Aduke, a British Nigerian singer, songwriter and performer received a special prize – ‘Rising Africa Star in the Diaspora’ at the 14th annual SICA Festival and Awards in Cotonou, Benin republic on Saturday 28th November 2020.
The special prize awarded to the singer, songwriter and performer is in recognition of her resourcefulness as a brilliant artiste and as one of the very best out of the continent of Africa.
The SICA organisers, after a thorough search for an emerging and outstanding diaspora artiste of African origin, unanimously endorsed and presented the special prize, ‘Rising African Star in the Diaspora’ to Aduke.
The crown also described as “SICA PRIZE of the DIASPORA”, is a continental recognition of cultural expression. The honour is normally bestowed on personalities contributing to the development of cultural and artistic activities in Africa and beyond.
The SICA Award was received on behalf of Aduke at the ceremony by the convener of the African Integration Festival, Dr. Bonny Botoku, at the SICA house in Cotonou, Republic of Benin due to the Covid- 19 pandemic lockdown in the United Kingdom.
According to report by FrontPage Nigeria, If you ever encounter the magic of Aduke on stage in a live performance, you will be enchanted by her total artistic package. The poise, the confidence and grace with which she leads any band she shares a stage with, is enthralling. A seamless blend of soulful, cultural and urbane artistry and delivery, Aduke’s show is always a feast that leaves her audience well fed and yearning for more.
For years, Aduke graced the stage of Freedom Park Lagos as a resident artiste, with her 7-piece band making her a favourite and regular act who visitors and ‘inmates’ (as patrons of the park are fondly called), trooped in to watch monthly. A consummate performer as described by the filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, Aduke never failed to wow her yearning fans and new audiences.
In 2020, the Nigerian-British performing artiste released her debut album and had a European tour in the works as well as residency programs in Germany and Switzerland. However, like everyone else, these plans were abruptly put on hold due to the pandemic. But Aduke, the stage dynamite would not let anything stop her from doing what she loves best as she found a way to continue to thrill her national and international audiences via the virtual space. She staged a monthly live zoom performances of her Afro soul music night organised in the comfort of her living room for 3 months consecutively to the admiration of a cross section of music lovers that not only keep turning up, but could simply not have enough of her.
She also featured at the annual Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Festival, which held virtually across 5 continents and spanned 3 days. Here, Aduke earned the applause of the globally-reputed culture scholar and critic Prof Folabo Ajayi- Soyinka, who described her as an ‘authentic soul with a unique voice.’ In same tone, the humanist Prof Lily Cheng of the San Diego State University, USA described Aduke as a voice of reason, and praised her for using her music to spotlight the cause of humanity at such a time the world faces a collective challenge.
In September 2020 during the UK lockdown, the African Voice Newspaper celebrated its 19th year anniversary which also held virtually, Aduke’s powerful voice rendition of Man is Man (one of her songs), was a delightful addition to the occasion. The song that speaks directly to the celebration’s thematic thrust, calls for the unity of humanity even as it reaffirms the strength and importance of African culture and values. Several attendees could not hide their excitement for Aduke’s art and demanded for more with positive comments and feedbacks pouring in from such eminent guests like the culture aficionado Princess ‘Deun Solarin, actor, media personality Yemi Shodimu, and the showbiz celebrity, DJ Abass.
It came as no surprise when on the 28th of November 2020, the SICA Festival, a prestigious pan-African event that recognises outstanding talents and contributions of exceptional individuals to arts and culture in Africa, honoured the resourceful performer, Aduke.
On stage or in the recording studio, Aduke always delivers with her beautiful compositions and clarity of message to the world through the instrumentality of her Afro soul music rich in melody and clinically delivered with her sensational, yet penetrating voice that leaves her audience always asking for more.
With the Peace and Light, her debut album, which takes listeners on a journey of truth, clarity and self-consciousness, with songs like Lead Me, talking about the knowledge of self in connection to a higher power and, In My Shoes, that connects to the knowledge of the frailty and imperfect nature of man, this international award-winning singer/songwriter and performer is on the way to becoming a powerful voice out of Africa.
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