Awards – Who Honors Who In Africa?
These days, the reward for a job well done has always been more jobs but will never take out the place of appreciation and honor. Medals are basic rudiments for pushing people to be on top of their game but the question is, who honors who?
● Our National Honors
● Entertainment awards
● African illustrious awards
● Travel Awards
● The Future awards
● STEM Awards
● Pageantry Awards
● Nigerian Literary awards
● Journalism Awards
● Social media awards
This list could be endless as there’s at least an award for every cluster unit of humanity, even for animals in certain countries. So let’s take a look at the first 5 and their underlying challenges.
Our National Honours
For the Nigerian’ National Honours Act No. 5 of 1964, the national honours award is established to reward Nigerians, irrespective of their language, tribe, culture, and political or socio-cultural leanings for their exceptional contributions and achievements in various fields.
Sadly, Nigeria’s national honors system has faced unprecedented criticism for alleged corruption in the nomination and awarding process. Some recipients were accused of obtaining honors through political connections or financial influence, rather than merit.
Another contentious issue is the lack of diversity among honorees, with some arguing that certain regions or ethnic groups are disproportionately represented. This controversy underscores the importance of ensuring a fair and inclusive recognition system that reflects Nigeria’s rich cultural tapestry.
Entertainment Awards
From Nollywood Movies Awards, to Headies to Nigeria Entertainment Awards to African Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards to BET, the enumeration is endless. These awards recognize the contributions of African entertainers but not without accompanying controversies.
Take for example the major talking points of the Headies in recent times. A highly rated music awards event hosted since 2006 by the Hip Hop World Magazine to appreciate stand out arts and performance in the Nigerian music scene, if not nicked in the bud now, the perceived favoritism in its selection and award winning criteria may reduce its reputation to the likes of the defunct NotJustOk ratings.
The Olamide and Don jazzy saga in 2015 for the Next Rated awards category was an outstanding controversy still not swept off till date. The nomination and disqualification of portable wasn’t a good read for music lovers and readers on both sides of the divide, the controversial moments to mention are numerous and calls for clarity and transparency.
The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards
(AMVCA) stands as one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the African entertainment industry. Held annually, it brings together the continent’s finest talents in film and television to celebrate their remarkable achievements. However, beneath the glitz and glamour, the AMVCA Awards have witnessed their own share of controversies, showcasing the complexity of the African entertainment landscape.
Africa illustrious Award
The annual award event which began post COVID-19 focuses on philanthropic Nigerians, hosted by My Media Africa, a subsidiary of Zidora Group has notably recognized hundreds of Africans including those who have excelled in leadership, made notable contributions in both the service industries and cooperate world.
This too isn’t without controversies, the conveyer of the Africa illustrious award, Dr. Arinze Madueke had in the maiden award ceremony hinted that diasporans who make impactful contributions wherever they are would be recognized, that has not been observed or seen in any of the following Africa illustrious awards issued so far.
Truth is, hundreds of Nigerians in abroad engage in loads of philanthropy, community services and even excel in their various fields, this is a niche expected to be recognized by the My Media Africa’s Africa illustrious awards and would boost its ratings globally.
Travel Awards
Surely the average Nigerian do not know that some organizations recognize citizens and groups for being of good conduct when they travel and represent the country in good light.
The Akwaaba African Travel Market, a renowned travel award body had just held a 3 days event at Eko Hotels and Suite, it was a gathering of tour experts, travel agencies, investors and more from
around the world including a delegation from Turkey’s chamber of commerce. Exhibitors worldwide offered travel deals and attendees can uncover hidden destinations and market competencies.
It was the 19th event it has held were awards for a host of exceptionalities, Africa Travel 100 Under 40 Awards was issued as well, 28 of them were given to Nigerians & 72 others went to other African nations.
The Future Awards Africa
The Future Awards celebrates young talents and innovation across various fields. Held annually too, it had grown to be the beacon of hope for a generation eager to make their efforts count, This award had therefore become a prestigious event that. And yes with its own controversies, With huge concerns over real ages and age discrepancies. In a recent ceremony, controversy erupted when one of the winners faced allegations of misrepresenting their age to qualify for the “Youth” category. This incident raised questions about the need for stringent verification processes to ensure that TFAA remains a fair platform for young African achievers.
After all, The Future Awards Africa (TFAA) has long been a catalyst for celebrating and empowering Africa’s young talents who are making remarkable strides in various fields.
Conclusively,
Awards and awarding bodies, though celebrated, face several challenges. Corruption and favoritism often taints selection processes, undermining merit-based recognition. Moreover, limited funding and resources hinder the growth of awards, making it difficult to adequately recognize and support the deserving diverse talent pool. Despite these challenges, awards continue to be vital for acknowledging excellence and inspiring achievement globally.
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