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Tamale, Ghana – Dagara Culture Connect, a non-profit organisation based in the United States of America has launched Dagara Music Awards (DMA) 2023.
The aim of the maiden DMA is to promote Dagara culture through music and also encourage talented Dagara musicians by giving them awards for their hard work.
Hellen Bekuone Dery, founder and Chief Executive Officer of DCC in an exclusive interview with SavannahNews on Sunday, said the DMA was open to all Dagara musicians and xylophonists from Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
“This is our maiden edition and so we’re going to honour only a few musicians who make it to the list of honorees. However, in subsequent awards we would have several categories where musicians can be nominated for and if they win they’re honoured”, she explained.
She added: “We’re not limiting this to only musicians and xylophonists but also our revered traditional leaders especially those who have really led their people to mobilise resources to develop their traditional areas. In subsequent DMA Awards some of our chiefs would also be honoured for transformational leadership.”
Nominations for the “DMA Xylophonist of the Year” closed about a week ago. This was soon followed by public voting which is still ongoing mainly on DCC Facebook platform. Netizens have been asked to vote for their favourite xylophonist out of six nominees.
According to Ms. Dery nicknamed “The Queen of Dagara Entertainment”, nominations for afrobeat musicians and other related music genre were still ongoing on the DCC Facebook platform.
“When nominations closed, we’re going to compile the list of nominees and ask the same audience to vote for their favourite. Voting for Awards is 100 percent public for now and it’s free. You don’t have to pay any money through the voting system for your favourite artistes. Winners of the Awards will receive plaques and cash.”
The launch of the DMA Awards was done virtually on Friday December 8 by Ms. Dery following an hour live interaction from her base in New York with hundreds of followers of the DCC Facebook platform.
Going forward, she said DCC hope to constitute a Board that would have a say in who can win an award. This plan, she intends to factor into preparations towards next year’s DMA Awards soon after this maiden edition.
Ms. Hellen Dery appealed to all Dagara people including chiefs, musicians, cultural and tourism promoters, businesses and corporate organisations as well as well-to-do individuals to come on board to support the Dagara Music Awards to be a success.
The DCC since its inception about three years ago, has contributed so much towards the socio-economic and cultural development of the Dagara tribe especially those in Ghana. The organisation embarked on the provision of potable water to rural communities, supply of furniture to less endowed schools, payment of medical bills for the underprivileged, cash and food donations to widows among others.
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/Kusiele Ziem
Thank you my dear sister, God bless you for having our culture in mind ❤️🧡