Ding het geklop: What a lekker season we had, but ophou with the infighting
|Published
ENTERTAINING THE CROWD: West London All Stars took the Section 1 crown
Let’s start by congratulating both minstrel section one and section two’s winners.
West London All Stars beat their competition in section one, and Playaz Inc Entertainers came out tops in section two.
This past weekend’s competition was yet another long day that ran into the early hours of Sunday.
Emcee Shahien van Nelson, aka Mr Personality, read out the points to an anxious audience at 2am.
Playaz Inc walked away with six first places that included some of the crowds’ favourites, namely Group Song, Juvenile Combine, English Combine, Afrikaans Moppie, and both Senior and Juvenile Drum Major.
Their win is still the talk of the town.
Playaz Inc had a musical genius who didn’t want to be mentioned, but is known for backing many talented international stars.
He brought this wealth of experience to Athlone Stadium every week and the result was a clean win.
Following in second place was the well-loved D6 Raw, a team notorious for their swag but, more importantly, their talent.
They walked away with three first prizes which included Best Band, Adult Sentimental and Female sentimental.
It was District Six Hanover Minstrels who took the Best Dress, and it was Orients who claimed the first prize for Klopse Jol.
TV Stars won the Juvenile Sentimental while Exquisite Golden Gate walked away with the first prize for the respected Grand March Pass.
Mense were very upset and once again booed loudly around the stadium when Orients didn’t win Best Band.
It was a struggle to quieten them, in order for us to hear the rest of the scores, but it’s in these moments where you realise just how invested our audiences are.
They are there taking notes and keeping track of every performance.
I have to say that Orients had the entire crowd up on their feet during their performance. It was a magical experience.
I will also add that D6 Raw was overlooked in this item simply because people enjoyed the Orients’ choice of songs, but D6 Raw played brilliantly on the day in this item.
Being in the presence and talking to some of the competitors, you could feel the tension on those familiar faces even behind the paint, who were so good at showcasing their talents.
I applaud the dedication of every coach.
Muneeb Gambeno, the director of the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association (KKKA), stood by his word and made sure the judges’ scores were checked and double-checked again.
Due to a miscalculation last week which caused havoc, an auditing company was hired and results were called out without any hiccups.
While we have reached the end of a season, it was one we’ve waited for over two years.
The buzz is still very loud on social media.
I’ve been seeing many people from different troupes expressing their unhappiness with the final decisions made by the adjudicators.
This time around there is no going back to check on scores.
I need to say this with respect, but why are we always fighting with our own?
When will we work and live together in peace so we can prosper together?
Stop with the infighting on socials, because we have children on these platforms who we must be an example to. Let them come into our culture fearlessly.
We must learn the skill of truly being happy for the next person.
Being ghazzad ( jealous ) doesn’t work for anyone. It will either work against you, or against someone you care about, but it will never work for you.
Until next season, I wish the troupes well and hopefully we will have more troupes coming in.
What a lekker vibe this season was, including the drama.