Strictly's Eddie Kadi on how he hopes to represent the Congolese community
"I want to express myself and convey that message of what my culture means to me."
Eddie Kadi is planning to represent the Congolese community through his dances and outfit choices on Strictly Come Dancing.
The BBC Radio 1XTRA host and comedian was paired with Strictly pro Karen Hauer during the launch show, and they already have big plans to take the show by storm.
As the host of The Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show, Kadi hopes he can bring a bit of flavour to the dance floor with some Afrobeats hits.
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In an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com, the comedian explained he wasn't born in England and had to learn a new language and culture while he was growing up, something he now says has been "integrated" into British culture.
He said: "Over the years, the British culture has married Congolese and African culture, and watching that marriage work together so beautifully over the years has been wonderful. And being able to transfer that energy into entertainment.
"I love African music and I want to express myself and convey that message of what my culture means to me. Being on British television is such a beautiful moment for me, and it means an awful amount because it shows that we, too, are able to contribute in this melting pot of the world. It's a beautiful thing."
With Kadi being the host of the Afrobeats show, RadioTimes.com asked if viewers could see him dancing to a bit of Wizkid, Tiwa Savage or Davido when he takes to the Strictly dance floor - and it's safe to say that could well come to fruition.
The comedian said: "Absolutely. I will absolutely do whatever I need to do to convince them. Let's get it in there. The beautiful thing now is that African music is no stranger to anyone. It's one of the biggest genres in the world right now. So it should be an easy transition."
Kadi hopes that he will be able to apply his new skill of dancing and merge Afrobeats into that. He explained: "It will be a beautiful moment. And like I said, Congolese people, especially in the beginning, they'll be in my DMs. They will not forgive me if I don't work on my dances and do something. And even wear one of our crazy outfits."
Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6:15pm on Saturday 23rd September on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
