NEWS
In Kenya, refugees show that Kakuma’s Got Talent
Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp is hosting its fifth edition of “Kakuma Got Talent,” a competition that brings together some of the best singers, dancers and other artists from the refugee and local communities.
===
By Caroline Opile in Kakuma, Kenya | 10 December 2018 | Español
Amid the heat and dust, hundreds of refugees have gathered in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp to participate in the fifth edition of Kakuma Got Talent.
The three-day talent search was organized by the Lutheran World Federation, or LWF, with support from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. It brought together over 700 talented refugees and local residents who showcased their skills in music, dance, modelling and comedy.
“Most people believe that everything belongs to boys, even dancing,” said Fardose Daud, a Sudanese refugee and member of ‘Capable Girls’, an all-girl dance group. “We decided that this year we’ll have to show them, what a man can do, a woman can do, not even better but best!”
“Everybody needs to know that Kakuma has got talent.”
The group put their skills on show in an energetic performance that ended with loud applause from the audience. They took third position in the Girls Dance Category, winning a cash prize of US$100. Other winners in various performance categories – Male Dance, Cultural Dance, Comedy, Fashion, Music and Photography – received between US$50 and US$250.
“The youth who are here in the camp are the next generation,” added Fardose. “We can do something with the future and we are capable of it.”
LWF, which manages refugee youth affairs in Kakuma, first organized the talent show in 2014, with the aim of engaging young people in constructive activities during school holidays.
https://www.unhcr.org/5c0e6a834
Wonder why the UN would showcase talented refugee kids.