The celebration of all the Igbo Music Awards otherwise known as Ekwe Awards has received the support of Nigeria’s leading and biggest telecommunication company, MTN.
The initiator and head-honcho of the much anticipated event, Ugo Stevenson disclosed this in a telephone chat after the official parley with the MTN Management.
Furthermore, Ugo said the partnership would be a big boost to the honours’ event. Ugo Stevenson who is the CEO of Ogbakoro Theatre Company, and the facilitators of the first ever all Igbo music awards did not disclose terms of the partnership with MTN but expressed desire to offer the totality of Ekwe Awards sponsorship to MTN or any interested institution.
“I want a world class event with Ekwe Awards; and we can only achieve this if we can get more big sponsors like MTN that can throw in their full weight behind Ekwe Awards.”
Ugo Stevenson who was full of praise to the media for their sacrifice at building the Ekwe Awards brand further disclosed that the award will serve as an avenue to preserve and rescue the language and culture of the Igbo people through the power of music.
He added that Ekwe Awards is a percussive instrument used in all Igbo music styles, hence the reason it was chosen as the name and symbol of the awards.
“Ekwe Awards will celebrate those who have preserved Igbo Language and culture through the most effective medium of mass communication, music” Stevenson maintained.
The NMA best highlife artiste further called on Ndigbo to support the forthcoming event, “Anambra State is home of Ekpili music, while Enugu boasts of the Ogene sound and Udubunchi. In Imo State, Bongo and Abigbo are peculiar to us, Odumodu is of Abia, Ebonyi has Nkwawite while our Ikwerre brothers in Rivers State have Eri Obo and Igbo of Delta, are masters of Oyorima”.
Categories for the 2013 MTN edition of Ekwe Awards include: Best Abigbo Artiste, Best Bongo Artiste, Best Ekpili Artiste, Best Nkwanwite Artiste, Best Ogene Artiste, Best Eri Obo Artiste, Best Oyolima Artiste, Best Udubunch Artiste, Best Ohafia War Dance Artiste, Best Ekpe Artiste, Best Igbo Highlife Artiste, Best Igbo Christian Artiste, Best Igbo Song of the Year, Best Igbo Artiste of the Year, Best Igbo Lyrics on scroll, Best Igbo Music Producer, Best Igbo Music Marketer, Life Time Achievement Award in Igbo Music and Post Humors Awards in Igbo Music.
The long awaited Igbo music day would be taking the center-stage in the city of Owerri on December 7, 2013, even as the convener, Ugo Stevenson reliably assures of a very colourful outing.