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Awards ceremony promises to stay true to African ingenuity

flying flag: Hip hop artist AKA
flying flag: Hip hop artist AKA

IT WILL be a moment of celebratory reflection when the curtain goes up at the Channel O Africa Music Video Awards tomorrow night.

For about two hours, the continent will pay homage to musicians who excelled with their music and videos.

Local TV star Siya Ngwekazi will co-host with Nigerian personality Eku Edowar.

"I feel scared, anxious, excited but I'm adamant about giving Africa one great show. It's a great achievement to be chosen as a host because you never put your name forward for these things, so whenever you are chosen it's a big deal," says Ngwekazi.

"My co-host Eku is sharp, witty and cool with her words and I feel comfortable leaning on her should I make a mistake."

Ngwekazi says he asked for advice from Idols SA host Proverb. "He said: 'Siya not every show is about you. All that's needed is to get your marks, get your lines right and step on stage. The show is about the musicians and the winners and people watching.'"

In the fashion stakes, Ngwekazi says he will fly the African print he's known for. "As an MC I feel more obligated to put Africa forth on a style tip," adding that he will be dressed by designers from the continent.

Tebogo Mogola of Don't Look Down Productions is the creative director of the awards.

"It's the biggest showcase Africa has ever seen. We are accurate with the facts, everything is well researched and scripted. God willing, it will be well executed," he says.

He adds that the theme will be cars inspired by the films Fast 'n Furious and Need for Speed.

"One car that symbolises where Channel O is at is a Gusheshe [BMW 3 series early '90s model]," he argues.

"From Johannesburg to Lagos a car is one of the prominent features in township landscape."

Top local videos such as KO's Caracara, Cassper Nyovest's Gusheshe and AKA's Control and Run Jozi all feature cars prominently, further proving Mogola's point.

Somizi Mhlongo is in charge of choreography.

The eclectic mix of performers includes AKA, KO, Cassper Nyovest, Kwesta, Riky Rick, Bucie, Patoranking, Davido and Lil Kesh, a proponent of Shoki dance that has taken Nigeria by storm.

Victor Koaho, Channel O's head of marketing, notes that the video has become king just as the quality has shot up.

"The industry has woken up to the importance of an engaging video. Now guys shoot in high definition, including independents. They understand that it's tougher to sell CDs and the video has become the assistant.

"The more engaging the video is to the viewer, the more their senses get heightened and they respond positively to the music by buying the album or voting for them."

He believes that the awards have separated themselves from the rest by being unapologetically African.

"We have kept the ethos of celebrating Africa without fusing it with Americanism."

After two years at the Walter Sisulu Square, the awards move to Nasrec Expo Centre. He says the change of venue is meant to challenge the production team, lest it becomes a laborious and mundane exercise.

He has promised an electrifying set to provide a background to the Pan-African collaborations that revellers have come to associate with music awards.

Looking back over the 11 years of the awards, Koaho says the channel has placed African music at the forefront of entertainment and facilitated collaborations across the continent.

"We are a continent far greater than diseases and upsets. We are a continent of ingenuity and this will be a celebration of that," he says.

Watch CHOAMVA on Channel 0 at 8pm tomorrow.

mofokengl@sowetan.co.za

 

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