, because, in Africa or less generally, we believe that once there is no money, your dream cannot come true.“
Speaking on the challenges encountered during the marathon process, she said, “While thinking of going for this Guinness World Record, I had challenges with convincing people to actually believe in me. They believe you should have been a celebrity. You should be well-known. You should have a name or a status for you to get the needed support.
“I also had the challenge of getting a venue. At a point, I met a person which was as if I was making headway, but later on, I got a very negative response which would have been a yardstick for me to give up on the dream, while some were unaffordable.”
While expressing gratitude to people and platforms that gave her support to make the activity a reality, the 30-year-old University of Nigeria (UNN)’s English education graduate, gave credence to the importance of having a formal education while at any craft.
“I have people I train; I have been crocheting right from teenage years, but professionally for two years now. and yet I have several certificates. I would suggest that going to school will help you in your business line to explore more; but as whatever skill you have, don’t look down on it. And as a parent, encourage your child. Try to discover your child’s ability on time and help them grow in it,” she added.