Kora Awards 2005

11/04/2005 03:49AM

The countdown to the Kora Awards and Festival is officially on. The Kora organizers have received a record number of entries from musicians throughout the continent, and the competition is set to be especially stiff this year.

The event, now in its tenth year, will be held in Kwa-Zulu Natal for the first time, and promises to deliver a succession of stand-out performances from artists from the African continent and beyond. In honor of it’s tenth birthday, Kora has added a veritable feast of musical activities to this years celebrations - the Kora Festival, held over two days will feature a plethora of artists on four stages performing live (December 1 & 2, 2005); the fashion show will showcase Africa’s glamour through haute couture (December 3rd); and finally the Kora Awards ceremony will take place on December 4th, 2005.

“Kwa-Zulu Natal has become synonymous with some of the music industry’s most renowned events”, comments KZN MEC for Finance and Economic Development Dr Zweli Mkhize “for our province to be able to host the Kora-All Africa Music Awards and Festival, is a logical step in that continuum. The economic and cultural benefits for the province will be felt by a wide range of KZN residents. Kwa-Zulu Natal has become a preferred destination for world class events of this nature, and it will be our honour to host Africa’s finest at this four day musical celebration.”

The Kora Awards have also included an exciting new addition to this year - the public can now participate in selecting nine of the ceremony’s winners. Through an Africa-wide SMS voting campaign, African music lovers can select artists they believe are deserving of the Kora Award.

The voting mechanics are fairly simple - each nominee has been assigned a number - to vote for that person, the voter needs to SMS the nominees sex (M for male, F for Female) followed by their number to 34700. For the Artist of the Decade category, voters should type in ‘AOD’ followed by the artiste’s name, and sms to 34700 -

The public vote categories are:

1) Artist of the Decade
2) Best West African Male Artist
3) Best West African Female Artist
4) Best East African Female Artist
5) Best East African Male Artist
6) Best Southern African Female Artist
7) Best Southern African Male Artist
8) Best Central African Male Artist
9) Best Central African Female Artist

The SMS vote lines will be opened on 13th October 2005.

Equally excitingly, South African audiences will be able to watch the Kora Awards ceremony live on SABC 1 on Sunday, December 4th from 20h00, ensuring that South African audiences will be able to watch the winners in real time.

“Kora 10 will be the biggest and best Kora event ever” says a jubilant Ernest Adjovi, executive producer of the Kora all-Africa Music Awards and Festival. “The fact that we’re celebrating with a four day musical celebration is a fitting way to mark our tenth anniversary, and our offices receive dozens of calls from excited music lovers worldwide to confirm their attendance. The Kora’s is going turn Kwa-Zulu Natal into a true African village over an exciting four day period - it’s going to be a real African festival!”

Kora 10 is being staged in partnership with RFI, CFI, the Kwa-Zulu Natal Provincial Government, the Department of Arts & Culture, Heineken, SABC as well as 82 television stations all over the world.

The event will be broadcast in South Africa on SABC1 on December 4th, 2005 at 20h00.

World Music Central
http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20051021204951302