The Ghetto Kids finally flunked Britain’s Got Talent contest – deservedly. Their choreography wasn’t symmetrical or synchronized, they weren’t dancing together as their barely-there mutual eye contact showed, one of their props didn’t remain in place, and the dance dynamics were as lackluster as they were linear.
One hopes that they came away with valuable learning from the experience that they can use to raise their act into real contention, but they didn’t deserve to be in the finals, let alone win the contest. Thanks to an impetuous sympathy vote, the kids got to the finals, but they were as unready as they were out of their depth on such an international stage.
If it hadn’t been for one of the judges’ excessive excitement, the kids would have been taken through all the preliminary rounds and perhaps had their act finessed. Instead, they skipped the hot coals of cut throat qualifying and arrived at the final contest with their mediocre dancing act largely intact.
No one needs any telling that the Kenyans are far better at providing efficient and professional customer experience than Ugandans, whose offering is second-rate at best. For reasons that are usually not even the fault of our frontline service staff, the quality of service we offer in our hospitality establishments is indifferent, lethargic, ignorant, and disinterested. At best. Even the Tanzanians offer much better customer experience than Ugandans. In my informed view.
Ugandans have spent serious money to set up hotels and tourist resorts that they expect to make equally serious tourist money for the country and their businesses. But you have to get there first, and to do that you have to steer over torpid officialdom, corrupt systems, terrible and dangerous roads, dishonest people at every turn … one could go on. Uganda has some interesting natural sights, but the experience of getting there is more often than not a nightmare that makes visiting this country only a mediocre experience.
That is just the tip of the iceberg, but one must check oneself by not airing one’s country’s dirty linen in public too liberally. Suffice it to say that if you want excellence in the music, dance, and drama space, you will struggle to find it in Uganda. If you want consistent efficiency in the hospitality or tourism industry, look elsewhere. If you expect professionalism before, during and after service provision, Uganda will not give it to you.
The ghetto kids’ average performance despite the hype symbolized exactly what is wrong with Uganda: unbridled potential and substandard to mediocre finishing at best.
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