TEENAGE beat boxer, Tafara Dondo, walked away $3 000 richer after beating other competitors to become the ultimate winner of Dream Star talent search show’s third edition held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) auditorium on Saturday.
BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA
In a classic show, which had all the features of an international event, the grand finale saw 14 finalists take to the stage before an impressive crowd.
The Mutare-bred Dondo, whose presentations attracted standing ovations throughout the night, was at a loss of words after striking gold.
“Honestly, I did not expect to win because a beat boxer won last year, so I wasn’t expecting another one to win this year, so I am mind-blown right now,” he said.
The youngster, who could not make it into last year’s finals as a result of academic commitments, attributed his win to God.
“I guess God’s plan was not to make me win last year so that he can make me win this year, so I am glad I didn’t win last year,” an ecstatic Dondo, said.
Beat boxing is an art element in Hip-hop that blends with vocal percussion to produce extraordinary drumbeats and musical sounds with the mouth, lips, tongue and voice.
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Last year’s edition was won by another beat boxer, Pro Beatz, and the pint-sized art and design student Dondo said his win was a defining moment, as it cemented the beat-boxing as a unique art form.
“It (beat-boxing) is going to be highly recognised from now on and it is going to be completely different this coming year because it was looked down upon, but now because the biggest talent show in Zimbabwe,” he said.
ProBeatz described Dondo’s win as “ground-breaking” and said it proved that beat boxing was not a joke.
He also lauded the talent show for providing young people with special talents a chance to shine.
Meanwhile, Those Guys Vacho, an eight-member Midlands State University music outfit came second and pocketed $1 500, with Marondera-based Prince Sauramba coming third and getting $500.
Top 10 finalists will early next year get a chance to tour China in addition to the $200 awarded to all finalists for making it far in the competition that saw over 3 500 people from the country’s 10 provinces participating.
