The first edition of East Africa’s Got Talent comes to a close this weekend, October 6, as top acts battle it out to be crowned the winner.
There is a wide range of performers from Rwanda’s Intayoberana to Kenyan acts Spellcast and Janelle Tamara, and others.
The winner gets a whopping $50,000 grand prize (Rwf46,094,500), and other goodies.
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On September 29, viewers tuned in, as the contestants battled it out in the third semi-finals. During the live show, Rwandans watched their golden buzzer, Peace Hosiana, to see if she could make it through to the next stage of the competition.
Unfortunately, she did not make the cut, despite singing her heart out on stage, with Kenyan judge Jeff Koinange commending an improvement in her vocal range.
The 23-year-old lost to Spellcast, the Kenyan choir, who got 40 voices in unison with an impressive choreography, as the thrilled audience cheered and chanted "Igwe…!”.
Young Intayoberana dancers impressed judges in the third semi-finals of East Africa Got Talent. / Courtesy
The former student of Nyundo School of Art and Music had got a golden buzzer from judge Makeda Mahadeo. According to the competition, any act that receives the golden buzzer during the theater auditions is sent directly to the semi-finals, and do not compete in the judge cuts stage.
Makeda thought that Hosiyana, who had earlier struggled to perform Whitney Houston’s rendition of "I Will Always Love You’, deserved another chance.
Following the golden buzzer, which gave her one last chance to win over the viewers, she delivered an incredible performance that wowed the judges. The jury was in agreement, expressing their satisfaction in her performance during the four minutes act.
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"I was nervous so much, but this time you did what you were supposed to do. It was an amazing performance. You did well Hosiyana,” said Gaetano during the show.
However, after failing to garner enough public votes that would send her directly to the finals, her fate was left in the judges’ hands.
This happens for the second, and third act with most public votes, where the judges’ vote for only one act to proceed to the finals, and Spellcast was the judges’ choice with three to one votes.
There were tears of joy and sadness as some contestants were successful, while some had their dreams shattered – with the viewers making their voices heard over the judges decisions.
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Now, with Hosiyana out, all eyes are on Intayoberana, a traditional dance troupe that comprises of young boys and girls. The young Rwandan contestants have won the hearts of the judges and the admiration of the very knowledgeable audience-- thanks to their incredible stage performance and infectious smiles on stage.
The competition is stiff, and Intayoberana will go head-to-head in the live final performance with Uganda’s D.N.A, Jehovah Shalom Acapella, and Esther & Ezekiel. Other finalists are Kenya’s Spell Cast and Janelle Tamara.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com