The Afropolitan Presence at the African Diaspora Awards 2013
December 5, 2013 § 2 Comments
It wasn’t quite the coincidence – or was it? – that at Applause Magazine‘s African Diaspora Awards in New York City last Saturday, the award for musician of the year went to a Ghanaian hip hop artist whose upcoming album is called “Afropolitan Dreams.” But yes, indeed, the Afropolitan scene was in full effect as the aforementioned musician Blitz the Ambassador, Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu, rising star filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu, and the brilliant actress Yaya Alafia all took home honors for work in their craft. Andrew Dosunmu (Restless City) was awarded Film of the Year for his new movie Mother of George, a visual arthouse delight shot right there in New York City. Wangechi Mutu, whose first US survey exhibition entitled Wangechi Mutu: a Fantastic Journey recently opened at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, was honored with the Creative Artist of the Year award. All of these artists and other awardees were proud of the impact
they have made in the Diaspora community, and very grateful for the recognition. The award show is in its third year, and has recognized a who’s who list of African Diaspora personalities in the past, including Grammy Award winning singer Angelique Kidjo, Ethiopian model and philanthropist Liya Kebede, and Nigerian media magnate Lola Ogunnaike. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Liberian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee, who delivered a
rousing keynote address on the theme “The Power of Our Voice.” Other honorees at the award show were Designer of the Year Korto Momolu, Person of the Year, model Oluchi Orlandi, Humanitarian of the Year Munyang Reath Kher, and Face of Africa Nnenna Agba. Afrofusion TV will feature interviews with a few of the personalities that graced the occasion; look out for that in the coming days. In the meantime check out the gallery below for more photos from the event. Bless…
- Andrew Dosunmu chats with Blitz
- Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee
- Actress Ebe Bassey with one of the hosts Ojinika Obiekwe
- South Sudanese Model Ger Duany with friends
- Face of Africa honoree Nnenna Agba
- Host Ojinika Obiekwe
- Media Mogul Lola Ogunnaike
- Yaya Alafia Accepts the award for Actor of the Year
- Les Nubians chanteuse Hélene Faussart
- Blitz the Ambassador performs his set
- Wangechi Mutu accepts her award for Creative Artist of the Year
Related articles
- The Afrofuturism of Wangechi Mutu (theguardian.com)
Looks like a fun event. I wish I could’ve been there. Everyone really looks nice. Yaya looks gorgeous! She looks like an African queen! 🙂
[…] The Afropolitan Presence at the African Diaspora Awards 2013 […]