Brent Has Got Talent!
Youth charity Broken Silence announces winning acts from talent show to raise awareness of sickle cell disease
30th September 2009: On Saturday night (26th Sept) a group of young people suffering from the blood disorder, sickle cell disease, hosted a star-studded talent show at Brent Town Hall in Wembley in order to raise awareness and understanding of sickle cell disease (SCD) and to highlight its devastating effects on the lives of those people who have it.
The Broken Silence talent show was dedicated to Leona Dehaney (a close friend of Broken Silence) who died from complications relating to sickle cell disease.
The talent show finalists were split into four categories: under 14’s, vocalists, lyricists and dancers and were judged by a panel of experts which included funky house sensation and 2009 MOBO award nominee, Donae’o.
The winning acts were as follows: Under 14’s: Kronik Vocalists: Malachi Lewis Lyricists: M.Jewelz Dancers: The Dark Elite
Winning vocalist, Malachi, said “To hear my name called was one of the best moments any 14 year old could have. I looked out into the crowd to see the audience screaming, shouting and jumping and I saw all my family with big smiles on their faces. It was truly a remarkable moment for me.”
The show was hosted by Angie Greaves, Drive Time Presenter of Magic 105.4FM. She said “Whilst this is something positive and inspirational, it is a poignant and unfortunate reminder of the existence of sickle cell disease. Broken Silence is a fantastic group of people to work with to raise awareness of the disease, particularly amongst the younger generation.”
Broken Silence and their annual talent show are also supported by actor, playwright and broadcaster Kwame Kwei-Armah (Elimina’s Kitchen / Newsnight Review / On Tour with the Queen)
“I am pleased to be involved with an inspirational group such as Broken Silence and support their annual talent show. Each year, the show gets better and better with increased endorsement from a variety of talented stars. Sickle cell is a very important issue that needs to be addressed. The group should be considered role models for being sufferers themselves and yet taking the initiative to use the arts and their talent contest to highlight the condition” said Kwame.
There were 16 acts in the final show representing a mix of talents including singers, MCs and dancers which were chosen from the hundreds of auditioning acts from across the UK.
