Ugandan artiste Jackie Chandiru with Shamz Media CEO K Daddy Fortune. A team of seasoned entertainment personalities, among them singer Jackie Chandiru from Uganda and music producer Frank Shukuru aka Maximizer from Tanzania, are here at Kahawa Wendani to witness a unique talent showcase.
They are part of the panel judging the over 50 contestants, young people who have attended a talent search audition exercise organised by Shamz Media Limited, a recording and talent management stable committed to nurturing young creatives.
From wanna-be musicians, dancers and deejays lined up, hoping to win a slot and get signed to a two-year contract. It is a big deal for the youth, one that would expose them to international promoters, among them creatives organisations in Germany who have partnered in the project.
Charles Oduor, 22, one of the contestants, tells us he has been looking forward to becoming a musician since he cleared High School four years ago. He, however, hasn’t been able to raise the exorbitant recording fee charged by producers in popular recording studios since. This, he says, is his golden opportunity to get recognised and win a recording deal, one that would jam start his music dreams.
"We have been scouting for young talents; musicians, deejays, dancers…name them, after discovering that many youth are seeking opportunities to make a livelihood in a country where jobs are hard to come in the formal sector. Most of these youth come from low income humble backgrounds and our commitment is to discover, nurture, equip and expose them," says Daddy Fortune, one of the directors at the centre.
"We have a professional team of dedicated industry players from across the region that is training the young talents and molding them to become reputable entertainers," adds Fortune.
The centre is one of the many upcoming creatives hubs giving hope to young artists when the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, through the new competency-based curriculum, is developing training modalities to unlock the opportunities available in the creative economy space.
Among such hubs is the KTN Home aired Sasini Talanta Mtaani program now on its sixth year, a creatives training program through which hundreds of youth have unlocked their talents.
"Talanta Mtaani Youth Empowerment Program (TMYEP), which is now organised by the Talanta Mtaani Consortium (Civil Society Urban Development Platform, Ciplar International, Uwezo Awareness Organization) aims at expanding the socio – economic opportunities for the youth from the neighborhoods," says Maurice Okoth, the CEO, […]
