By Amadu Wurie Barrie
As entertainment takes a new dimension in Sierra Leone, religious organizations have also come onboard with the recent development in engaging young people through educative entertainment. The One Deen (SL) Ltd is one of the few Islamic organizations that have embarked on religious edutainment. The Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Mohamed Keita, on Sunday 7th October 2017 at the Miatta Conference Centre during their Salone Muslims Got Talent (SMGT) Season-2, told this medium that the event is focused on restoring morality in the entertainment sector.
Noting the plight of the Government in prioritizing the development of the lives of youths, Mr. Keita said the show is geared towards discovering young talents and using them to teach ethics and moral values. Mr. Keita said it is high time the world understand Islam and the beauty of the religion. In comparing the SMGT to America’s Got Talent and other international Talent shows, he said the vision of exposing talents is the same, but the difference lies in the mannerism of the activities embedded therein. According to him, Islamic entertainment is guided by principles and values.
CEO Keita furthered that there has been so much improvements with regards organizing and also showcasing the different talents. He explained that an orientation session was organized for registered participants after passing through auditions. According to the CEO the Season-3 should be expected sometimes in February adding that there would be two more programs coming up next year. He called on the general public including Muslims and non-Muslims to attend Islamic events, for morality is far better, compared to immorality.
Mr. Keita said the Awalu Theatre Group emerged as 1st place winner of Le1.3 Million for their thrilling Drama performance, the second prize of Le700, 000 was bagged by Mariama Sesay for her amazing output in Spoken Words and the 3rd Prize of Le500, 000 was merited by Osman Kamara, who gave an outstanding show in the category of Adhaan.
The Chief Judge, Alhaji Abdul Rahman Jalloh stated that allocating marks to the participants in every stage was not an easy task. He added that the process involved 4 judges looking at various aspects of the performance including originality.
Alhaji Keita noted that there are huge challenges with people attending Islamic programs, not just in Sierra Leone, but also other countries. This, he said, is because most Muslims are not practical and therefore do not value their religion much and that many have little or no knowledge about Islam. He also expressed challenges with regards finance and publicity of the show. The Founder and head of the Awalu Theatre Group, Abdul Awalu expressed his gratitude to Allah and thanked One Deen for the victory of his group emerging as 1st place winner of the SMGT. He said the secret behind their success is constant rehearsals and hard work.
News Credit: Cotton Tree News Network.
WINNERS OF THE SMGT SEASON 2
