TPF’s Principal Doesn’t Believe In the Nameless Curse

During last week’s Tusker Project Fame eviction show, Principal Helen Mtawali took time to chat with journalists about the singers, judges and also address a TPF myth. One journalist asked the teacher whether she believes in the Nameless jinx. “Do you believe the Nameless curse? As in, the artistes who sing Nameless’ songs get evicted. Do you believe in that?”

To a certain extent, she almost seemed convinced after someone pointed out a contestant who had been put on probation after performing a Nameless song the previous week. “No, I think maybe it’s just a coincidence but [hesitantly] no. I wouldn’t even think about it that way.” She explained that they pick the songs to suit the performers’ voices and personalities and she doesn’t believe that it can work against a contestant.

When she was asked about who her favorite student was so far, she refused to be pegged down to one pick and said, “We cannot—just like you, if you have children, you cannot decide who is your favourite. No. Each one has their own strength and weaknesses. So, we’re hoping as we train them, they’re going to sharpen their skills and keep off the weak points.”

She was also asked about the obvious emotional attachment to the contestants. “Yeah, because they’re like my children. You stay with people and you get used to them, I’m a human being. And these are people I’ve been training, definitely you wish they could never go.” She added, “That you can actually just keep them and keep train them, so if you want to let them go, let them all go together. Not one by one.”