One of Sierra Leone’s leading media institutions, Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire was on Monday August 17, 2020, awarded in theSpecial Movie Awards (SMA) as the Best International Media House.
AYV was awarded at the 2018 Special Movie Awards organized by Afrinity Productions in Banjul, the Gambia for its contribution to movie and entertainment industry in Sierra Leone and in West Africa as a whole. The award was officially handed over to the CEO of the Media Empire by Desmond Finney, a filmmaker, on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afrinity Productions, Mr. Wilfred Adams.
Handing over the award on behalf of the CEO, the revered Sierra Leonean actor, Mr Desmond Finney said that the SMA is an annual award organized by Afrinity Production in Banjul, the Gambia and it has incorporated Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other African countries.
He disclosed that AYV had been recognized as the best International Media and that the CEO of Afrinity Productions gave him the award for him to hand it over to the AYV.
Finney informed the gathering that the CEO instituted the Award to promote African films particularly in the West African sub region. He noted that over the years they have had films from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Ghana.
“Actually, Special Movie Award was the first to recognize me with a Lifetime Achievement Award a couple of years ago,” he said. “So, in December 2018, during the 3rd edition of the SMA award ceremony in the Gambia, the AYV was awarded as the best International Media house in the sub region.”
He said that AYV is one of the outstanding media houses in Africa, adding that it has large viewers across Africa and the world at large. “I am happy that AYV has received this award. As a Sierra Leonean, I am happy that we are receiving international awards,” he said.
He disclosed that the fourth edition of the SMA will be organized virtually, this year, and that many Sierra Leonean movies will be competing with others in Africa.
The Managing Director of Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire, Ezekiel Duramany Lakkoh, thanked Desmond Finney and Afrinity Productions for recognizing AYV. “Of course what we are doing in the movie industry in West Africa will go into the history of the movie industry in Africa,” he said, adding that AYV had gone far beyond expectation, and it is now going into the bigger platform not only for Sierra Leonean actors, but for other African actors to participate and see that they are able to move internationally.
The Founder and CEO of AYV, Anthony Navo (Jnr) dedicated the award to the viewers and customers, adding that without them the media empire will not succeed. “When I travelled to the Gambia before COVID-19, I was told that AYV is all over The Gambia through the AYV Mobile Apps and the MultiTV platform,” he said.
He added that AYV is for Africans and expressed happiness that they could reach a wide audience in other African countries. He disclosed that this is the second international award the Empire has received.
By Stephen V. Lansana
20/8/2020. ISSUE NO: 7891