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, 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.