AFRIMA Awards 2018 which took place in Ghana this past weekend is one event that many will be talking about for weeks. The highly anticipated event did not fully disappoint with it’s ambiance and celebrity filled venue. Amidst the controversies that have been sparked over the years around how artists are selected to win, it still stands tall and sends out a message of appreciating themusic and the culture. Obviously all the drama behind the alleged corruption that goes on with choosing the winners (even though artists seemingly win based on online voting), it is still one of the most prestigious African Awards held in the continent alongside with others like MTV Music Awards and others.
OK enough about the selection and lets focus on Daphne. Did she look amazing or what? The diva was glowing in her beautiful black semi-see though gown and what better accessory than an award to go with it! Qqueen Daphne who was nominated for Best Central Africa amongst some other heavy hitters such as her label mate Shura, Blanche Bailey, Mimi and more, she stood out this year and emerged as the winner (although they are all winners in our eyes). Daphne won for her song Jusque A La Gare one of several hit songs she had this year that was released in Q4 of 2017. The star has been on a roll since her biggest song Calee was released in the Spring of 2017. One thing that was noticeable was the fact that she was the ONLY Cameroonian to bring home an award. Keep in mind that more than 7 Cameroonian artists were nominated in various categories this year.
This fact raised a few questions such as – Is Cameroonian music still not respected by the rest of Africa? Or is it that Ghanaians and Nigerians are still not used to Cameroonian music? Or even worst, is Cameroonian music still not up to par to the African music industrystandards (whatever that may be)? Whatever the case, Camreoonian music still has a long way to go in getting their music out there. As big promoters of Cameroonian music since 2014, The HotJem can confirm that the Cameroonian music industry does have a lot of very talented and gifted artists and great music that we believe should have been nominated and should have won way more awards! However, the problem the #237 industry faces (and this is an ongoing problem) is the lack of support from the government, lack of support from fans and DJs globally and most importantly, the artists lack the means to promote their own music in Cameroon so talk about on an international front. For what its worth, Daphne’s win still show’s that we can do it. Congrats to you Daphne and to all the others who got nominated.
