The Fafali Drum, Dance & Dream project staged one of the best performances of the night at the 2023 Francophone’s Got Talent held at Alliance Francais in Accra on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.
An excellent presentation of poetry, rich cultural display, and musical performance characterized the Francophone’s got talent show. The event co-hosted by the Lebanese Embassy and Net 36 Vista, attracted Canada, France, Morocco, Guinea, Togo, and Switzerland ambassadors among others.
Also present at the event were French schools in the country who battled for supremacy in a special contest against girls from our Drum, Dance & Dream project.
CEO of the Fafali Organization, Senyo Sosu, recounted how this opportunity came by and how he helped prepare these young girls for such a big stage.
“Our President (Raymond Amezado) saw the flier of the event on social media and decided to follow up on whether or not there was an opening for a performance from our girls. We had the opportunity to perform as guests and that was all we needed to prove we belonged,” Mr. Sosu said. On the preparation towards the event, Mr. Sosu mentioned that “we trained like we were going to war.”
The goal of the Drum, Dance & Dream project has always been to allow these valiant young girls to showcase their talent through what we identify with as our culture. As an organization with a mission of empowering the youth of Africa with education, training, and character – enabling them to act upon their future and enriching their local communities and Africa as a whole, this opportunity could not have come at a better time.
The Drum, Dance & Dream project began in late 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, that brought the world to a standstill. During its inception, the Fafali Drum, Dance & Dream project featured both males and females.
The project resumed in May 2022 with a new goal of having an all-girls team that can drive home the cultural essence of the project. During this time, an experienced tutor, Sam Norvinyo, was hired to teach these young girls how to play the different drums, how to dance to the tunes, and most importantly, have fun while doing so.
Sam Norvinyo, shared his thoughts on what it means to see these young girls on such a stage and how he believes they have a lot more to achieve together.
“I am very elated to be part of history. Seeing these young girls come this far has always been a dream. It does not end here, as we will be looking to work even harder to achieve bigger goals. Thank you to everyone in the Fafali office for throwing their support behind us. ”
This brings back the question, “Was this the Dream? Or a sign of Better Things to Come?”
We at the Fafali Organization believe this opportunity to perform at the Francophone Got Talent was more of a sign of better things to come than just the dream. The ultimate goal for us as an organization is to get the Drum, Dance & Dream project global while providing unending fun for these young ones.
By global, we mean, performing at the best festivals of the world, concerts, and notable events, among others. This, we believe will take a lot of hard work, determination, and perseverance to get to the top. We hope to provide all the necessary assistance for these girls to be able to stay ready and motivated.
During the event at Alliance Francais, one could easily tell who the best-performing group was. When the girls from our program got on stage and began drumming, it was a moment to behold, as all the judges, led by popular film star, Kalybos, and the numerous ambassadors present, took out their smartphones to capture what they were witnessing. Popular musician, Feli Nuna also took some time to share a moment with these wonderful girls backstage.
Two of the children in the Drum, Dance & Dream project, Ellen Amezado and Candra Evadzi who also serve as leaders of these girls shared with us their experience on the night and how they cannot wait for more opportunities like this.
“We are very happy to have the opportunity to perform on such a stage. We are grateful to the Fafali Organization, and we hope we were able to create a lasting impression even with less time. We cannot wait for the other opportunities ahead,” Ellen and Candra said.
It is also worth noting that, media duties on behalf of the Fafali Organization were conducted by students in our STEM project (Photography & Videography class). We empower these children through our various projects for them to be self-sustainable.
We will like to hear from you reading this piece; “Was this the Dream? Or a sign of Better Things to Come?”
