THE fourth edition of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) practically celebrated the Africa’s richest cultures, fashion, glamour and talents.
Making a lasting impression on the minds of the guests to the historic event last Saturday, the organisers of the event ensured that the entrance to the Ekpo Hall of Eko Hotel and Suites, venue of the event, was massively adorned with AMVCA plaques to lead guests from within and outside Nigeria into the hall, which was packed with high-profile and upcoming Nollywood acts.
Celebrities from diverse backgrounds, admirers, stakeholders, producers and movie directors who have made significant impacts in the entertainment industry experienced a night of paparazzi and frenzy as Africa Magic, in association with MultiChoice, announced winners of the 2016 edition of the AMVCA.
The show, which was broadcast live on all Africa Magic channels on DStv and GOtv, began at 5.00 p.m. with exciting displays on the red carpet, culminating in a spectacular night for African cinema, replete with exciting musical performances, comic displays and emotion-laden speeches.
The star-studded event, was sponsored by Amstel Malta and hosted by the award-winning radio host, IK Osakioduwa and South African TV host, Minnie Dhlamini. The stage was lit up by Nigerian artistes, Flavour, Yemi Alade as well as live performances by dancers from South Africa as well as brilliant displays by Ugandan comic Salvador and Thomas Gumede, from South Africa.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the 2016 Industry Merit Award to Nollywood legends, Sadiq Daba and Bukky Ajayi.
An emotional Ajayi broke down in tears as she received a standing ovation from the audience who acknowledged her contributions to African film and cinema spanning over 50 years.
“To those who I have offended, please forgive me, and to those who have offended me in the course of this job, I forgive you. I wish I could stand up, but if I do, I will fall down. But I thank you all for standing up for me,” the veteran actress said, wiping tears off her face as she was wheeled away from the stage.
Another big winner on the night was Daniel K. Daniel, who took home the award of the best actor in a drama category for his role in A Soldier’s Story. Screen starlet Adesua Etomi won the award of the best actress in a drama for her role in Falling.
In the twilight of the event, Nollywood actress, Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, won the 2016 Trailblazer Award, for which she was presented with a Sport-Utility Vehicle.
Stephanie Linus-Okereke also won an SUV as her Dry won the award of the Best Overall Movie in Africa.
Stephanie thanked her husband, Linus, as well as Diamond Bank, for their support for her dream. “The movie, Dry, was produced to address the issue of the abuse of the girl-child. We need to take care of the vulnerable in our society.
Ese Oruru’s case is an example of what females go through. Also, 40 percent of women die every year during childbirth because they have no medical care. They are voiceless and have no one to speak for them,” she said.
While it seemed like Nollywood dominated Ghollywood and other African countries on the night, Regional Director, M-Net/Africa Magic, Wangi Mba- Uzoukwu, revealed to journalists “The AMVCA is truly pan-African and because Nollywood is the hub of entertainment in Africa, one of the things we encourage is for entries to come from more regions. However, all we did as a team was to up our game with a great team. Just as the Africa Magic-Mnet brand signifies, we give you quality programming and we can only get better. We had two spaces of judging and the judges went through a rigorous process to select the votes which culminated in the results. They are credible players in the industry.”
