Uganda’s Ghetto Kids wow British Royal Family

The world-famous Ugandan dance troupe, the Ghetto Kids, set the stage alight in their Commonwealth Day performance to the Prince William and Queen Camilla.

 Aged 7-14, the young dancers put on a characteristically high-energy show of the kind which won over the hearts of the British public at last year’s Britain’s Got Talent finals.

 The performance was part of wider celebrations to mark the 75th annual Commonwealth Day, kicking off a week of activities around the globe.

 Along with their stage talents, the Ghetto Kids bring a message of hope in the fight against malaria, a disease they have first-hand experience of at home in Uganda which has the third highest proportion of cases globally (WHO, 2023).

 They also discussed their Commonwealth Day experience and the progress being made to end malaria with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Lord David Cameron.

“Doing our dance routine in front of the Royal Family made me so happy – I still can’t believe it happened. We brought out some new moves -we really hope they enjoyed it,” said Ghetto Kids member, Priscilla, aged 13 said.

 “I hope people notice our joy when we dance and it makes them happy too. Dance can give us hope and it’s a great way to teach people about malaria, to bring people together to stop it once and for all.”

 14 year old King, another member of the dance group said, “Of course my name is King, but meeting real royalty is a dream come true! I loved it and I could see from their faces it was making them very happy as well. We’re really lucky to be able to travel the world and spread happiness like this. I hope our dancing shows people what we can do when we come together. It should inspire people to show them we can do amazing things – like beat malaria!”

 “People need to know that malaria’s a life-long disease – it comes back again and again. I even had to pull out of The Britian’s Got Talent final because I had it. When you’re sick, you can’t walk, you can’t dance, you can’t go to school, but I know it’s preventable, it’s treatable. So why should it threaten a child’s life or stop them from doing the things they love?”

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Lord David Cameron hailed the performance of the Ghetto Kids and their influence.

 “We can learn from the Ghetto Kids, when they say we need passion and unity to end malaria in our lifetimes. This devastating disease kills a child nearly every minute of the day, but it is entirely preventable. British science is at the cutting edge in the global fight with groundbreaking research and innovative solutions. Our scientific community is at the forefront of developing the tools like world-first vaccines, bed nets and treatment interventions, which when used in combination will save thousands of lives.”