The International
Committee of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA received the 23.9-Karat gold
plated trophy through the AFRIMA International Advisor, Rikki Stein on Friday,
October 10, in Lagos, Nigeria.
The trophy which
was produced by an award trophy making company ‘Awards4u’ based in United
Kingdom, UK, was conceived and visualised by the executive producer, Mike Dada and designed by the Assistant Artistic
Director of AFRIMA, Ademola Tajudeen. It went through series of technical
processes for it to be realised; the first stage was the creation of a clay
model of the trophy followed by moulds creation from which resin model was made.
After producing this, it was cleaned, smoothed and prepared for copper plating,
polishing and finally deepened into 23.9-karat gold molten (hardened with
nickel) with 99.58% gold concentration. When this process has been completed,
it was mounted on a base and information plate was inscribed. The executive producer, AFRIMA, advises
winners to guide and protect it jealously.
The award trophy
is a blend of traditional and contemporary elements of music, the African
Djembe drum and a microphone. The Djembe drum is a musical instrument of the
Bamana people of Mali. Djembe is coined from a popular saying in the Bamana
culture “ Anke dje, anke” which translates to “Everyone gather together in
peace” in English. The microphone is the contemporary device that transforms
the acoustic signal of a vocal performance into electrical signals and filtered
into the sounds we hear. The fusion of these two musical instruments reflects
AFRIMA’s goal to bridge the gaping gap between the classic and contemporary
musicians of Africa. It seeks to unite and celebrate all forms of African music
irrespective of its era.
Receiving the
Trophy, Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada expressed excitement saying “we
all feel very much relieved, delighted and fulfilled having the trophy, there
is nothing as good as visualising a thing and making it a reality, this was exactly
the picture of the trophy we had in mind for years and now we have it in our
hands for the glory and image of Africa to the pride of prospective award
winners”, Mike Dada.
According to the
Country Director, Nigeria/Co-Producer, AFRIMA, Mr. Kingsley James, “I’m very
particular about the weight, size and plating, it meets my expectations and
choice of trophy, this is the best I have ever seen and I must say this is the
award proper that represents the uniqueness, the prestige and the glamour of
Africa”
“The exciting
thing about the award trophy is that, it’s not just a trophy but what it
represents; the traditional and contemporary elements of music, the African
Djembe drum and a microphone. The marriage of high-tech and skin which is also
telling a story. That is truly the uniqueness of Africa and I’m glad to be a
part of this” says Rikki Stein.
Voting for
winners continues in the 32 categories of the award till November 4, 2014. The
main award ceremony comes up on Sunday, November 9 in Lagos, Nigeria. It will
be preceded by the AFRIMA Music Village between November 4 and 7; a four day
festival of non-stop music and exhibition from African countries and
performances by African artistes. This is followed by the African Music Summit,
November 6-7, with the theme “Reviving the Business of Music in Africa".
The two-day conference will be a platform for the music industry stakeholders
to engage and deliberate on how the industry can be nurtured and be a major
contributor to national and continental economies.
For
more information and voting, log on to our website, www.afrima.org,
like our facebook page www.facebook.com/afrima2014 and follow us on Twitter and Instagram
@afrimawards.