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A South African song that has gone around the world and that has been endorsed by presidents and priests has become the sound of the pandemic for millions of people across southern Africa.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa approved the Jerusalem Dance Challenge ahead of the country’s plan to open up to tourism on October 1.
The simple dance routine of Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode’s 2019 hit Jerusalema has provided an uplifting soundtrack for tough times and has now been streamed over 60 million times on Spotify.
The joyous song is a lament for God to take the singer to the heavenly city. The song topped the South African charts in December, but in February, when the closings started to look like a possibility, it was a group of friends in Angola who recorded a video dancing to the song that sparked the global trend.
In the video, during lunch, a group of young men holding plates of food begin to demonstrate the dance routine to their female counterparts who then join in. It was followed by another video from Portugal, which sets the tone for how international the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge would be. prove to be.
“It is a dance that was done by people from Angola, then Portugal followed and it went viral from that moment,” Master KG said in an interview with the South African newspaper Sowetan.
Clips of dancers from around the world now include nuns, construction workers, police officers, waiters, and fuel attendants.
Emotional videos from healthcare workers in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Italy, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the US, Australia and Puerto Rico have become a source of hope for patients battling Covid-19 as some countries experience a second wave.
South African police officers have joined in while army personnel in Ghana also strut in their camouflage.
Choreographers around the world have posted tutorials online, while celebrities like soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo and singer Janet Jackson have posted thanks to the song, which has already garnered 140 million views on YouTube.
The newly married couples who have used the dance to celebrate their love are not far behind, while the sight of Catholic priests dancing to the beat of Jerusalem surprised the spectators.
Businesses have also taken advantage of the dance challenge to advertise their products, as demand remains stifled due to the shutdown.
The song reached new heights this month when it was named Shazam’s most popular track.
Master KG has been enthusiastic about the worldwide success of its creation.
“It is so beautiful to see how Jerusalem has taken over the world, to see how far it has come. The song was amazing at home. She ruled the streets and people created memories of the song, “she said in the interview with Sowetan.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged his citizens to participate in the dance challenge “to reflect on the difficult journey we have all traveled, to remember those who have lost their lives, and to quietly rejoice in the remarkable and diverse heritage of our nation. ” .
Speaking about the country’s Heritage Day, he said: “And there can be no better celebration of our South African identity than joining the global phenomenon that is the Jerusalem Dance Challenge. So I urge everyone to take up this challenge on Heritage Day and show the world what we are capable of. “
The challenge, according to Nigerian musician Burna Boy, who appeared on the Jerusalem remix, should be a unifying force for Africa.
“My hope is that we unite through our divisions and misunderstandings and dance together. We are not in competition, we are one Africa, we are united ”, said the winner of the BET 2020 award for the best international act.
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