THE Ntabankulu Municipality and Vovee Music Productions have concluded the Living My Dream talent
Search and only women were victorious.
According to the organisers on the day of the finale it was a day full of suspense, excitement and ululations as the top 10 battled it out for the top prize of R15 000.
To the amazement of the revellers at the Ntabankulu multi-purpose centre, a young female poet, Avela Meki came out tops after beating rappers and Afro-soul singers and walked away with R30 000 in prizes.
Taking the number two spot and walking away with R15 000 in prizes was Manda Jx, duped the “queen of Ntabankulu hip-hop”, and number three went to a young crafter and fine-art artist, Mbasa Mteki who took home R8 000 in prizes.
These winners were judged by award-winning artists Nathi Mankayi, Fefe and Umhlobo Wenene FM host, Pastor Lali Tokwe.
Ntabankulu Mayor Priscila Tsileng Sobuthongo could not hide her excitement on the all-female top three, saying: “What we have witnessed here today is nothing but assurance that investing in our girl child is not a waste.”
She urged parents to continue supporting their children’s dreams, no matter how improbable they may seem.
The mayor congratulated all the winners and encouraged those who didn’t make it to continue sharpening their skills.
“This is because this is not the end of Living My Dream. As a municipality, we value and cherish the talents our young people possess and we will continue funding this program so that your dreams of being famous artists and crafters can one day be a step-closer to being reality,” she said.
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Speaking on behalf of Vovee Music Productions, the company responsible for putting together the talent search, Vovee Batala expressed his satisfaction at how the participants dedicated themselves to the competition and how the community rallied behind them.
“Vovee Music believes that for any artist to survive in the industry, they need the community behind them. But not just as supporters but as an economy,” he said.
When asked what he means by this, he said: “In most instances, we focus only on the winner and forget about the other two runners up. Even when we talk about the winner, we do not consider that an artist has the potential to create employment opportunities for a photographer, social media manager, hair and make-up, the list is endless. Our model and approach are towards building an economy around each winner so that poverty can be alleviated through the arts. We are proud to see that the community supports these youngsters. Ntabankulu just continues to amaze us with their talent.”
Draped in traditional attire, Meki was ecstatic and thanked her mother who could not stop crying as the mayor and Mzalazala handed over the R15 000 winner’s cheque to her.
“I’d like to thank my mum for her unwavering support and words of encouragement throughout this competition. You know, this morning she prayed that I am coming here to take this prize. Well, here it is now in my hands. All thanks to her” said Meki.
The finale was a final showpiece from an initial participant count of 82 young talented people from Ntabankulu, who were requested by event organisers to submit their crafts as a two-minute video clip.
