Key lessons from Tusker Project Fame 4

By the time you read this, the winner of this year’s East African Breweries Limited (EABL) sponsored Tusker Project Fame Season Four (TPF4) will have been announced. A few talented youngsters from the different East African countries are brought together to compete for the top prize by proving to the TV viewers that they are the most talented musicians. The lucky winner walks away with lots of money, a huge recording deal and some degree of fame. Last year’s winner was Rwanda’s Alpha Rwirangira who has gone on to record some songs with big regional artists like Bebe Cool of Uganda and A.Y of Tanzania. I am not a big fan of TV, more especially what is now referred to as ‘reality TV’. When it comes to TV, I almost always stick to watching the news and news analysis only. Outside that, I am likely to switch off the TV set to save power and probably slow down the process of global warming! For the uninitiated, reality TV refers to those television shows that involve real people doing real life activities while being filmed (all the time). These people are usually ordinary people who join these programmes with the hope of gaining fame and winning the top prize on offer. Some of the commonest reality TV creations are Big Brother, Survivor and an array of talent search shows like Idols, America has got talent, and of course the regional Tusker Project Fame (TPF). I have not been following TPF4 keenly but I admit to watching it a few times and picking up some vital lessons that I wish to share here with you. Since this column always touches East African Community issues, I will start by commending East African Breweries Ltd. for investing in a project that boosts the spirit of regional integration. The only draw back, is that emphasis is placed more on the market dynamics of the company instead of the community as a whole. That is why Southern Sudan which is not yet a country and is not (yet) part of the East African Community had a participant while Burundi was not represented. It is no wonder that some cynics even claimed that last year’s winner Alpha (Rwanda) was simply favoured as a strategy for EABL, to make inroads into the Rwandan beer market that is dominated by Bralirwa. All the same, the idea is noble and it is high time that Bralirwa and other big companies invested more in similar programmes that seek to develop young talented people, and enhance the spirit of East African integration. It does not always have to be in form of a music competition. Bralirwa can for instance choose to sponsor the two leading science students from each of the five EAC countries at the university and later offer them jobs. On the entertainment front, TPF4 had several lessons for local artists. I just hope they followed keenly and took notes. I know a couple of musicians who have fallen off the mark after getting drunk on fame. Others have even taken misguided choices like overstaying their visas while on foreign tours. During one of the screenings of TPF4 one member of the faculty, was telling the participants about how to manage their fame and careers as performers without losing focus. The most touching bit of the show that I watched was one where Msechu, the often comical Tanzanian contestant revealed to the faculty members and fellow contestants that initially, he thought he stood no chance because he had a problem with English language, something he blamed on the heavily Swahili laden education system back home in Tanzania. He later thanked the organisers for giving him the opportunity to realise that he can live peacefully with fellow East Africans, and even gain the confidence to speak English. I must say I was blown impressed by his honesty. It was at that moment that I realised how significant the competition was even beyond the search for music talent. TPF4 offers East Africans from different nations a chance to live together in the same house. And although the contestants in TPF4 may be lacking on talent, they taught us a key lesson about regional integration. They have taught us to throw out our fears about each other, to learn from each other, help each other and embrace each other so as to build a stronger community. Wasn’t it always breathtaking to see a Rwandan singing while being backed up by a Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Ugandans? In other words, these youngsters seemed to be borrowing Barack Obama’s famous slogan of “Yes We Can.” And that too is not a bad idea if you remember that Obama is a Luo, an East African son. Thank you EABL. ssenyonga@gmail.com