East Africa's version of 'Got Talent' show coming soon
At the launch of East Africa Got Talent show, from left: Joseph Kusaga, CEO Clouds Media international; Anne Kansime, host East Africa's GotTalent; Sylvia Mulinge, Chief Customer Officer at Safaricom, Kenya's Sports and Culture Minister Amina Mohammed; Jerome Ochieng, PS Information Communications and Technology; Dr Ezekiel Mutua, CEO Kenya Film Classification Board; Lee Ndayisaba; and Lillias Bode. PHOTO | COURTESY
The show, to be shot in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, will be adapted for the East African market.
Initial auditions will be held in each of the four countries and the successful contestants will perform in front of a panel of judges in Nairobi, Kenya.
Qualified participants from Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda will travel to Kenya for the live shows.
Talented East Africans will have a chance to showcase their skills in a talent show to be screened starting August on yet to be announced TV channels. The show will be hosted by Ugandan comedian Anne Kansiime.
East Africa Got Talent or simply EAGT was launched in Nairobi last week and graced by Kenya's Sports and Culture Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, who said the show will nurture talent in the region.
The show, to be shot in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, will be adapted for the East African market in partnership with Freemantle SYCO and Rapid Blue Productions from South Africa.
The Kenyan version of the show will be sponsored by Safaricom Plc and the Tanzania one by Clouds Media.
EAGT is open to East Africans of all ages from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Pre-auditions will be held across major towns and cities in on May 11-26 and all children under 18 years will have to accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Those who cannot make it to one of the pre-audition centres can do so online on www.rapidblue.formstack.com and send a short video clip of their act or simply upload a one-minute video of their performance with name, age and country on WhatsApp number +254 (0)703 437 903.
Initial auditions will be held in each of the four countries and the successful contestants will perform in front of a panel of judges in Nairobi, Kenya.
Qualified participants from Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda will travel to Kenya for the live shows.
The acts that make it through this round will go through to the semi-finals until only six remain, with a chance of one of them winning the $50,000 cash prize in the finale.
The show will have 10 episodes, with the semi-finals and grand finalé shot live on location in Kenya.
Although Burundi and South Sudan are part of the East African Community, the countries were missing from the list of where participants can come from. Nevertheless, there nothing to suggest restrictions on participants from there.
East Africa has previously had the Tusker Project Fame (TPF) sponsored by East African Breweries Ltd, which ran between 2006 and 2013.
Unlike TPF, however, EAGT is not just a singing show. It is open to people with any kind of talent, from playing musical instruments or singing, dancing, or doing magic tricks, acrobatic or even stand-up comedy.
The Got Talent franchise was started in 2006 by Simon Cowell, an English television music critic, businessman, talent manager, television producer and entrepreneur.
He is famous for being a no-nonsense judge in the early seasons of American Idol, a US reality music talent show.
He later judged The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and America's Got Talent.
