Tusker Fame Season 3

Since American Idol type shows are huge in the Western world, it shouldn't be surprising that some variation would also be popular here(or even exist).
In the case of East Africa, the show is called Tusker Project Fame, this year was season 3. The show consisted of try-outs and a selection process, with the chosen few moving into a house together. Every week they performed and some of them were put on prohbation. Then the public gets to vote to save someone. Then the remaining house members can also save someone, resulting in the eviction of one of the contestants. Each show also has a theme for song picking, African music to 'western' music. They even did group numbers. Of course there were also judges;and just like American Idol who has Simon, Tusker has Ian. A twist is that the house has faculty who helps them each week with the different aspects of performance. The winner of the show is given a year-long record deal and of course money. The show is centered in Kenya, but most of the East African countries had contestants particapating, and at times it seems very much a patriotic competition, not just a talent competition.
Like many of my friends here, it was easy to become addicted to the show. In my own defense, I wasn't watching it because I thought the people were all that talented, it was more that it was amusing to watch.(Some of my friends thought, and still think that they were actually talented)
The last few weeks things had really heated up because the show was getting down to the wire and there was still a Rwandese guy left, and his chances were looking good. After much speculation and debate, the show finally got down to its final 5 contestants: 2 Kenyans( Boy + Girl), 2 Ugandans(Girlx2), 1 Rwandese(Boy). This past weekend was the culmination. On Saturday night one contestant was voted off, and then on Sunday night they announced the winner.
Based on population alone, I really thought that one of the Kenyans was going to win. The votes were for who you wanted to save, and to vote you had to send a text message. The show is filmed in Kenyan, sponsored by a huge kenyan beer company. But then many of my friends said that the show wouldn't let a Kenyan win again, that they thought it was going to be the Rwandese since Tusker is trying to to emerge into the market here, and what better way than this.
Honestly I didn't care who really won, and I didn't think that one was more talented than the others, they were all pretty normal if you ask me. But none-the-less I did have someone I did not want to win.HAHA. This one Kenyan guy just annoyed me and didn't settle right with me. Well what do you know, on Sunday night it came down to the final two being the Rwandese and the Kenyan, and you know what, the Rwandese won.
This country went crazy. My school went crazy.
My headmistress and I ran out of her house to go join the students in the celebration. The girls were jumping and screaming. This wasn't just that a guy named Alpha won the competition, it was about a Rwandese named Alpha winning the competition.
On Monday evening Alpha returned to Kigali. The airport was packed. Too many people had come out to see him. Then he went to the national stadium where they had a welcome celebration/concert. It was all over the news. It was crazy.
I know that there are some Americans who have gone crazy over the american idol favorites, but this just felt different. I can't describe it, but as all my students were hugging and jumping all over me, one felt not just the happiness they had for this guy, but also the national pride that they felt because HE won.
Now we will just have to wait and see if he comes out with a CD and how good it is actually going to be..