Over 100 participants are expected to compete for the $1,000 at stake in the maiden ljoya Rumble, a dance competition organised by Real Made in Africa Concept.

According to the organisers, the competition, scheduled to hold at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, tomorrow, is a family entertainment show that seeks to reward talented youths.

The project, they said, would spotlight the role of dance as a tool for advocacy and youth empowerment. Senior Partner, Real Made in Africa, Churchill Edore, said: “We intend doing this every month across local councils in Lagos and then from city to city in the country. We are actually looking for sponsors so we could take enough youths off the streets.”

“Our plan is to make it a big show where people can view it live and we hope to start that in December 2022. People will be able to vote for their favourite dancers. This is just the launch to create awareness.”
 
Edore, who spoke on what inspired Ijoya Rumbles, said: “I am not a dancer but I love dancing. Dancing is one of my hobbies. Made in Africa has been in existence since 2010 and we thought about giving back to the society by bringing in the youths and engaging vulnerable young ones. The only way we can actually get their attention is either through dancing or singing. So, that is why we actually chose dancing to get them and bring them out of pain.
 
“We are giving out $1,000 but because we are not a country that spends in dollar, we will give the winner the equivalent in naira and other prizes.
 
On the selection of the participants, Project Manager, Andrew Moses, said: “They sent a minute video recorded with their phones to Ijoya Rumble on Instagram and it’s still open to more people who are willing to participate.

Also, the Marketing Head, Joseph Warikomu, said: “No matter how bad the environment is, if you play music, everyone nods his or her head to it and eventually they move their body. Dance is one of the things Nigeria is successfully exporting. The Nigerian dance is rapidly taking over many countries and people are appreciating it.”