Shakira Pens Emotional Farewell to Uganda’s Ghetto Kids After World Cup Performance

Global music icon Shakira has shared an emotional tribute to Uganda’s Ghetto Kids following their historic performance together at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final halftime show, describing the young dancers as a source of “inexplicable love” and saying she now loves them “like children of my own” .

In an Instagram post shared on Monday, August 3, the Colombian superstar reflected on the days she spent with the eight young performers from Kampala after they shared the stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. The Ghetto Kids, a dance troupe founded in 2014 by Dauda Kavuma to support orphaned and vulnerable children from Uganda’s streets, were handpicked by Shakira after she discovered their viral choreography videos online .

“These past few days have been filled with inexplicable love,” Shakira wrote alongside photos and videos from their time together in Miami. “I took you to the beach for the first time in your lives, and we spent time together every day along with family and friends while we were all in awe watching how you transform every place you go to and touch every person you meet” .

The Grammy-winning singer admitted it was “too hard to say goodbye” to the children, praising their unique ability to give and receive love. “You proved to us that we can love each other no matter where we come from, regardless of what we have or lack,” she wrote .

Shakira used the moment to advocate for children’s welfare worldwide, stressing that love transcends geographical, cultural, and linguistic barriers. “Though you are from another continent, live in a different culture, and speak another language, now I love you like you are children of my own,” she wrote. “Children come to this world through their mothers and fathers, but they are all of our responsibility and belong to all of us” .

She further stated the urgent need for investment in children’s futures, “The Ghetto Kids have brought us their contagious joy and love, and have inspired us so much with their talent, to remind us that like them there are many kids who live forgotten, and who possess an enormous potential waiting to be unlocked.” 

Shakira concluded her tribute by naming each of the eight children individually Ivan, Ricky, Joseph, Brighton, Kesha, Jojo, Ciara and Ketra thanking them “for being exactly who you are and teaching us the most valuable lessons about life and our purpose in it. We love you always and forever!” .