‘It's pure talent, not black magic’: Viral Tanzanian ball juggler defends dazzling football skills

23 Feb, 2019 14:46 / Updated 6 years ago

African woman Hadhara Charles Mjeje, who captivated social media with a ball juggling video which was shared by Donald Trump, says her talent stems from years of intense practice and has nothing to do with black magic.

Her astonishing keep-uppy skills had some social media users suggest that supernatural powers were behind Hadhara’s mesmerizing routine, but Hadhara denied the rumors and insisted that her brilliant ball workout was the result of years of training.

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Some people think that I use black magic but I don’t,” Hadhara said. “There is nothing in this ball. I use my talent which I have developed during six years of practice. It’s pure talent, not black magic.”

The Tanzanian initially shot to internet fame after the video of her was shared by Twitter user Akin Sawyerr on February 16.

The one-and-a-half minute video clip immediately went viral, gaining more than 401,000 ‘likes’ and over 120,000 retweets in less than four days.

The 29-year-old said that her footballing prowess helps her to provide for the family and pay bills as Hadhara stages football performances across Africa charging the equivalent of $4 for a two-minute juggling show.

This is my source of income and all of Africa know me because of this. I have two sons and I’m able to pay their school fees and fend for them because of what I’m doing,” she said.

Hadhara makes her way around the continent staging her football shows in South Africa, Gabon, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya and Mozambique.