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Auxilia Katongomara Entertainment Correspondent
AFRICA’S popular urban music channel, Channel O, has announced nominees for its prestigious 10th Annual Music video Awards.
Among the nominees is Zimbabwe’s own Buffalo SoulJah who is based in South Africa.He was nominated in the Most Gifted Ragga Dancehall Video category for his track Basawine.
Spread across 14 categories, this year’s Music Awards are a showcase of original African music, befitting the music channel that has steadfastly grown over the years.
Multichoice Zimbabwe public relations manager, Liz Dziva said nominees in the 14 categories include multiple double nods for more than 10 artistes, from East, West and Southern Africa, reflecting world-class music videos produced on the continent over the past year.
This year’s nominees list features many longstanding members of the African music scene, Oskido, Lizha, James and Anselmo Ralph.
Mafikizolo’s song, Khona is up for Most Gifted Video of the Year as well as Most Gifted Dance Video, while Nigeria’s P Square’s song Alingo was nominated for the Most Gifted Video of the Year Award as well as the Most Gifted West African Artiste.
Soul musician Zonke will battle it out with Lizha James, Tiwa Savage, Toya Delazy and STL in the Most Gifted Female Video category.
DJ Ganyani’s Xigubhu will battle it out with Mafikizolo’s Khona, Fuse ODG’s Antenna, DJ Malvado’s Jamaica and KCEE’s Limpopo in the Most Gifted Dance Video category.
Fireworks are expected in the Most Gifted Kwaito Video category where Professor’s video Fingerprints competes with L’vovo Derango’s Palesa which also featured Professor.
Others vying for the gong are DJ Tira’s Summertime and Eee’s Woza December. In the Most Gifted Group, Duo or Featuring category multi-award winning hip-hop group Teargas was nominated alongside Micasa, EME, Zonefam and Montana.
Dziva said to celebrate a decade of recognising the best African contemporary music talent, the 10th Annual Channel O Africa Music Awards had expanded the prestigious Most Gifted Video of the Year category to 12 nominees.
This, she said, increased the pressure on nominees in the most fiercely fought category at the awards.
“The category again reveals the mix of newcomers and established artistes at this year’s event – a signal of the growing maturity of Africa’s music scene,” she said.
However, some have questioned if the awards are a two country affair as they are heavily dominated by South African and Nigerian artistes.
Last year, Nigeria bagged 50 percent of the awards.
The awards ceremony is set for Saturday, 30 November at Walter Sisulu Square, in Kliptown Soweto, South Africa.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter