From Uganda to the world! The Ghetto Kids have seen it all. The FIFA World Cup in Doha. A halftime performance at a PSG game in Paris. Britain’s Got Talent in London. And wait for it. The acclaimed CAF Awards 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco!
And when they perform at the CAF Awards 2023 at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday, December 11, it was yet another opportunity for them to showcase their excellence and hard work but most importantly their niche to further celebrate Ugandan and African music through their dance moves.
The performance was also the perfect opportunity to pay homage to Moroccan rapper French Montana who featured them in his ‘Unstoppable’ hit back in 2017 in his country of origin.
Jacks of all genres. The Ghetto Kids can switch from South American music to Afro Beats to a fine touch of techno, pop music, electronic music and back to house music in a few minutes of performing.
“We have performed in so many places across the world but to be invited here for the CAF Awards 2023 is a dream come true. We are being celebrated on our continent and we are going to perform in front of so many legends and people we normally would see on television,” expressed Dauda Kavuma, the Ghetto Kids Manager and father figure told CAFOnline.com.
Kavuma beams with joy and a full ear-to-ear smile on his face as he thinks back at a few moments ago when Zambian and African Legend Kalusha Bwalya walked up to him and said he admires the work that he is doing with the Ghetto Kids.
“I cannot believe it. Kalusha walked up to me and said hello before saying that he is our very big fan and that he has been following our work for some time now. This is unbelievable. It is truly amazing. I am extremely humbled about this moment.”
Bwalya, who was the African Footballer of the Year in 1988 – the same year that Kavuma was born, expressed outright sincere admiration for the Ghetto Kids.
“My wife and I have watched the Ghetto Kids so many times and to see them here in Marrakech is very exciting. I cannot wait to see them perform at the CAF Awards. They can switch from one genre of music in South America to AfroBeats to everything and anything they prefer. I love them,” Bwalya said passionately.
Bwalya, who is of the Bemba Tribe in Zambia further explained that his numerous visits to Uganda have continued to show him the similarities between the two countries and notably pointed out some Luganda words – a language spoken predominantly within the Ghetto Kids fraternity.
For Kavuma, the CAF Awards is the perfect birthday gift as he turns 35 on Monday.
“I love football. I wanted to be a professional footballer but when things did not work out, I realized that I could use music, dance and drama to achieve big dreams and here we are now. We have traversed the world and continue to create impact everywhere we go. There is a strong connection between music and football. This is the definition of entertainment,” the excited and grateful Kavuma added.
Right next to him beaming with so much joy is 14-year-old Akram Muyanja. He has just met Senegalese icon El Hadji Diouf. He cannot believe his eyes.
“This means so much to me. I am a big Liverpool fan so to see Diouf in person means a lot. Tata (Kavuma) knows him and has told me a lot about him. Wow! I will always remember this moment,” explains Muyanja who is over the moon as he looks at the photo he has taken with Diouf.
Kavuma, who is a father figure to the 30 Ghetto Kids who live in the same house in Kampala, is keen on providing a good education for all of them who are between the ages of five and 13.
Thirteen-year-old Priscilla Kisakye Zawedde who was part of the history-making Ghetto Kids team that wowed the crowd at this year’s Britain’s Got Talent in London is excited about performing in Marrakech.
Zawedde sees this as the perfect opportunity to continue their amazing work as music continues to open doors for the Ugandans. Together with her mates, they cannot wait to get onto the stage and light up the CAF Awards 2023 on Monday.
-Caf
