just what the world needed … beside the vaccines.

“Jerusalema” is a song by South African DJ and record producer Master KG featuring South African vocalist Nomcebo. The upbeat gospel-influenced house song was initially released on 29 November 2019 after it garnered a positive response online, with a music video following on 21 December.

I came across the dance challenge in January this year on YouTube. Just what the world need … a song to unite around and have fun with in the tough times we had, bring some fun and big smiles into our stagnant existence.

An accompanying dance challenge, attributed to a group of Angolan friends performing the choreography in a candid video, helped the song go viral online. The #JerusalemaChallenge, which has been compared to the Macarena, spawned dance videos from across many countries, including the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Romania, Spain, France, Jamaica, Canada, the United States, Sri Lanka, and Palestine, as well as in Jerusalem itself. In Germany, workers paid tribute to Berlin’s Tegel Airport by dancing to Jerusalema on the tarmac and in the now-shuttered terminal. The Swiss Federal Office of Police challenged the Irish Garda Síochána to the Jerusalema dance challenge, which they accepted. The video was well-received in the two countries with the Swiss police flying the Irish flag at their headquarters for the day.

The challenge faced a major drawback when Warner Brothers began to ask for copyright compensation for using the song

I sent the low budget airline, Ryan Air’s challenge video to my former boss in Belfast and he passed it to our HQ in Gothenburg a couple of months ago. I thought if Ryan Air can Stena can. And today I got their challenge video. Well done. 

What a great job they have done. Stena was my life for over 35 years, I worked for them all over the world. I have always been a very proud over being a Stena employee … and they still make me proud. Wonderful to see the world-famous Stena Spirit is still alive!!!! I picked the right “messenger boy” *laughing. And maybe it is as Stephen wrote to me … Nice to know you still have a positive influence on the company today. THANK YOU so MUCH!!!!!

“Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand
is the beginning of a journey.
At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.”
Vera Nazarian