M’vam Georges Collinet (born 1940?), also known in his early career by the nickname Maxi Voom Voom,Meet the Host: Georges Collinet
at afropop.org is a

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

ian-

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

broadcaster. He is known for hosting radio shows, such as the internationally distributed radio program ''

Afropop Worldwide ''Afropop Worldwide'' is a radio program that presents the musics of Africa and the African diaspora. The program is produced by Sean Barlow for World Music Productions in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is hosted by the veteran Cameroonia ...

''; and for hosting and creating documentary television shows and films. From 1965 until the late 1990s, Collinet hosted a hugely popular morning show broadcast by

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

which had over 120 million daily listeners. He is widely considered the best-known and most famous broadcaster on the African continent. Most, if not all, of his work focuses on

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. He has broadcast in

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Early life

Collinet was born in

to a Cameroonian mother (whose lineage was Bulu) and a

father.Interview
with D. Misha Turner, Detroit, Michigan, 2006. While still a youth, he moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where he received his educationGeorge Collinet biography
pri.org and lived in Neris-les-Bains with his paternal grandmother.

Career

His broadcasting career began in the early 1960s"Bio: Hip Deep Producers and Staff"
''RockPaperScissors.biz'', 2002. at

."Message on the radio"
''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'', 30 July 2005. From 1965 to the late 1990s, he hosted a morning radio show on VoA which boasted an audience of over 120 million people.Scheuerman, Dan
"From Maxi Voom Voom to ''Afropop''"
, ''Humanities'', Vol. 29, No. 2, March/April 2008. This show made him famous in many African countries and was notable for his encyclopedic knowledge about African pop and his enormous enthusiasm for the music and musicians. His exuberant personality broadcast well and made him a household name to many, at all levels of society. Although he moved to the United States in 1959, and still resides there, during the 1970s and 1980s he worked in Paris with African musicians to develop their music and sustain their musical heritage. In 1988 he began hosting the radio program ''Afropop Worldwide'', which he continues to do while also working on television programs and films. Collinet has been instrumental in creating the Maracas D'Or (the African version of the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s) as well as "the first journal in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

devoted to contemporary African music". Collinet has directed as well as developed television productions as well as films. George Collinet Productions (a.k.a. G C Productions) is based in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 2007 he started the popular weekly podcast at the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

in Washington, D.C. called "On the Move".

Personal life

Georges Collinet resides in northwest Washington, D.C. with his wife, Louise (Cooki) and son Georges-Alexandre.

Notes

External links

Afropop Worldwide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collinet, Georges African-American radio personalities American broadcasters American public radio personalities Living people Year of birth uncertain 21st-century African-American people 20th-century births Year of birth missing (living people) Cameroonian emigrants to France