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MOSSEL BAY NEWS - This year four level-headed young men were named in the top positions of the Mossel Bay's Talent (MBGT) Showcase, which concluded on National Youth Day, 16 June.
The competition, in its ninth year, seeks out talent from all over Mossel Bay and the surrounding, rural areas.
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Facilitated by the Mossel Bay Municipality, but thanks to generous sponsorship, it offers an attractive cash prize in each of the three categories, namely open (drama, rap, instrumental and so forth), vocal and dance.
The Garden Route Casino Community Trust sponsored the cash prizes and committed to supporting the talent showcase again in 2019.
Consistency pays off
Rappers Mental Code, or Sibahle Culashe and Vuyisa Konzano, after trying their hand at it for the fourth time, claimed the top spot in the open category. These young men, not simply seeking to win a competition, kept honing their skills and they operate a recording studio, working with artists from as far as Cape Town.
"Every time I participated and didn't win, I never felt like I'd lost. I just kept working harder," says Vuyisa. He says that in the end, their consistency as group members paid off. Sibahle says to him, MBGT was a great learning experience. "We have many new friendships and connections."
Their prize money will go towards upgrading their studio and developing their brand.
'Igniting the world'
Winner in the vocal category, Duran Jooste, is a husband and a father. He settled in Mossel Bay from Cape Town and works as a fisherman.
Although from a musical family, he never took singing too seriously. "I play guitar and used to sing around the fire." Friends encouraged him to sign up for MBGT. "I didn't think I could do it. The other competitors were so much younger than me. I didn't want to put myself out there and risk being hurt by someone's judgement."
He said MBGT helped him realise music has a place for him.
"I used to sing songs only halfway. I didn't complete what I wrote or didn't learn a full song. The judges helped me a lot. They took my music and made it better." He says MBGT taught him obedience and perseverance.
"There is so much negativity in our country. Music is a little bit of light. If each artist brings their spark, we can ignite the world."
Going solo
Soloist Anslin April or The Young One, from Great Brak River, proved himself as the best dancer at MBGT this year. He also made history by becoming the first soloist to win in the dance category of MBGT.
He was part of the group, 3in1, that won the dance category in a previous year.
His name, he says, was given to him by another former MBGT vocal category winner, from Friemersheim, Mordegai Erasmus. Soft spoken as he is, he says many people encouraged him to show on stage, what he has got to offer as a dancer.
"I am very afraid before I go on stage, but when the music starts, all the moves are just there." He says that his dance style emanates from the meaning of songs. "I dance what the music means."
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