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Uganda: Kerunen Gets Kora Award Nod
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New Vision (Kampala)
24 July 2008
Posted to the web 25 July 2008
Gilbert Mwijuke
Kampala
Getting nominated for an award at the Kora All-Africa Music Awards is no mean feat. This is probably why just a handful of Ugandans have been nominated for the awards, while only Pastor George Okudi has gone ahead to win any.
The Kora Award is the most prestigious African music award and a nomination of them opens doors for winners.
Okudi won two Kora Awards for Best Male East African Artiste and Best Male African Artiste in 2003 courtesy of his hit, Wipolo. Since then, winning a Kora Award has been a tall order for Ugandan artistes.
It is for this reason that Susan Kerunen deserves kudos for clinching a nomination at this year's Kora Awards.
Kerunen has been nominated for her song, Ngom, in the Best East African Artiste 2008 category.
She has been nominated alongside Klear Kut, Michael Ross and Blu3. These four will battle it out with Kenya's A Star, Nameless, Valerie Kimani and Wahu and Tanzanian diva, Lady Jaydee, the only Bongo flava representative.
The awards will be held on December 6, in Tinapa, Nigeria. And for the first time, the best African artiste will take home $1m, courtesy of First Bank of Nigeria.
A Kora nod for Kerunen is surprising, considering that she has hardly caused any ripples on the local music scene. But Kerunen says: "I am going with all the faith that I will win." Did she expect it?
"Of course, by the time I made my music, I knew it was good enough to appeal to the international audience," she says.
But who is Suzan Kerunen? Born 29 years ago, Kerunen is an African contemporary musician hailing from West Nile.
She sings in Luo, Kiswahili and English. In 2006, she released her debut 10-song album, Nimefika, which was a fusion of the Ngige drums (from the Junam culture in Nebbi) and West African rhythms.
To celebrate her Kora nod, Kerunen will hold a concert tonight at the Golf Course Hotel's ballroom. Kick off time is 7:00pm and entrance fee is sh20,000.
Kwela, Soul Beat Africa bands and Maurice Kirya will be the curtain raisers while Theatre Factory's funnyman, Kenneth Kimuli a.k.a Pablo, will be the master of ceremonies.
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Club Beer, the German Cultural Society, Alliance Francaise and Prime Media are the sponsors of the show dubbed A Nite with Suzan Kerunen.
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