Peter Makurube Kora awards
The All Africa Kora Music Awards have come and gone with as much fanfare as a meeting of tannies sharing koeksisters and a bit of gesels en skinner. Hell, this is supposed to be the best thing on the continent. Expectations are high among the citizens of Africa and each time they are bitterly disappointed. The hand of big record companies is clearly visible as far as who gets in and who doesn’t.
Jennifer Jones won for most promising artist, and rightly so. She had no competition. Her fellow nominees are veterans.
Juluka has been working up a sweat for over 20 years without much recognition in the rest of the continent. Too bad they were too busy to show up for Africa’s top award.
The Central Africa category was won by Koffi Olomide, one of Africa’s most popular stars. “This award goes to all the nominees who didn’t win tonight and to those who have lost their lives in Congo – my country, which is in turmoil.”
Only two performers impressed on the night. That was Meiway and Angelique Kidjo. The rest was quite lukewarm stuff.
Brenda Fassie’s antics with Joe Mafela provided comic relief. Ms Fassie grabbed the mike and showed him how it’s done.
The audience shrieked with excitement when Ringo Madlingozi was chosen as the hottest artist on the continent. He also won the best Southern Africa version. If there’s one artist who deserved the awards, it is Ringo. He also missed out on a viewership estimated at 400 million.
Cote d’Ivoire’s Meiway took the event by the scruff of its neck and shook it good and proper, having walked away with the best artist from West Africa as well as best arrangement and best video clip. This stunning musician further endeared himself to the xenophobics of the south with a breathtaking, energetic performance which should do his career a lot of good in South Africa.
Algeria had the unique position of being the only North Africans to be nominated. Needless to say the winner of best artist from North Africa, as well as the coveted best female, went to the gorgeous Iness Mezel from that beleagured country.
The newly created category – Diaspora in the Caribbean and Europe – was won by suave Jean Luc Alger of Martinique. The world famous American act, Boyz II Men, won the Diaspora African-American category and didn’t bother to show up. Would they find time for the Grammys? You bet.
The heavily contested category was the traditional, which included one of Africa’s most beloved stars, Nigeria’s King Sunny Ade. This was a boost for Ebawade and for his tiny country, Benin. Omar Pene also scored with his award as Most Promising Male Artist. His profile has been given a huge boost in the world.
The event was closed by Angelique Kidjo, one of Africa’s most talented and hardworking musicians. She gave a passionate, out-of-this-world star performance which had many bopping in the aisles.