Can a South African choir really win America’s Got Talent? – The BBC asks itself this question and Hugo Tempelman answers it.
Listen to the radio interview at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07nmb6x
Hugo:
It was a wonderful event! It was fantastic to be invited and to be one of the finalists. We are incredibly proud of how the choir performed and how the judges scored them. These young people are the ambassadors of a united Africa.
News:
This is precisely the point I would like to address. There is a lot of tension in South Africa and many other African countries at the moment. We heard about recent xenophobic attacks and then the Ndlovu Youth Choir posts today that they feel like proud young ambassadors of a united Africa as they perform in the final of America’s Got Talent.
Hugo:
I think that expresses exactly what this choir stands for: and that is hope, youth and vitality.
News:
Let’s talk about the Ndlovu Youth Choir in more detail because they are a collection of really talented young people from the Limpopo region of South Africa.
Hugo:
We, the Ndlovu Care Group, are an NGO that has been working in the region for 25 years. We formed the Ndlovu Youth Choir from the children’s program for orphans and vulnerable children and young people who were also exposed to rape and drug abuse. Because a choir gives them order and structure, they get encouragement and recognition when they do well. And that is something these children have never experienced before in their lives. And we chose an excellent choirmaster. And then we were discovered through a cover version of the Ed Sheeran song “Shape of You”.
News:
I heard that. I got goose bumps. You are incredible!
Hugo:
This is her way of saying: I want to get out of here. I “sing” my way. That’s how Ralf’s quote should be understood when he said: “Just the fact that you were born in poverty doesn’t mean that you are poor. These children take every opportunity to escape from where they come from. And fortunately, they were given guidance, leadership and the opportunity. And they have wonderful voices. And we have combined that, because everyone can sing at any moment in life: Birth, death, happiness, sadness. In Africa, people always sing.
News:
I can imagine what would happen if you were to win. What would happen in South Africa, what the reactions would be like. What does that mean for these children?
Hugo:
I have two answers. Firstly, they have already come so far, won so much, that they can’t lose. Secondly, if they really were the number one finalist, that would be recognition beyond recognition. It would mean that we would have proven that excellence can come from the deepest poverty.
