ZIMBABWEAN artistes continue to shine beyond the borders with dancehall president Winky D being among the winners at this year’s edition of the Annual African Entertainment Awards, USA (AEAUSA) ceremony held on Saturday at Newark Symphony Hall in the United States.
According to the organisers, the awards seek to honour Africans’ excellence across all crafts and industry sectors, including entertainment, entrepreneurship and community.
Apart from Winky D, his compatriots Jah Prayzah scooped Best Male Artiste East/South/North Africa gong, songbird Gemma Griffiths got Best Female East/South/North and South Africa-based Zimbabwean singer Lynol “Mr Brown” Siwela won Best Collaboration award for his duet MaGear featuring Mzansi singer Makhadzi.
It appears Winky D has become a perennial winner of the award having won the same gong in 2020 after shrugging off stiff competition from Ghanaian singers Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Samini and Prince Bright — Ugandan artistes Jose Chameleone, Bebe Cool and Sheebah Karungi and Navy Kenzo from Tanzania.
In his category, Winky D emerged the Best Reggae/Dancehall Artiste against heavyweights such Jamaican reggae dancehall musicians Buju Banton and Popcaan as well as Ghanaian reggae dancehall singer Shatta Wale.
Posting on his social media platforms, Winky D expressed humility and gratitude to his fans for their unwavering support.
“I will forever go beyond grateful and humbled to have earned the unwavering support and love for my music from my brothers and sisters in music. You will remain the driving force behind anything that graces my way musically. I find no words to express how much it means to have such a loyal music base,” he wrote.
“I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to connect with your souls through my music.”
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He added: “You are the reason I do what I do and I am forever grateful for your humbling pure love and support. Thank you for being part of this musical journey. I devote my life to creating music that speaks to your inner beings and souls.”
Jah Prayzah posting on X formerly Twitter said: “I do music to entertain myself and my fans, but whenever I get recognition for it, it is a bonus. Thank you, Team JP and thank you AEAUSA.”
According to the awards’ organisers, their mission is to use entertainment as a platform to unite Africans globally while addressing the big five agendas — health, education, economy, security and infrastructure.
“The African Entertainment Awards, USA believes that tomorrow we will celebrate a new Africa. Because we choose today to create one Africa. Our mission is to use entertainment as a vehicle to support, celebrate, promote and uplift the achievements and advancements of all Africans and Africans in the diaspora through entertainment forms.”
“We use entertainment as a platform to showcase an Africa that is united, self-sufficient and willing and able to evoke social change that matters most in the communities of Africans and Africans in the diaspora worldwide. Our vision is to create a new Africa; one Africa.”
