Pan reigns at UWI Got Talent

RHIANNA MC KENZIE

THE Daaga Auditorium was bursting with colour, music, cheers and applause at The UWI Got Talent competition which saw 12 talented undergraduate students participate in a range of categories including voice, dance, music and performing arts.

The competition was created with the support of the UWI St Augustine Student Guild Council to promote and encourage the arts by showcasing the students' non-academic talents. The finalists were coached and judged by industry professionals.

The event, held last Saturday, was hosted by Hans De Vignes, and featured a special guest appearance by Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly.

The night was filled with memorable performances, including singer Jana Clarke who placed second with a show-stopping performance. There was an impressive "mash up" of karaoke hits by the dynamic voice and guitar duo Arshad Forde and Mohammed Shaddy. But the night ultimately belonged to Emmanuel Joseph. The19-year-old pan phenom played his way to the top spot, impressing judges with his musical skills and dance moves.

His rendition of Olatunji’s smash hit Ola earned him the night's only standing ovation. The literature major, who is in his first year at the university has been playing pan for ten years, starting at nine in primary school. He plays for both Melodians and BPTT Renegades steelbands.

Joseph expressed his gratitude to the programme for giving students the opportunity and exposure. “To win is one thing but the opportunity comes before the win, and that’s what I’m really thankful for,” he said. Even with his undeniable musical talent, his future goals are not limited to music alone. Long-term, Joseph wants to be a literature teacher as well as a musician, composer and arranger.

“It will be a double life,” he joked, but seemed determined to make those dreams a reality. “All glory to God,” said Joseph who pointed his fingers to the heavens when his victory was announced.

Spoken word artist Shimiah Lewis, 21, made it to the top three with two powerful pieces addressing topics such as sexism and UWI life. Her poetry was a crowd favourite and was met with loud cheers as she tackled heavy issues with sarcasm and humour. Mocking sexist ideologies of women, she personified a robotic woman unable to come to terms with the societal standards she was "programmed" for. The crowd went wild when her persona ripped her wig off, discarding her symbol of oppression and embracing her womanhood.

Lewis too was thankful for a platform to address these issues. “It was tough” she said, describing the preparation process for the competition. “Because I work and go to school, it was hard to find the time to do it, but I know it was something that had to be said and I’m really glad that this was the platform.” A sociology major in her final year, she plans to use education and spoken word to reach out to underprivileged communities and “reshape the word ghetto and what it means to be ghetto.”

In his closing remarks, programme co-ordinator Jarel Alder expressed his gratitude for the support the programme had received.