The African woman in the viral video that broke the internet with her football juggling skills and caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump has been found after a search for her identity.
She is Hadhara Charles Mjeje, a Tanzanian mother who is juggling footballs professionally in Malawian capital of Lilongwe, reports German video news agency Ruptly which spoke with her on Tuesday.
Wearing her usual African wrap skirt and flipflops while she juggles a football amid a cheering crowd, the 29-year-old viral sensation said she started juggling to earn money for her two sons.
She told Ruptly in a video that she has juggled professionally in several countries across the continent including South Africa, Gabon, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya and Mozambique.
“Some people think that I use black magic but I don’t. There is nothing in this ball. I use my talent which I have developed for six years of practice. It is pure talent, not black magic,” she said.
She added that she wishes to become a professional football player and she admires players like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Hadhara Charles Mjeje is reported to have in Malawi since January where she charges about $4 for each two-minute performance. The money she earns foots her rent and buys food to support her family, she claims.
The viral video was shared by Twitter user Akin Sawyerr on Saturday with the caption, “Talent is evenly distributed, opportunity isn’t”, shows Hadhara juggling the football with her legs, head, shoulders, knees, hands and neck, as many people cheered.
Garnering millions of views and thousands of Likes and Retweets, her talent received a big praise from the United States President Donald Trump who shared the video on Tuesday with the comment: “Amazing!”.
At that moment, the identity and exact location of Hadhara were not known, and the only information available was that she spoke Swahili as heard in the video and she was in Malawi – as noted by other videos shared from the country.
She is heard accepting a challenge from the audience to bounce 100 juggles. After the close to two-minute execution of their request, the woman said, “Pesa yenu ndogo” in Swahili which means, “Your money is not enough”, in reference to a possible bet.
While many Africans were tweeting about finding the woman after gaining the attention of the U.S. president, Americans criticised Trump for sharing the video which they described as “bizarre” and a “waste of time”.
These are the reactions of African Twitter uses to the video and Trump’s reaction.
And here are reactions of Americans to Donald Trump’s interest in the woman’s talent.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has said that his little brother was subjected to racial abuse,…
Reggie Bush has regained his place as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner after over a…
Since 2012, actor Nick Cannon has openly shared his struggle with lupus to support others…
Former USC superstar Caleb Williams has been drafted by the Chicago Bears as the No.…
Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN analyst. People widely regard him as the face of…
Lil Durk is an American rapper and one of the most influential voices in the…
In 2022, Kevin Hart added a new title to his impressive resume: a tequila entrepreneur.…
AEW's latest pay-per-view, Dynasty 2024 on Sunday night saw Swerve Strickland defeat Samoa Joe to…
Renowned civil rights activist Opal Lee, known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," will be awarded…
Violet Horne lost her two sons to gun violence within the space of a month.…
An Ohio man said a K-9 bit him seven times after he was pulled over…
Three male foreign tourists who were spotted posing naked in a popular dune in Namibia…
Will.i.am is partnering with other prominent figures to revolutionize the digital media scene by forming…
Sabelle Beraki's childhood was inundated with the lack of representation when it came to a…
Benjamin Harvey is the founder of AI Squared, a third-party software company that helps organizations…