And the winner of tpf6...was not hisia

Dar es Salaam. The curtains finally fell on East Africa’s talent search show Tusker Project Fame season 6 with the crowning of Burundi’s Irakoze Hope as winner of this year’s edition.

With that, Hope walked home with a cool Sh100 million prize plus a recording deal with music giants Universal Group atop the prize money.

In a season that was filled with great talent, the contest went to the wire with many rooting for the talented duo of Amos and Josh for the crown.

But as it turned out, these were mere illusions as the multitalented Burundi lad left viewers spellbound with performances that are set to take him places only if the money doesn’t become a detractor.

He was a favourite and a choice that many warmed up to, including even some Tanzanian fans who admitted to have preferred him to Hisia. In fact, the day he was put on probation, the decision drew a backlash for the judges.

His ability to sing flawlessly and play the guitar was complemented with his dynamic dance moves which made him a darling of the fans across the region.

His triumph was, however, not without drama as one Kamau immediately sensationally claimed that he was the real biological father of the new East African celebrity and millionaire.

The claim was regarded baseless and laughable, perhaps informed by what happened to Namibian Dillish on her success at the Big Brother Africa. Her father turned out to be Kenyan.

Hope’s win, however, condemned Tanzania to yet another season of emptiness, as the sole survivor, Hisia, finished fourth behind Daisy, Amos and Josh.

He became only the second Tanzanian to reach the finals after Peter Msechu achieved a similar feat in 2010, a season that was won by Uganda’s Davis Ntare.

Sunday’s developments mean that of the six countries that were in the contest it is only Tanzania and South Sudan that are yet to win. After a season where many labeled Tanzanian contestants in the ‘also runs’ category, this time round in Hisia, there was real talent that oozed in every aspect.

This was confirmed by the fact that he was never on probation throughout his stay at the house, taking on genres that many an artiste would never dare.

However, even with such heartfelt performances throughout the season, it is still incomprehensible how he ended up not winning the contest.

Prior to Saturday’s and Sunday’s performances, he had led the polls with some 44 per cent of the votes cast on the Tusker project Fame website.

It turned out as a double loss in a space of a week after AY and Co, who were nominated for the Channel O awards came home empty-handed.

These losses together with others in the past pose challenges and questions that we can only speculate on, as there are no real answers on the table with many accusing the public for not voting.

It is at this point that questions begin to pop up, like didn’t we campaign enough to rally support for our contestant who looked like a worth contender for the throne?

Or was the platform chosen for the sensitisation not popular enough or was it the limitations of the digital migration that made many people not able to watch the shows and therefore not vote? Were we outshone in talent?

Asked for comments on this, local pundits had varied reasons with many citing a general lack of a voting culture among Tanzanians who do not believe in such systems.

However, though others pegged it on the pricing of the SMS while others say organisers of such shows have to invest more in the project since it is not a social responsibility and the mindset isn’t something that can be changed overnight.

But after the confetti has settled and Hope goes back home to Bujumbura to a great reception by all means, one question continues to linger; will the new star be any different from those before him.

With such a platform, the money plus even an international recording deal one would think success should be a guarantee but contrary to this the graduates including the victors have always struggled.

And just like in the previous seasons, the assurances are there, and the show’s producers are determined to make this year’s winner a true success that the show will be proud of.

But even then some have questioned why the status quo has remained that way after all the hard work in the academy with coaches, choreographers and stylists, most of them are not able to meet the standards in the market place.

And to most, it looks like the driving factor to the contestants is to win the money and that is why they abandon their pursuit for stardom musically soon after the contest is over.

The judges too have not been spared, especially Judge Ian Mbugua, whom many think is out of touch with the reality in the industry and that is why he was so quick to dismiss Sudanese contestant Bior.

Yet in reality, hip hop sells as opposed to Judge Ian’s conviction that the genre wasn’t music.

Bior’s crime here was that he dared to be different; he challenged what either the authority knew little about or didn’t know at all.

That said, Tanzania will have to go back to the drawing board again and hope that something different turns out next year.