I’m off to Tanzania , but my Big Mind remains in Kenya- Tv host Luca Berardi

Luca Berardi                    Photo:Courtesy

Luca Berardi is only 13 years but is doing stuff that some only hope for at the peak of their careers. He is a TV host, musician and filmmaker. Recently, he shared a room with President Uhuru and his deputy and wowed them with his top-rate performance. He tells Shirley Genga why he is relocating to Tanzania

What are some of the projects you are involved in? 

I am the co-host for the KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) children programme, Big Minds. I also do music and play the piano, besides singing.

Apart from music, what else do you do?

I am the CEO and director general of Young Animal Rescue Heroes (YARH), a small organisation that I created at the age of eight to raise awareness on endangered wildlife and environmental conservation.

Further, I do social work, like community clean-ups whenever I am invited to. I play golf, but nowadays, I just can’t seem to get time for the sport. I am on summer break now, and in school, I play soccer, basketball, cricket, rugby and hockey. I also like reading.

 

How long have you been hosting the children’s show on TV?

I have been hosting Big Minds for about two years. I love that I have grown professionally and that it has added some great stuff on my CV. I love it when I meet people and they tell me how I inspire them. I thank KBC for giving me this opportunity, it has helped my creativity as well.

I am ready for a future opportunity in this line. I have come up with a concept for a nature show for my organisation. I have even done a pilot that is available on YouTube.

What of acting, when did you discover that you could act?

I love acting and love everything to do with movies. I have acted in Know Zone by Mediae that aired on Citizen. There are not many acting opportunities, but I hope they will open up soon.

What do you love most about acting?
Acting gives me an opportunity to become a whole different person.

Is it true you wrote a script for a movie a while back?

I came up with a concept for a movie called the Prince of Nature. It is about a boy who finds out that he is from a royal line in a faraway land that is only inhabited by animals. I hope to make it into a film one day.

When did you discover that you could sing?

I started singing when I was three-years old. I was living in Bangkok, Thailand. I started taking lessons there, and when we moved to Nairobi, we got to know about Wynton House of Music.

It has been my musical home since then. I have been under the wings of  Winnie Muriithi and I enjoy my classes very much. This month, I will be sitting for my Grade 5 piano exam.  I am looking forward to it!

 How many singles have you released so far?

I have released three songs; A Better Place, which I worked on with Grandpa Records; Money Can and Inside a Refugee’s Heart which I worked on with an Italian arranger who helped me to arrange my music. I also got a lot of help from my parents.  My songs are available on YouTube and my website.

 Where do you go to school?

I go to Nairobi International School (NIS). My favourite subjects are the sciences - physics, chemistry and biology as well as music. Lately, I have started enjoying maths.

How do you balance school with your talents?

School is my first priority. I always do my school work first before focusing on other activities.

What are some of the international events you have attended?

I released my second song, Money Can, at the United Nations headquarters in New York during a summit on financial inclusion of youth and children. I was a panellist at an international event organised by the American Embassy in Nairobi on Wildlife Conservation: “Prelude to the Burn.”

I performed at the ivory burn, where I met the president and his deputy President, Margaret Kenyatta and one of my biggest idols, Dr Richard Leakey. I also performed for the former Prime Minister of Thailand during my study at Superstar Academy in Bangkok.

 You will be moving to Tanzania soon, tell us about that?
I was born and lived in Italy before we moved to Thailand, Romania, Kenya, and now we will be moving to Tanzania at the end of this month. My father works for an Italian NGO and so we are always on the go.

I will miss Kenya, but I am also excited about something new. I will have to step down from hosting my show on TV, but I will be visiting as much as possible because of my wild life initiative, YARH.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I would like to become a film director, actor and part-time zoologist, but I wouldn’t mind becoming the future secretary general of the UN.

What’s your favourite movie?
Racing Extinction by Louie Psihoyos. The movie draws attention to mankind’s role in a potential loss of at least half of the world’s species. It moves me to tears every time I watch it.

Do you have any other gifts?
Yes. Drawing.