SA's pride and joy, the Ndlovu Youth Choir, may not have won America's Got Talent, but they sure made us and the continent proud.
Here's why: They gave us hope.
Horrendous incidents of femicide, child abuse and xenophobia saw the country turned upside down recently, but each week, news of the choir advancing to the next stage of the competition gave us something to look forward to.
From the songs they performed to their bright, proudly African costumes, the choir showed the world who we are – unapologetically African.
Not once did they succumb to pressure and forget their roots, which is why the world fell in love with them and their uniqueness.
In light of the recent scourge of xenophobic attacks in SA, the choir made it clear they are Africans before South Africans, representing the entire continent.
On the night of the finale, they said: "Tonight we were proud young ambassadors of a united Africa. Africa has the world's youngest population and our hope is that our performance reflected the talent, opportunity and potential of millions of young people. One nation, one continent."
Judges Gabrielle Union and Simon Cowell marvelled at the Ndlovu Youth Choir's powerful and moving performance during the finale. Cowell, who is hard to please, said: "I pray that this show changes people's lives and this performance may have just done that."
