Kora Awards 2005

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.